One of the most common messages I receive, is from beginners, asking if they ‘need to loosen up.’

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

Painting in a loose, impressionistic style has the allure of freedom and artistic and personal expression. But when you’re thinking about your drawing, composition, and colour mixing, achieving fluid and expressive brushwork feels elusive.

So, what can you do to practice? How can you keep a balance between realism and looseness?

The key to looser brushwork lies in mastering the subtleties of your tools and learning how to let go of unnecessary precision.

The 1 Reason Most People Fail at Brushwork

I’ve been practising and teaching brushwork for over 20 years. Using traditional to modern techniques, including long handle, short handle, sable, and hog, I’ve seen first-hand how proficient brushwork can transform your painting, but over the years, I’ve also learned that people who want to achieve fluid, expressive paintings often end up failing.

Approaching brushwork with a mindset of control and perfectionism isn’t the answer. You could think you would achieve more by focusing harder, using better brushes, or spending more time on details, but the truth is that the fear of letting go is holding you back.

One of my favourite brushes does everything ‘wrong’.

Bristles have fallen out.
It doesn’t hold much paint anymore.
The bristles are splayed, and there’s a thick paint build-up near the ferrule.

I love it.

The imperfections in the bristles create unpredictable strokes and texture that a new brush can’t achieve.

(There is a Japanese term called Wabi-Sabi. This is my wabi-sabi brush!)

The secret to loose, expressive brushwork lies in understanding key elements—your brushes, paint consistency, surface, and how you hold the brush.

Whether you’re wondering how to learn brushwork or simply want to improve your expressive painting skills, this guide will show you how small adjustments can make a huge difference.

6 Key Variables That Influence Brushwork

Have you got control issues?

To paint looser, you need to understand the factors that shape your brushwork. There are countless variables that affect the look and feel of your strokes, and tweaking them will help you achieve a more fluid, expressive style. The biggest one is control.

When you move from pencil to paintbrush, a simple mistake will unwittingly hold your loose painting back. 

You’re holding your paintbrush like a pencil, not a brush.

The further back along the handle you hold your brush, the less control you have.

The less control, the more loose a brushstroke will be.

My trusty old brush

1. Bristles: The Foundation of Brushwork

Each brush behaves differently; understanding them is key to creating varied and dynamic strokes. The type of bristles is the most fundamental factor influencing your work; this article looks at the most common bristles used in artist brushes.

• Length and Width of Bristles: A wider brush (in relation to your canvas size) covers more surface area and encourages bigger, bolder marks, perfect for a loose painting style.
• Absorbency: Bristles like sable hold more water, allowing for smoother, continuous strokes, while hog hair brushes tend to release paint more quickly, creating textured, broken lines.
• Snapback: This refers to how much the bristles spring back after being pressed into the canvas. Brushes with more snap create sharp, defined marks, while softer bristles make for smooth strokes.
• Age of the Brush: A new brush behaves differently from an old one. As brushes age, they soften, lose bristles, and create unpredictable marks. Many artists, myself included, prefer older, worn-out brushes because they allow for more spontaneous textures.
• Splay: Match the brush’s splay to the mark you’re trying to create. Imperfections create unpredictable strokes and textures.

Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment with those worn-out brushes you’ve moved to the back of your studio space—they might just give you the loose, textured strokes you’re after.

Thick impasto paint mixed on the canvas

Thin diluted paint, creating a soft fluid effect

2. Paint Consistency: Thick vs. Thin

The consistency of your paint is another major factor in brushwork. It affects how the paint interacts with your brush and canvas, and how it flows across the surface.

• Thick Paint: Using paint straight from the tube creates bold, textured brushstrokes. This works well for impasto techniques or when you want to emphasize texture and create broken edges.
• Thin Paint: Diluting your paint with water, oil, or a medium will allow it to flow more smoothly, leading to softer, more blended strokes. This is great for glazes or for creating a more fluid, looser style.
• Mixing on the Palette vs. on the Canvas: Fully mixing your paint on the palette will give you a consistent color, but mixing directly on the canvas adds color variation within each stroke, adding depth to your work.

Experiment: Try mixing partially on the canvas instead of fully on the palette. This can help loosen up your brushwork and introduce beautiful colour into your strokes.

