The idea is to take an hour or so for yourself without friends, family, or even colleagues distracting you, choose something to do that you wouldn’t usually do, and spend time on your own doing it.

For example, I visited the site were William Blake was born, one lunchtime when I still worked in London. Even though the original house no longer existed (a blue plaque marked the spot) just going there took me out of all the usual negative thoughts I was having and made me focus on someone I found inspirational. I imagined him living there and writing and drawing.

The secret is, and this is very important, you need to go on your own. Other people will want you to focus on them, possibly act bored, not get it, or just be a distraction.

Take time out and good luck. You can read about and buy The Artist’s Way, here.

Another sketch drawn in Derbyshire. The colours are so garish… I mean vibrant, because I’ve used Intense pencils again. I love bright colours and often feel that watercolours can become muddyish if you’re not careful. I think colours should convey mood rather than slavishly sticking to what looks ‘real’.

Intense pencils have the vibrancy of ink and are similar to watercolour pencils in that you can draw with them or mix them with water to create a wash.

I usually draw in the outline with a black waterproof graphic pen. They come in different sizes. I use 0.1 (giving a very fine line), 0.3 and 0.5 (which gives the thickest line).

If you want to buy art materials, Daniel Smith Art Supplies is a company based in the US.

Dick Blick Art Materials sell a vast range of art materials and is also based in the US.

If you order over a certain amount, shipping can be free within the US, conditions apply. Orders placed from outside the US will have a different shipping charge and may be subject to import duties. (Click on the shipping information on their websites.)

If you are based in the UK, Hobbycraft is a good place to buy very similar art and craft materials.

This is a tree I drew in the rain near Frenchman’s Creek. It brings back memories of seeing the rain splash off my sketchbook making the drawing a little blurry. It was fun to spend a whole afternoon making sketches.

I used Inktense pencils, which have the vibrancy of ink and can be mixed with water or used on their own. Inktense pencils are similar to watercolour pencils but are much more vibrant.

If you want to buy art materials, Daniel Smith Art Supplies is a company based in the US.

Dick Blick Art Materials sell a vast range of art materials and is also based in the US.

If you order over a certain amount, shipping can be free within the US, conditions apply. Orders placed from outside the US will have a different shipping charge and may be subject to import duties. (Click on the shipping information on their websites.)

If you are based in the UK, Hobbycraft is a good place to buy very similar art and craft materials.

Today I flicked through some of my old sketchbooks. When I’m not writing for my blog, I tend to be sketching and carry a pad with me everywhere I go. Often I dislike what I’ve drawn, but then months if not years later, I decide I do like some of the sketches after all. It’s not that I think they are brilliantly drawn, I just like the memories that they evoke.

For example, with this sketch I can vividly remember how my parents’ back yard was, that is was sunny, that my dad had just been pottering in his garage, that he still had his old van, that I was looking out from my old childhood bedroom and that I felt happy. Not sure I would have felt the same way about a photo.

Where can I buy art and craft materials?

Dick Blick Art Materials sell a vast range of art materials. It is an art supplies company that is based in the US.

If you order over a certain amount, shipping can be free within the US, conditions apply. Orders placed from outside the US will have a different shipping charge and may be subject to import duties. (Click on the shipping information link at the bottom of the page on Dick Blick Art Materials for details.)

You can also buy craft materials from ScrapbookingAlley.com, who are also based in the US.

If you are based in the UK, Hobbycraft is a good place to buy very similar art and craft materials.

The class had two young models, one male, one female. The idea was to draw them using the Blind Contour technique in pen and ink. I must say I found it difficult to draw in ink, there is no room for error and it can be very unforgiving. But it really doesn’t matter, a life drawing class is all about looking, observing and experiencing what you see. It doesn’t matter if what you end up with is something less than perfect. We also used water and bleach to create a wash or create an effect with the ink. It was fun to play with the materials. (See my efforts in the image above).

