Bluebell Woods workshop ready for bookings!

Come and paint your very own Bluebell Wood!
Saturday 19th March 2016
2 - 4.30pm
Acorn Wellbeing Centre, Hemel Hempstead Old Town
All materials, including your canvas, are included for £25

The smaller painting is my original and the larger one is a slightly simplified version for us to use as a model in our guided painting sessions. 

The sessions, as always, will be suitable for beginners (and terrified!). I will guide you gently, step by step.


If you have been to other workshops you will be suitably challenged. It's a small step up in terms of skills and there is a great deal of scope for making your own mark with this one.

See the events and workshops page for more details 

Or contact me to book a space - a deposit is necessary to secure your place.

I look forward to seeing you there: and seeing the masterpieces you will create!

Bluebell wood - Acrylics workshop

This is a quick painting I did as preparation for a bluebell wood guided painting.
The painting I use as a guide will have similar colours and composition, but with a few tweaks.

• This was painted with acrylics  - using process yellow, process cyan, process magenta and titanium white
• on A3 watercolour paper: in the class we will paint on canvas around A4 size 
• I'll rationalise the steps, as at the moment it will take too long for a workshop.

Please contact me (see 'contact me' page, in the side bar) 
and I'll keep you posted with when workshops become available
or ask for a quote for a private group / party session.

Face Painting

I painted faces at Nash Mills School Christmas Fair yesterday. I didn't look up for 3 hours and have no idea how many faces I did - but I do remember I was asked for many and varied faces. From the timesless classics of snow queen, butterfly and tiger to the more challenging dolphin paradise and 'I want to be a policeman'. I suggested that the little boy could be a robber instead but he insisted I knew how to do a policeman and he was right - the customer is always right! To the untrained eye he may have looked like a clown with stubble but to him he was a policeman! This is why I enjoy face painting. Forget the no-time-to-breathe and back ache. I'm after the 'mirror moment' A child has come keen to be transformed and wait for ages sometimes in the queue. They sit with hands clenched in anticipation and screwed up faces while parents watch intently (are they checking they'll get their money's worth?) until I finally lift the mirror so they can see what they look like. I love it when the little slightly anxious face breaks into a grin as they recognise their new persona. (i quite like it when the parents smile too1)