Blog post #139 Silver Clay I love taking classes in disciplines that I don’t normally work in and just recently I went on a course to learn about silver clay. The one-day course was held at the Ardington School of Crafts in Oxfordshire (www.ardingtonschool.com), which is owned by the incredibly talented Simon Sonsino, who I…
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Blog post #138 Record keeping. Again. You may have noticed that last month I spared you the preaching about record keeping [Thank the Lord, Ed]. Well, this month I am back on it. When I last told you about keeping stock records, I said that I was going to try a new system and would…
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Making a simple leather journal There are many different kinds of journals you can make. Stitched covers, which I teach online classes about (with my talented friend, Cecilia); cloth covers; card covers etc. Then there is the stitch work: simple straight stitching; cross stitching of various complexities and then the different finishings. As I am…
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What is your name or the name you go by for your art? ‘Adele Froude Designs’ and ‘Dalmatian Art by Adele Froude Designs’. Where do you live? The Yorkshire Dales National Park. What’s your background? I worked in the NHS for 20 years, in several different locations across the country, including Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, London and…
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Last week I talked mainly about the different products I use to make my colourful artworks. This week I thought I would tell you about some of the ways I use those products and share some of the results, too. There are many different ways we can approach starting a piece of work but to…
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My love affair with colour As many of you know, I love colour. Every piece of artwork I make starts with me thinking about the colours I want to use and the overall effects those colours will have on each other. Am I looking for a particular feeling? Is that feeling bright, joyful, sombre, cheerful,…
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133rd Blog post record keeping (again) Yes, we are back to record keeping, this time following the art exhibition I took part in at Painshill Park a couple of weeks ago. First, a quick reminder about your journal, or bullet journal as I find some of you are now referring to it. I wanted to…
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Blog post #132 – After the exhibition I have just taken part in my first in person exhibition since March 2020 and wanted to share what I learned from the event. I hope this will in turn help you for any events you have coming up. The first and most surprising thing for me was…
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Featured Artist – Karen Dickinson What is your name (or the name you go by for your art)? Professionally, I’m Karen Dickinson Studio but I am also known as karentillyart or Tilly art on social media. Tilly has been my nickname all my life. Where do you live? Leyland, Lancashire, England. What’s your background? I…
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Exhibitions – hanging facilities and art stands. At the end of this month, I will be taking part in my first exhibition this year inside a marquee in Painshill Park, Cobham, Surrey. I haven’t taken part in an exhibition there before and have no idea what the setup will be like, so trying to plan…
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Following on from last month’s blog about using your journal and record keeping, specifically keeping your books up to date to file your tax returns, I want to focus this time on keeping stock records. Don’t groan, you will thank me in the end. Last month I encouraged you to keep accounting records even if…
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Blog post #127 Art classes – how to pick the best one The other day I was asked how to find a good art class. If you google “art classes”, you will be immediately swamped by just how many classes of all different levels you can apply for, from local teachers to organisations offering BAs,…
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This months featured artist is Deborah, I hope you enjoy her story. What is your name (or the name you go by for your art)? Deborah Waters, AKA Desirables by Deborah. I didn’t want to limit my brand to just art as I also create cards, cushions and whatever takes my fancy including millinery and…
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A few years back I wrote about clearing out my art studio in preparation for moving to a new house. As we are now very close to actually moving, I felt it would be good to revisit the subject. What is slightly unnerving is that when I wrote that piece in 2019, just as I…
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Blog post #123 Continuing to work with your journal keeping plus more. Are you still managing to use your journal? I hope so, but if you’re not don’t feel bad. Personally, I have had a few very difficult weeks with elderly family members and their needs taking up a lot of my time. There have…
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This week’s blog is a reworking of one I wrote a couple of years ago. As we prepare to go back out into the world and show our artwork in public, having that work “exhibition ready” and by that, I mean presenting it in the best possible way, is essential. Ask yourself this: would you…
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Featured artist, April 2021 What is your name (or the name you go by for your art)? Lisa Woodward Where do you live? Ottawa, Canada What is your background? Definitely not art! I did post-graduate studies in international development, and then worked in that area for over 20 years. However, my work took me to…