The Blind Contour method is as follows:

• Look at one point on a contour line of the model.
• Place your pen on the paper.
• As you move your eye, you move your pen.
• Don’t look at the paper. Look when you come to the end of the line.
• Don’t restart the drawing.
• Make the next line fit with what you’ve just drawn.

I used my sketchbook, but you can paint on canvas or canvas board with acrylic paints. If you paint in a sketchbook first, you can experiment to your heart’s content with different colours and when you are happy with the result, you can transfer it to a larger canvas.

You will need:

• a sketchbook or canvas board
• acrylic paints
• flat paint brush
• masking tape
• sponge

Where can I buy acrylic paints?

How to paint a sunset, step-by-step

[Click here for a SLIDESHOW]

Step one
Paint the background in the lightest colour. I chose pink, but you could choose purples, yellows or any colour you are likely to see in a sunset. I painted the scene in my sketchbook, but you could try using canvas or canvas board.

Step two
Place a piece of masking tape two thirds of the way down the paper and paint up to it in a mid-tone colour.

Step three
Take away the tape to reveal the horizon line.

Step four
Place another piece of masking tape, over the colour you've just painted. Paint your final dark foreground colour over the masking tape and then remove the masking tape.

Step five
The final touch is to add white. I used my finger to create a rough circle of white to represent the sun.

Step six
Add in some highlights at the bottom and some clouds by dabbing paint with a sponge or cloth and your sunset scene is finished.

I’ve often been criticized for some of the things I’ve written or created. I’ve learnt not to care. Criticism is all part of the process and it’s part of being productive. You will always get good and bad feedback, no matter what you do.

I remember as a child working on a painting of some trees that I wanted to get just right. My mum would ask if it was finished so that she could put it on the wall. My reply was always, “It’s not finished, I still need to work on it.”

In the end, she took the painting when I wasn’t there, framed it and put it on the wall before I had time to protest. This is probably the best thing she could have done, even though I felt annoyed at the time. Sometimes, you can “overwork” a painting until it loses its freshness. You need to know when to start and more importantly when to stop. Or you just need a mum, who decides for you

Oil paints can be a little tricky at first for the beginner, but it is worth experimenting with them as oil paints can add such rich, luscious color to paintings. Oil paints are very slow drying and can be applied thickly with a palette knife or brush. You can also apply oil paints in thin washes after diluting them with linseed oil or turpentine or a combination of both.

Use a combination of linseed oil and turpentine to create more fluid oil paint. It is best to use turpentine to dilute oil paints, rather than “white spirits” or turpentine substitutes, as artists’ turpentine will preserve the quality of the paint. You can clean brushes with turpentine substitute.

Linseed oil will make the paint more glossy and turpentine will give the paint a matt (or flat) quality. If you are new to using oil paint, experiment with different amounts of linseed oil and turpentine and see what results you get.

Where can I buy oil paints and art materials?
Dick Blick Art Materials sell a vast range of art materials. It is an art supplies company that is based in the US.

As with other types of paint, you can buy a Beginner Set of 6 Colors, suitable for those new to oil painting and Artists’ Oil Color for those more experienced with the medium, who want better quality paints. The best type of oil paints in my opinion are Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Color.

You can get ideas for gifts for budding artists by clicking on the following link: Gifts for the Artist

Oil painting techniques
My art teacher used the phrase “fat over lean” when explaining how to use oil paints. You should paint thin washes of oil paint first with subsequent thicker layers over the top.

Other oil paint techniques include painting wet into wet, that is painting fresh paint into a layer that hasn’t dried yet. This is a great technique for blending the paint.

Glazing is an oil paint technique that builds up layers of transparent or semi-transparent paint. Create the glaze by diluting the paint with a combination of linseed oil and turpentine. Add more linseed oil to create more gloss or shine to the surface. Each layer must be dry before applying the next. It is a great technique for creating atmosphere and for creating a sense of unity.