Smooth canvas vs textured

Adding surface texture onto the canvas enables looser brush handling and broken edges

3. Surface Texture: How the Canvas Affects Your Brushwork

The surface you paint on—whether it’s a smooth board or a textured canvas—significantly affects the look of your brushstrokes.

• Smooth Surfaces: A smooth board allows your brush to glide, creating clean, solid blocks of color. This is great for controlled work but can feel too tight for looser styles.
• Textured Surfaces: A textured canvas grips the brush, breaking up the paint and creating more dynamic, irregular strokes. This helps when you want to achieve a looser, more expressive feel.
• Absorbent Surfaces: Some surfaces, like raw canvas or watercolour paper, absorb the paint, creating soft edges and a stained look. This is ideal for loose washes or underpaintings.

Pro Tip: If you’re struggling with tight brushwork, switch to a rougher surface. It encourages broken, unpredictable strokes.

4. Speed of Application: Fast, Medium, or Slow?

The speed at which you apply your brushstrokes directly influences how loose or tight your painting looks.

• Fast Brushstrokes: Quick strokes create energy and movement. To achieve looser, more expressive brushwork, practice speeding up your application.
• Medium Speed: A balanced, medium pace allows for some control while still maintaining a sense of flow. This works well when you want a mix of precision and looseness.
• Slow Brushstrokes: Slower strokes are more deliberate and careful, which can result in tighter, more controlled work. However, slowing down for specific details and then speeding up for broader areas can create a lovely dynamic balance in your painting.

Try This: Set a timer and force yourself to make faster brushstrokes during your next session. The sense of urgency can help break your perfectionism or reach for tea and biscuits to calm down!

Close grip giving more control

Loose grip further down the brush gives freer looser strokes

5. Brush Handling: Different Angles, Different Effects

How you hold your brush and the angle you use it, will change the quality of your strokes. Experiment with different grips and angles to achieve various effects.

• Flat, Side, Tip: Using the flat side of the brush gives you broad, even coverage while using the tip creates sharp, precise lines. Holding the brush at an angle or even using the handle to scratch into the paint adds more texture and unpredictability.
• Hand Grip: Holding your brush close to the ferrule gives you more control, but holding it further back encourages larger, freer strokes. You can even extend the handle to force yourself to paint from a distance, making it harder to get stuck in the details.

Pro Tip: Mix it up. Switch between gripping the brush close to the ferrule for details and farther back for broader, looser strokes.

6. Pressure: Strong vs. Soft Application

The pressure you apply with your brush dramatically affects your brushstrokes.

• Strong Pressure: Pushing hard into the canvas creates thick, bold strokes with visible texture. This is great for emphasizing specific areas of your painting.
• Soft Pressure: A lighter touch results in delicate, whisper-thin lines that can soften your overall piece. This technique is useful for transitions and highlights.
• Varying Pressure: Combining intense and soft pressure in the same stroke creates dynamic brushwork. For example, start with heavy pressure and gradually lighten as you move the brush, creating a stroke that fades out smoothly.

Exercise: In your next painting session, alternate between heavy and light pressure within the same stroke to create varied lines.

Putting It All Together: A Recipe for Looser Brushwork

To paint looser, you don’t need to throw out everything you’ve been doing. Instead, it’s about tweaking the variables—the brush, paint consistency, surface, speed, handling, and pressure. By experimenting with each of these elements, you can find a balance that feels more expressive and spontaneous.

Looser brushwork is about embracing the process and using your brush as a tool for expression, not just control. When you learn to experiment, push boundaries, and stop obsessing over the smallest details, your brushstrokes will naturally become freer.

Final Thoughts: Practice Makes Progress

The more you experiment with these variables, the better you’ll understand how they influence your brushwork. Remember, painting looser isn’t about being careless—it’s about learning to trust your instincts, work quickly, and make bold choices.

If you’d like to learn more about how your canvas choice, brush method and paint mixing can all work together, I’ve got a new ‘How to paint like Monet’ launching in the next couple of weeks; whoop whoop!

Look out for the materials list for the course next week so you can loosen up and let your creativity flow.

Morning Class,

This week, I came across an interesting article on ‘Just Paint’ (Golden Paints Blog), which I thought I’d share with you.