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Blog post #121 Pastels – what they are and how to use them. I recently read an interesting article about a new pastel on the market. It was interesting because, whilst the company waxed lyrical about how wonderful their product is, and I don’t doubt this, it occurred to me that there was nothing to…
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Journal planning, record keeping and how to persevere It is that time again when I am looking at forward planning, habit forming and goal achievement. I mentioned last month that I have had a number of shows cancelled but this month I am delighted to tell you that I have been invited to take part…
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As the UK starts slowly to prepare for reopening its shop doors, putting on events and exhibitions and generally trying to get back to some kind of normality, now feels like a good time to start thinking about which exhibitions you are going to sign up for and what you will need to prepare so…
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Your name?Stella Tooth What’s your background?I’m a West London-based figurative artist, specialising in portraits in oils, and have painted some of the country’s leading broadcast journalists including the BBC’s Kate Adie and John Humphrys. I also specialise in portraying performers – particularly musicians – as I am Resident Artist at The Half Moon Putney,…
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How do I chose the best art materials for me? If you have decided to take up art during this pandemic and have now concluded that the cheap set of paints you bought might need upgrading, hopefully this blog will help you to decide what to spend your money on. Just about every art guidebook…
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This week we are back to looking at planning, forming good habits and keeping your goals in mind as well as recording them. So, 2021 is still shaping up to be a bit of a disaster when it comes to arranging in person exhibitions. I have had three cancelled for next month, so all those…
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Mono-printing with gel plates Printmaking is probably my favourite artform, although there are a couple of very close seconds. As I embark on a 12 month-long printmaking course, I plan to share some information on the techniques I enjoy using, how you can make use of these yourself and, hopefully, some guidance on how to…
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Your name? Elaine Almond What’s your background? I was born in London and now live in West Kent. I am an abstract artist, painting mainly in oils and acrylics, and a part-time lay minister. For many years my canvas was the garden, moving around and designing one everywhere we lived! I sketched on holiday and…
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Making a vegan-friendly journal As some of you will know, last year I took a refresher course in journal making and was suddenly hooked. After many years of knowing how to do something, I had not thought that I could link it with my art so parked it as something I might do again another…
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So, as promised I am checking in on you to see how you are getting along with setting up and using your system of goal setting and, of course, sticking to it. Personally, I am really enjoying using the leather journal I made for myself and I think you too should be using a journal…
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The artist’s essentials I am often asked about the materials I use when making my artwork and I have written around this topic before but having been asked again this week by someone very new to painting, I thought I would revisit the subject. My first piece of advice is always to use the best…
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Blog 110 Goal setting (continued from 2020) Planning out what your “big ticket” goals are and how you can fit normal life around achieving them is not as daunting as it might sound. I love the expression, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That is how to approach this if…
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Your nameHeather Tobias Where do you live?Watford, Hertfordshire What is your background?I left school and went to Drama College; I had the opportunity of Art School but went the drama route. I have worked professionally all my life as an actress. How did you learn your craft, i.e. college, self-taught and what did that entail?…
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Setting and realising your goals Last week we looked at letting your imagination and goal setting run wild and the week before we looked back at 2020 and the major positives and negatives of the year. This week, I want to help you with setting your goals and making them happen. Don’t panic if you…
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Thinking about 2021 and dreaming big. What do you want? Because of Covid, life as we know it is unlikely to ever feel the same again, or certainly not for a long time. But please don’t fret about it; you can’t change it, so it is far easier for your own wellbeing to simply accept…
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An annual review It’s that time of year when people are gearing up to look back at the events over the past 12 months. Obviously, Covid-19 is going to be the main feature but as anyone who knows me personally will confirm, I always look for the silver lining to any event and there will…
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Your name? Miriam Brady Where do you live? I currently live in Kent, England, but I am originally from Dublin in Ireland. What is your background? With a background in the scientific arena and a PhD in immunology, I have worked in academia and in the commercial environment as a project and product manager and…