Impasto is where the paint is applied very thickly and the painting has a heavy texture. Each layer needs to dry before applying the next. The paint can be applied with a palette knife.

Scumbling is a technique where the paint is applied with a dry brush, which allows the layer underneath to show through and emphasizes the texture of the surface.

S’graffito is a technique of scraping away the paint while it is still wet. You can use the end of the handle of the brush to do this.

Because of its slow drying nature, oil paint requires patience and time. You can’t use acrylic paints on top of oil paints as they are water-based. I have managed to use oil paints on top of acrylics with success, but I’m not sure what the long term effects of this would be. The paints may crack over time.

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You can choose from students’ acrylics or artists’ acrylics. Artists’ acrylics are better quality, but are more expensive. For those new to use this medium, try a basic set of primary acrylics.

You can buy acrylic paints in tubes, jars and plastic bottles. If you want to paint thickly, choose the tubes, for thin washes choose liquid acrylics available in jars.

Acrylics are water-based, meaning you dilute them with water and clean any brushes or equipment you’ve used with water. It also means that they dry very rapidly, not giving a lot of time to work the paint. You can, however, buy acrylic retarders that slow the drying time of the paint. You can also buy other mediums that add texture and gloss.

As acrylics dry out very quickly, keep them moist on a plastic or ceramic palette. Or, invest in a stay-wet palette designed to keep the paint moist for longer.

Watercolor and gouache are both water-based paints. In essence, this means that they can be diluted with water and brushes can be cleaned with water. No need for turpentine or turpentine substitutes. Another bonus, is that the watercolor and gouache paint dries quickly so you can get very quick results.

The essential difference between watercolor and gouache is that watercolor is transparent and gouache is opaque. Each has its own qualities, and they can also complement each other too.

Watercolor

A watercolor painting is built up with a series of transparent layers. This is great for creating mood and changing the tone of a painting; not so great if you want to change something as you can’t really cover up a layer with another. It will show through. There are techniques for lifting off the paint or scraping off layers, but these can have limited results sometimes.

Watercolor purists do not use white watercolor paint. They work from light to dark, leaving light areas unpainted and building up the darker areas gradually. The white of the paper is meant to shine through, giving a quality unique to watercolors. I suggest though, that if you need to bring in lighter areas towards the end, use white. If you are not used to using watercolor, it can be at times frustrating so don’t worry too much about perfection.

Types of watercolor
The quality of watercolor can vary a lot. Students’ watercolors are inexpensive but the quality is not so good. If you are just trying watercolors out, then choose students’ watercolors as a starter. When you gain more confidence, artists’ colors are made with better pigments and are more expensive, but they give better results. Check to see how lightfast the paint is (how susceptible it is to fading). The manufacturer can usually advise on this.

You can buy watercolor in pans or in tubes of paint. Pans fit into paint boxes and are great for working outdoors. I prefer tubes, as the color is stronger and I find them easier to control when you are mixing colors. Both come in boxed sets or you can buy them singly.

My favourite watercolours are Windsor & Newton. They have a range of inexpensive Winsor & Newton Cotman Student Watercolors that are a good to start with. Their more expensive Winsor & Newton Artists’ Watercolorsare also an excellent choice. I recommend that you start with a basic palette of colors, including the three primary colors. I prefer Cobalt Blue to some of the more intense blues, as well as Cadmium Yellow, and Cadmium Red. Practised artists tend to favour their own palette of colors.

Gouache

Gouache can be diluted with water and applied in semi-transparent layers. Used thick, it is opaque and covers well, so unlike watercolor, you can work from dark to light, adding lighter areas last. You can also make changes easily and cover up mistakes with another layer. I find it useful for adding highlights to watercolors.

Types of gouache
Like watercolor, you can buy gouache in tubes, pans or pots. Again, I prefer the tubes as they seem to last for ages and are easier to mix together. I began with a Reeves Gouache Set, which I think is a good choice. My other choice for better quality paints is Winsor & Newton Designers’ Gouache.