It looks at the common problem of acrylic paints becoming over-diluted when stored in a stay-wet palette and tests the Masterson’s Sta-wet Palette, it’s absorbent sponge, with Golden Wetting Agent.

(The Wetting Agent was previously called ‘Acrylic Flow Release’)

I find using a stay-wet palette really helpful when my acrylics dry too quickly in the studio.

I’ll often premix colours on a tear-off palette and transfer the paint piles into a stay-wet palette. It acts as a loading bay where I can keep my acrylic mixes workable for a few days.

I currently use the Daler Rowney Stay Wet palette above, and it consists of two layers :

• An absorbent paper layer that is soaked with water – acts as a water reservoir.
• A sheet of grease-proof paper acts as a membrane to prevent all water from entering the paint immediately, as well as a lid.

I lay my acrylic paints out on top of the grease-proof sheet, and as the acrylics dry, the water in the paint is replaced by the water held in the absorbent paper layer.

It definitely keeps paints workable for longer, but there are a couple of caveats.

When I leave mixes in there for longer than a few days, the water in the palette makes the paints much more fluid, so they blend into each other rather than keeping themselves separate. And once the lid is on, and it’s a warm week, there’s also the risk of mould growing on the damp paper.

I often advise using heavy-body acrylics for their greater stability. They can handle excess moisture and are still workable even if they dilute slightly. However, I have found that using Golden Open Acrylics and Golden Fluid Acrylics, which are a lot more fluid to start with, not as successful.

The Masterson Sta-Wet Super Pro Palette – you can see the yellow sponge

In the Golden Paints tests, the Mastersons’ Palette incorporates an absorbent sponge instead of paper underneath to hold the water.

They also tried using treated water (rather than tap water, which I usually use) to see if that would make a difference. Distilled water made a huge difference; the sediments and minerals have been removed, which helps reduce mould growth. Then, they added the Golden Wetting Agent, (which is a soap or Surfactant) in different ratios to help saturate the sponge.

Heavy Body Titanium White after a month in a Sta-Wet Palette using distilled water – taken from the Just Paint Blog, Golden Artists Colours Inc.

What was interesting about the results was that the heavy body acrylic maintained a pretty good consistency for weeks! It didn’t really move; it stayed in a more stable, thicker form.

The real key is to determine how much water to add to the sponge to achieve the desired consistency for the medium you’re using.

I tend to saturate the absorbent sheet and then pour off the excess water.

You can see a video from 12 years ago of me setting up a stay-wet palette. (I’m still using the same one!)

Anyway, I will try it myself with distilled water and see how I get on. Let me know if you give it a go.

As a side note, I saw that Masterson makes a large Super Pro Palette version, similar to the A3 size Daler Rowney used to make, which is now out of production. I’m always running out of paint-storing real estate, so I think on this occasion, I’ll have to go big!

Oil on Board, 10 x 8 Inch, Will Kemp

I love cake.

I love paint.

Lets’s paint some cake!

This epic coffee and walnut cake is from Tate Britain café I sampled after the Singer Sargent Exhibition. Painted with the equally buttery cobra oil paint water-mixable oil paint, but the techniques would equally apply to painting with acrylics or traditional oils.

I hope it brings as much warmth to your day as the cake brought to mine!

Reference Image for the painting

Materials you will need:

Surface: 10 x 8 inch (20 x 25cm) canvas board

Paint Colours

For the foundational layer, known as the initial block-in, I used acrylics due to their fast-drying nature.

• Burnt Umber (Golden Acrylic Paints)
• Titanium White (Golden Acrylic Paints)
• Neutral Gray 8 (Golden Acrylic Paints)

Following the acrylic base, the rest of the painting was created using water-mixable oils.

Water-Mixable Oils

• Titanium White
• Titanium Buff
• Permanent Yellow Light
• Yellow Ochre
• Pyrolle Red
• Burnt Sienna
• Ultramarine Blue

These are all Cobra Artist water-mixable oils by Royal Talens.