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My adventure into this fabulous craft. Earlier this year, when some kind of normality was allowed and ‘real’ classes were running, I took the opportunity to spend the day with my dear friend, Teresa. Together we attended a book binding course at the wonderful Ardington School of Crafts in South Oxfordshire. (https://www.ardingtonschool.com/#/) Janina Maher was…
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Christmas is coming I have really battled this week to come up with a topic to write about which a) you will find interesting to read and b) could be beneficial too.Then I hit on it.I have been struggling like mad trying to figure out what to buy Mr. S for Christmas but realised that…
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Let’s be honest, this Covid-19 crisis has had a huge effect on all of us. Trying to stay positive is difficult but believe me when I say that being negative will make things even worse. Like attracts like, though I don’t understand quite why I find myself having to deal with so many people who…
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Sadly, there still exists in the UK, a huge amount of snobbery around being an artist versus crafter or craftsperson. It is a snobbery I have never understood and, having lived in the mid-west of the United States, I can say it is a snobbery which doesn’t exist over there. It is also a snobbery…
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Your name?Tracey Elizabeth Downing Where do you live?Carshalton, Surrey (nowadays part of the London Borough of Sutton) What is your background?I was always good at art at school and it was my best subject in High School. My teacher encouraged me to think about going to Art College, which is the path I took. I…
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What I have learned making my first few videos of my art demos and classes Whilst Covid-19 has caused huge problems and great sadness there are always good things which come out of bad. And personally, I do love to find the silver lining to bad situations. In the art world, and certainly among the…
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Selling your work through galleries – the pros and cons I am regularly asked why I do not approach galleries to show my artwork and I have many artist friends who love nothing better but before I give you my answer, let me break down the pros and cons for you. Having your artwork shown…
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Art words and what they mean Every profession has their own language, possibly designed to make people within that profession feel special, elite even and to make outsiders feel inferior, excluded or simply uninformed. It is a practice which has been going on for hundreds and thousands of years, and the art world is no…
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Your name Lee Caller Where do you live? Shepperton in Surrey What is your background? I grew up at a time when the home computer was starting to appear everywhere (before Microsoft and Apple took over the world). Although gaming was its main purpose you could also program on it. I would sit there for…
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Earlier this year I said that I would share more information with you about other types of screen-printing technique. Exposed screen-printing method If you are lucky to live near a print studio (there are many of them up and down the country) and you want to learn more, they are well worth joining. You need…
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During the lockdown many of you will have spent time filling your days with your children or grandchildren making art. And now you have tons of it and don’t know what to do with it. I expect for some of you your fridge door is overflowing with it all stuck up using fridge magnets, but…
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How to take care of Artwork Paintings You have spent many hours and a huge amount of energy to make your art so you really should think about what will happen to it once it is finished. Not least because anyone buying your work could ask all sorts of questions and if you can’t provide…
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This month’s featured artist is Lin Chatfield. Read her interesting story here. Your name? Lin Chatfield, though for a time I did use my middle name, Louise, when I was in Sussex. It got rather confusing when we moved, so I reverted back! Where do you live? I now live in Rutland in the East…
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I was asked to write this blog post by a very dear Hungarian friend. She wanted to know more about them and how best to go about getting them for her own artwork. So, what are they? A certificate of authenticity is a document which proves that your work is genuine. If you have even…
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I am sure many of you are wondering the same thing: Should I take part in that exhibition or should I just walk away? Currently, there is no definitive answer but let’s take a closer look. Many artists I know are taking part in exhibitions which are being put on, and staffed by, commercial companies.…
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I was listening today to a podcast called Art Juice which, if you haven’t listened to it, you really should. The fabulous Alice Sheridan and the equally fabulous Louise Fletcher produce this weekly podcast and talk about all sort of art stuff and have really interesting guests on, too. Well worth a listen. Anyway, this…
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