After decades of painting, Henri Matisse found himself unable to continue due to ill health. But from his wheelchair and his bed he continued to make work with the help of assistants. Large scale collage became his medium of choice. Read more…
An analogous colour scheme uses colours which are next to each other on the colour wheel. For example, blues and greens, or oranges and yellows. These colours have a close relationship with each other. There is not that much hue contrast between Read more…
Screenprinting is a great simple process which will enable you to print your own bag, t-shirt or other fabric item. Screenprinting kits start at around £30 with everything you need to get started, or you could have a go at Read more…
Pottery Tutor Sally demonstrates modelling animals in clay, with a short video of her sheep to give you some pointers. You could use the same techniques to model in plasticine or playdough if you don’t have clay. View the video Read more…
If you have a look out of your window, or go onto your balcony or into your garden, you can hopefully see some signs of spring in the unfurling foliage. There are all kinds of greens out there right now Read more…
Try mixing a grey to learn about colour and to make subtle colours. Colour doesn’t shine without grey! Using colours straight from the tube in a painting doesn’t usually result in a successful piece of work. Mixing colour is something Read more…
Look at these sketches made by Van Gogh, and see if you can follow some of the methods shown in his work. Notice how the foreground has more detail and things become less defined in the distance. This is one Read more…
Here’s some photos of the little figure I finished this morning. He’s a bit of a cross between da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and Angel of the North. It’s really tricky to get a figure in clay to stand so I Read more…
We have recently been asked about removing an ink stain from a piece of furniture. Here are a couple of methods to try. One is to apply alcohol, either isopropyl or methylated spirits. The other is a solution of bicarbonate Read more…
Collage is a great way to work at home. All kinds of paper can be used including newsprint, as in this self-portrait by David Hockney. The article in the piece serves to locate the work in a time and place Read more…