Tools & Brushes:

• Jacksons Art, Black Hog, Size 4, Filbert.
• Small Round for details. This is from Winsor & Newton. The Ferrule has bend.
• Angled palette Knife for mixing colours
• Tear-off A3 white palette
• 0.5mm mechanical pencil, HB
• F & W Daler Rowney mixed-media paint marker
• Sepia Highflow paint in a paint marker
• Paper towel
• Jam Jar for water

Step #1: Paint the coloured ground & draw out

For the coloured ground, I’m using a mix of Burnt Umber & Titanium White diluted with water.

The wooden tabletop felt quite warm, a little too orange, so I wanted to mute that intensity down to concentrate on the cake so it stood out more.

It was diluted with water and applied thinly to allow the subsequent oil layers to grab on. You could also paint this layer with WMOs if you prefer.

I’m drawing  with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil, HB

There is a simple triangular and circular shape to the composition, and I sketch out quite loosely. As long as your drawing is within those basic shapes it will read as a cake on a plate.

The reference image was in a square format but I felt the plate could do with a bit more breathing space. I also shortened the fork to include the end of a handle and added a top to the milk jug.

Step #2: Draw in the darkest value with a paint marker

Once the pencil drawing has been corrected here and there with a light erase,  I draw over the top, just looking at the key dark areas, with an F & W Daler Rowney mixed-media paint marker.

The marker allows me to see the shadow shapes more clearly and get an idea of how the dark accents can be used to move the eye through the painting. The marker is filled with a fluid acrylic paint in Sepia.

The milk jug at the top was starting to take my eye, so at this stage, I decided to keep that quite sketchy and focus on making the cake more realistic.

F & W Daler Rowney mixed-media paint marker, with a high flow acrylic used as ink

Step #3: Block in the Lightest Values

I’m using Neutral 8 Grey from Golden Paints and a little Titanium White, diluted with water and then washed onto the plate. I’m not looking for any variation in application or tonal range. I’m not trying to get anything perfect; I just want a closer value to the reference image.

Step #4: Mix a Black with Water-Mixable Oils

Use 2/3 Ultramarine Blue to 1/3 Burnt Sienna and mix a Black using the palette knife.

Pro tip: You can check how neutral your mix is by adding a speck of white. Then add more blue or more orange to balance it out.

This mix is used as a base to mix a grey colour string for the plate and the fork.

Although the plate appears to have only a couple of colours, there are a surprising number of subtle shifts in the shadow areas on the plate and on the edge of the fork.

Colour string of greys used for painting the plate. Notice how the darker tones are warmer and I’ve cooled the lighter tones

For all my mixes, I use a palette knife. Due to oils’ slow drying times, I can leave these piles of paint out on the palette for the duration of the painting. They can be used to grey down colours and adjust the saturation as I progress.

There is also a sketchy, muted brown around the plate. This was applied using the size 4 black hog. The stiff bristles respond well to faster movements with the brush.

For the entire painting, water was exclusively used as the diluting medium.

Step #5: Block in the cake

Without buttercream, the cake falls apart.

This was the stage of the painting where it felt like nothing was going to work.

The cake felt blocky, the fork looked stuck on and the plate felt too simplistic. When self-doubt creeps in, you need to just ask yourself.

Q.Have I finished blocking in all areas?
A. No.
Ok..calm. Finish blocking in all areas then check again.

Step #6: Mix your buttercream

This looks like it moved on quite a bit, but interestingly, the fork is the same, the cake is the same, and the plate is the same. Just by having the lighter mixes of the buttercream, our focus is now on the top of the cake.

Colours mixed for the buttercream frosting

I mixed 3-values, so I can get a sense of light hitting the top of the cake. Once all of these areas are blocked in, it’ll be much easier to compare the values.

Step #7: Add a sprinkle of walnuts

I mixed a range of oranges using the Permanent Yellow Light, Pyrolle Red, Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre.

There are some darker values in the walnuts that almost have a purple hue, so I mix a little Ultramarine Blue in with the Pyrolle Red.

Step #8: Layer up your colours

I can now start overlaying colours onto the base mixes, breaking through some of those sharper lines to create a more impressionistic pattern of colours on the cake surface. The plate and the background remain unchanged.

I’m mostly using the filbert brush, but will occasionally swap to the round brush for fine details.

Step #9: Paint the reflections on the fork

When painting chrome surfaces, try to  imagine the shape without any highlights or reflections. This allows you to concentrate on the different reflected colours that are showing in the surface.

Then the highlights can be painted on with Titanium White. I’m using the round brush for these details.

It’s always amazing how much the highlights bring the chrome to life! I’ve also added a darker cast shadow around the bottom of the plate to give it more solidity.

Step #10: Finishing touches

Coffee, Cake & Critique, Will Kemp, Oil on Canvas Board

I pushed the buttercream a bit by adding some more titanium white into the mixes. Also,  a few more high saturation yellows on the front and edge of the cake.

Hope you enjoyed the lesson.

If you’re intrigued by water-mixable oils and want to delve deeper into how they stack up against acrylics, explore the most suitable mediums, accelerate drying times, master the technique of layering from ‘fat-over-lean’, and learn the art of glazing, then the Beginners Water-Mixable Oil Course might be perfect for you.

Cheers,

Will

Thursday was a day of art & indulgence.

Walking through Chelsea, I kicked off the adventure at Birley Bakery with a delectable almond croissant, crispy golden-brown pastry, toasty warm out the oven and the sweet almond paste within.

Baked goods in hand, I was on the search for John Singer Sargent’s former home and studio.

Outside Birley Bakery in Chelsea.

Sargent (1856–1925) is known for his fabulous brushwork.

He painted portraits of society families, powerful art collectors or theatrical performers draped in satin, lace and rich velvets. He contrasted bolder, impressionist brushstrokes on the fabrics with a lightness of touch on the features.

Born in Florence in 1856 to American parents, he lived in several European countries as a child before shaping his artistic reputation in Paris. (You can see a portrait of his tutor in the article: Singer Sargent & Friends)

In 1886, Sargent settled in London at the centre of society with an accomplished circle of friends that included Henry James, Claude Monet and James Abbott McNeil Whistler.

“Making art is dangerous and revealing. Making art precipitates self-doubt, stirring deep waters that lay between what you know you should be, and what you fear you might be.”- Art & Fear

Yesterday afternoon, I found myself lost in a maze of handwritten notes about books I’d enjoyed and was excited to recommend.

Twenty minutes in, an article about Da Vinci piqued my interest, so I moved to the comfy sofa to fully concentrate. An endeavour that culminated in me falling asleep.

Ironically, I’d sat down to share the secrets of avoiding procrastination, mastering time management, boosting art sales, and living a more creative life – but I had gotten distracted.

That said, reading about Leonardo was not only fascinating but enlightening.

Architect, engineer, scientist, sculptor and painter. His first job was as a theatrical producer and set designer, teaching him tricks with perspective that he carried on through into his paintings.

The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci, Tempera on Gesso, c.1495-1498

Notice the viewpoint and how the angle or perspective of the table top has been shifted very slighlty towards us to reveal more of the surface but still sits comfortably within the composition, I’d never really noticed this before.

If you wanted ideas, he was your man.

Leonardo’s interests were broad, and new subjects compelled him so intensely that he usually left projects unfinished, which meant working with him was a nightmare. Clients would avoid relying on him because he couldn’t be trusted to finish.

“to urge Leonardo the Florentine to finish the work on the Refectory of the Grazie, which he has begun, in order to attend afterwards to the other wall of the Refectory of the Grazie; and that agreements to which he has subscribed by his hand be fulfilled, which shall oblige him to finish the work within the time that shall be agreed upon with him.” From Leonardo by Martin Kemp

He spent most of his time observing nature or pondering on scientific theories. In his defence, he was just getting interested in other more captivating subjects, like how to fly or understanding human anatomy.

Really, he was just being curious, which is making me feel a lot more soothed about my limited attention span.

“In addition to his instinct for discerning patterns across disciplines, Leonardo honed two other traits that aided his scientific pursuits: an omnivorous curiosity, which bordered on the fanatical, and an acute power of observation, which was eerily intense.” –  Walter Isaacson, Leonardo Da Vinci

So, after reading (or revisiting) over 20 books in 2023, here is a list of 5 books that have sparked my curiosity and given me some ideas and principles I’ve tried to adopt in my daily routines.

Live a More Creative Life

1. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

“But do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to really play the piano / act / paint / write a decent play?” Yes . . . the same age you will be if you don’t.”
― Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

The Artist’s Way is laid out as a 12-week program to get back in touch with your creative self, with exercises, activities, and insights that help you overcome creative blocks and discover your true potential as an artist. Ever heard of ‘morning pages’? This book will show you how this simple practice can revolutionize your creativity and bring clarity to your life.

I read this book as an art student and can’t remember finishing the whole 12-week course, but I adopted two key practices that I use to this day.

• Morning Pages
• Artists’ Dates

Morning pages are so handy to stop your mind whirring over issues. The practice is to write freehand using a pen and paper, three pages of a train of thought. No editing, no re-reading, no punctuation. Just pure free-flowing words. If you’ve been tied to your keyboard, writing longhand for three pages can seem to take ages.

Your handwriting might not be able to keep up with the speed of your thoughts, but it can be very beneficial. Just getting any ideas, worries, or frustrations down on a page has a really therapeutic effect.

You’re not looking for solutions; you don’t re-read to try and discover your problems; you just write. The process is the cure.

I also love the concept of ‘Artist Dates’.

If you want to feel inspired, you need to book a date with yourself to go to an event, a museum, or a show. Preferably on your own (although I often bend the rules a bit and go with Vanessa)

So check your calendar for the next month. Where are you going to get inspired?

Making a date, actually going to a museum, going to a bookshop, going to these things on your own rather than with friends is the key; otherwise, you tend to end up just going for a coffee….( erm…I can confirm that is mostly true but we still had fun)

Face the fear of creating your art

2. Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (And Rewards of Artmaking) By David Bayles and Ted Orland

“What separates artists from ex-artists is that those who challenge their fears, continue; those who don’t, quit. In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive.” – David Bayles & Ted Orland, Art & Fear

This book is particularly helpful if you went to art college but haven’t quite fulfilled that potential that you dreamed about whilst quaffing ale in the student union. It looks into the fears we all face – fear of failure, not being good enough, or not being understood. The authors, both artists themselves, share personal stories and advice on their own art journeys.

One key thing that beginners often get hung up on is their own style. If you’re searching for your style and have trouble thinking you’ll never find a unique voice. The exciting thing is that your unique voice is just by being you! Yay.

It’s a short read with motivational insights. The Artist Way is a slower-burn 12-week program; this feels like a little motivational boost when you need it.

“To all viewers but yourself, what matters is the product: the finished artwork. To you, and you alone, what matters is the process.” – David Bayles & Ted Orland, Art & Fear

Make Time for Your Art

How do you control your attention to focus on what matters in a world that’s trying to distract you from living the creative life you dream about?

These next books help you to make time, appreciate the dedication needed for deep artistic work and prevent yourself from becoming distracted from the task at hand.

3. Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day By Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky

“What Will Be the Highlight of Your Day?
We want you to begin each day by thinking about what you hope will be the bright spot. If, at the end of the day, someone asks you, “What was the highlight of your day?” what do you want your answer to be? When you look back on your day, what activity or accomplishment or moment do you want to savor? That’s your Highlight.

Your Highlight is not the only thing you’ll do each day. After all, most of us can’t ignore our inboxes or say no to our bosses. But choosing a Highlight gives you a chance to be proactive about how you spend your time, instead of letting technology, office defaults, and other people set your agenda.” – Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky

‘Make Time’ is helpful if you’re struggling with finding time for your art. Juggling your schedule with your passions and everything else can roll into one. The authors both used to work at Google, and they have some great frameworks on how to prioritize your day. They also talk about social media and ‘infinity pools’. Apps that can continue to show you an exorbitant amount of things to distract you from what you want to get done.

The two main methods I use from the book are:

• Daily Highlight
• Time Timer

Illustration from: Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky

I’ve found the daily highlight is a great way to be able to set a focus for the day that you’re excited about, but you know you can achieve without getiing into the minutiae of the to-do list. It’s also a great way to remember what happens on a daily basis, especially if things are super busy. (Another good method for this is ‘homework for life‘ by Matthew Dicks from the book Storyworthy)

My brothers and sisters often laugh at the other method I use.

It’s a timer.

Meant for and used by kids.

And I love it!

You turn the dial, and the red wedge gets progressively smaller as the timer runs down.

I have it on my desk, and I can quickly glance at how long I’ve been working rather than checking an app on my phone and getting drawn down another path! If you want to draw for 10 minutes, set a timer. See if you can answer your emails in 20 minutes and still have time for painting in the hour; set a timer.

It’s not for everyone; Vanessa often tidied it away when it first arrived because, for her, there was no conceivable reason why anyone would need it. And apart from anything else, it was ruining the look of the new coffee table.

But if you find yourself jumping from task to task and not fully concentrating on what you set out to do, it might be worth a go!

Beat Procrastination

4. Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal

You can start to see a theme with my procrastination!

‘Ten-minute rule’. If I find myself wanting to check my phone as a pacification device when I can’t think of anything better to do, I tell myself it’s fine to give in, but not right now, I have to wait just ten minutes.” – Nir Eyal, Indistractable

What I find interesting about Indistractable is the author, Nir Eyal, had previously written a book called ‘Hooked’. In Hooked, Eyal goes through the mechanics of what makes tech and social media apps so irresistible. Indistractable is like the antidote! Giving strategies on how to maintain our focus and achieve what we set out to do.

The biggest takeaway from the book was that it’s actually not usually the external triggers and influences that stop of from doing the things we want to do but internal emotional triggers.

“As is the case with all human behaviour, distraction is just another way our brains attempt to deal with pain. If we accept this fact, it makes sense that the only way to handle distraction is by learning to handle discomfort. If distraction costs us time, then time management is pain management.” – Nir Eyal, Indistractable

How to stay focused, not get distracted and do the hard (uncomfortable) work.

Make More Money with Your Art

5. Good Art Does Not Sell Itself: The Artist’s Definitive Guide to Visibility and Opportunites by Shirley-Ann O’Neill & Laura O’Hare

“Emma explained how she traced the success of her art career back to taking a mentor’s advice in her early career; to actively seek opportunities to share her work no matter how small. An art prize led to an exhibition, which created more exhibitions, and collectors, art critics and media began to notice here work.“- Good Art Does Not Sell Itself – In relation to the work of sculptor Emma Rodgers  

This was my most highlighted book of 2023.

It takes courage to show your art and make the decision to come out from your studio into the realm of criticism. This is an amazing book to have by your side.

It’s packed with practical strategies for marketing, building a brand, and finding the right opportunities to showcase your work.

It’s split into 4 sections and each page is like a mini-blog post that you can take advice from.

• Mindset & Habits
• Getting Artwork Ready
• Opportunities to get visible
• Implementation: artist visibility path

The different sections are good for different stages of your work. Some of the ideas on increasing the visibility of your works can help you to stay focused on the long game of creating.

One painting hung in a cafe or posted online can lead to a group show, which can lead to a solo exhibition. Every step is a stepping stone that’s hard to see at the start but builds over time.

Notes on the Quotes: Good Art Does Not Sell Itself

This book is relatable, informative and incredibly useful.

Their insights and recommendations are not only easy to understand but also applicable to real-life situations you find yourself in as an artist. You’ll find yourself nodding along and saying, I can do this! Highly recommended!

I really hope you find one of the ideas or books of interest, because even as a relentless pursuer of new shiny interests and ideas, some of the practices have really stayed with me and helped.

But as with everything, it’s unrealistic to say I’m a changed man, so at this moment, I’m sitting comfortably on the sofa nursing a hot brew, saying it’s ok to go down the odd rabbit hole and fully committing to a few creative ponderings.

I love the couple of days after Christmas. It’s like having surprise days off.

No pressure for Christmas Dinner, no expectations on what you could, should or must do. It’s like a deep chill. It can be a nice time to reflect on what’s worked on your paintings and what hasn’t over the year.

Go back on your phone camera roll from 2023 and see where you went, what you sketched, or what you painted (Or what you wanted to paint but just didn’t get the time to start)

Also, take the pressure off and enjoy your inspirations no matter how quirky or obsessional they seem.

I’ve been enjoying photographing festive drinks! hic

Then December 28th dawned.

This period can start the stirrings of being a bit lost at sea. I call this the ‘nearly new year blues’

You start to put expectations on yourself for the year ahead.

What massive artistic brilliance are you going to have to ‘show’ this year? will you ever find your unique style? Or just even do the paintings you said you were going to do.

Everyone else seems to be super productive, it’s enough to crack open the Christmas chocolate again!

But having been here before, have faith. Every brushstroke you make, every line you draw and every new idea you jot down will carry your practice through.

Your journey as an artist is not defined by the destinations reached but by the courage to take action.

This year might not have brought you the goals you anticipated, but the worst thing you can do is get stuck in your own head, ruminating about what you could or should have done and, as a result, do nothing.

So, as you prepare for the coming year, embrace the unknown. Every artist’s journey is unique. Keep creating, keep exploring, and most importantly, try and remember this sense of calm and freedom you felt waking up on boxing day, it will serve you well in your paintings in the year ahead.

Now, all I’ve got to do is remember my own advice!

Have a fab New Year,

Cheers
Will

1. Airtight Resealable Palette | £13  24 compartment palette
   This palette is incredible in keeping acrylics workable, I’ve had paints for weeks and they can still be used. There is a handy spatula that slides in the front of the palette and a thumb grip on the back. There are a number of different brands that all create very similar palettes.

Something they want, something they need, something to eat and something to read is always a good starting point when you don’t know what to buy someone.

Below are a few last-minute stocking fillers for the budding artist in your life (or just a way to treat yourself!)

For Scanning Drawings and Watercolours

2. Epson Perfection V39 II | £119 Epson Scanner

For £100 (there is a £20 cashback offer at the moment), you will get fantastic copies of your images at a super high resolution. Just plug it into your computer and scan. You even get a stand so you can store it vertically if needed. Great for making prints of your sketches, scanning your acrylics and recording your watercolours.

For super matte drawings

3. Faber Castell Matt Pencil Kit | £25.99 (8 Pencils, Paper Stump, Sharpener & Eraser)

Sometimes, with traditional graphite pencils, the surface can reflect light, so your darkest darks aren’t quite as dark as you may like. Faber Castell’s new range of pencils offers a matt sheen to your drawings, allowing you to go super black!

To unlock your creativity

4. The Creative Act: A Way of Being – Rick Rubin. Hardback | £20.99 

One book I’ve enjoyed this year is The Creative Act by Record Producer Rick Rubin. He’s got some fascinating insights on how creativity works and how to get into the act of creating. We get to move forward in our art, a bit like a coach telling you the obvious thing, but you still need to hear it.

“We Tend to think of the artist’s work as an output. The real work of an artist is a way of being in the world.” Rick Rubin

For the wannabe organised creative!

5. Nimbot Label Maker: Bluetooth wireless Thermal label printer | £29

For just under £30, I thought this might be too good to be true. But it’s great! Thermal printing, so you never need to buy ink again (just new labels). You download the app on your phone, type in the label and print. You can also import icons and images to the app. Great for labelling paint mixes and shelves. I got a set of cable labels aswell, so handy when digging behind the computer for plugging in the printer.

For the timid sketcher

6. Pentel Brush Pen | £18.60 Pentel Brush Pen

So nice. I use it in practically all of my urban sketches; it adds shapes and fine lines all within one tip that seems to stay wet and workable even if you haven’t used it for weeks. They now have a grey and a sanguine colour.

For the part-time woodworker

7. Tracer Pencil | £7.91 Tracer-tools.com

These pencils are designed to be used for woodworking and construction sites because the narrow metal shaft allows you to mark holes through woodwork. I find them super comfortable to use and really handy around the studio. They have a sharpener in the rear of the pen and come with refillable leads.

For the perfectionist sharpener

8. Hovel Pencil Plane | £68 MakersCabinet.com

You definitely don’t need this, but there is something therapeutic about having a plane as a pencil sharpener.

For the art appreciator

9. National Art Pass | £56.25 individual year artfund.com

This pass gives you discounts and free entry to hundreds of events and exhibitions across the UK, which is marvellous!

For the digital painter

10. Paperlike screen protector | £34 for 2 Paperlike.com

If you find the surface of your iPad too glossy and slippy to sketch on, this might be the answer. Paperlike is a screen protector that also adds some resistance to the stylus. You lose some of the intensity and contrast of the screen image, but you gain more grab.

Have a creative Christmas, and if you’re running right up to the wire, all the art courses on the blog can be gifted as instant digital Gift Vouchers!

Have a fab time.