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Good morning everyone! I can’t believe it’s the 1st of December already – the countdown to Christmas has officially begun! Anyway, for today’s blog I thought I’d write about something a bit more serious, and that’s plagiarism.

Plagiarism is defined as the act of taking someone else’s work and passing it off as your own. If you take someone else’s painting and say you painted it, you’re plagiarising that work. If you copy an image of a painting online and put it on your website claiming it’s yours, again you’re plagiarising that work. Similarly, even if you draw or paint over someone else’s work or add things to it here and there, it’s still plagiarism.

It’s worth bearing in mind that plagiarism is illegal if it affects the artist’s intellectual property rights. If your artwork is protected by copyright or trademark, you as the owner of that copyright or trademark could take someone to court if they were found to have plagiarised your works. If someone is found to have made a substantial amount of money from plagiarising copyrighted works, they could find themselves facing a fine and a hefty jail sentence.

Of course when it comes to art, it’s practically impossible not to borrow ideas from pieces of work you’ve come across before. If you see a piece of art, you might feel inspired it and you might want to create a similar piece: that’s totally fine, so long as you don’t blatantly copy it.

If you’ve felt an inspired by a particular painting, make sure the painting you create is original and is yours. Don’t recreate someone else’s work. If you feature things that are clearly taken from another painting, it’s vital that you reference this other painting and its artist, just like you would reference a quote for an essay. Don’t cheat people into thinking something is yours when it’s not. You won’t get anywhere if you plagiarise. Sometimes artists want to use a part of someone else’s work in their own work. Is this okay? It is, only if explicit permission is obtained from the original artist. If the original artist says you can use part of their work in your own piece, then you can. If the original artist doesn’t give you permission, you can’t.

So what’s the best thing to do to make sure you don’t plagiarise? Simple: be unique. By all means look at other works for inspiration, but when it comes to creating works of art for yourself, create pieces that showcase your talent, vision and individuality, not someone else’s. If you do plagiarise someone else’s protected work, they will find you and they will take action.

When you create art, you wouldn’t want someone else coming along and ripping your work off, plagiarising it and passing it off as their own. You wouldn’t want your work plagiarised, so don’t plagiarise the work of others. There’s quite a fine line between being inspired by something and plagiarising something, so if you’re unsure, it’s always best to make a reference just in case. The best thing to do, of course, is to carry on being original.

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Good morning!

In last week’s video I talked about losing my mojo and asked you for some ideas to create a new painting. In today’s video I’m going to give you an update on what’s going.

I’m very glad to say that I’ve received some brilliant ideas suggestions so far. I’m not going to talk about any of them because I don’t want to influence any of your ideas.

What I’m going to do is run the competition for another 2 weeks, so keep your suggestions coming in! Spread the word and get your friends and family to submit their suggestions.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re an artist or not – all ideas and suggestions are welcome. If you haven’t submitted yours yet, there’s still plenty of time for you to do so.

In case you missed last week’s vlog, what I want is for you to get involved in the creative process, from conceiving the concept the painting to finishing it. You can even decide the title of the piece and I’ll make a video of me working on the painting so you can see how it’s coming along.

So what I’d like is some suggestions about:

- The composition
- What colours of flowers would work well together

If I use your suggestions, you’ll win a pack of hand-painted Christmas cards from me.

Once the winner’s been announced, I’ll leave my business email so they can get in touch with me and send me their contact details and address. All details sent to me will remain completely confidential.

I look forward to receiving some more ideas and suggestions and will announce the winner in the next video.

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Struggling to get your creative juices flowing? It can be quite intimidating when you don’t feel creative and you’re staring at a blank canvas. So how do you get your creative juices flowing? Here are 5 simple ways to get your creative juices flowing.

1. Turn off your phone and computer

We consume a lot of media and digital content these days. In fact, the amount of stuff we’re bombarded with on a daily basis can be quite overwhelming. There’s TVs, computers, smartphones, laptops, smartwatches and more. Even if you have just a few of these, you’re still going to have lots of content thrown your way. To get your creative juices flowing, turn all of your devices off for a while so you’re left with your own thoughts. You may well find yourself coming up with new ideas because your mind has been given the chance to work on its own.

2. Break from your routine

It can be hard coming up with new ideas when you do the same thing all the time. If you do the same thing day in, day out, you might find it hard stimulating your mind. When you’re in a routine, the best way to get your creative juices flowing is to break from your routine. Do something completely different to stimulate your mind. It could be something simple like going for a walk, reading a new book or going to a museum or gallery. Do something new to refresh your mind.

3. Keep a diary

Having ideas stored in your mind is one thing, but having them written down is another. Once you start regularly getting ideas, write them down. You’ll soon build up a collection of ideas, which you can look back on to inspire even more ideas. Another good thing about having a diary of ideas is thought it encourages you to come up with more so you can fill it up.

4. Keep a collection of inspirational things

When you find an image that inspires you, keep it. If you see a sight that you find inspirational, take a photo of it and keep the photo. Put images and photos of things that inspire you together in a collection. Build this collection up over time and use it to get your creative juices flowing whenever you’re lacking inspiration.

5. Have a tidy work space

Many people believe that having an unorganised work space can lead to you having an unorganised mind. Give your work space a good clean and sort your things out so you know where everything is. With a clean and organised work space, your mind shouldn’t be as cluttered and disorganised as before. You should find yourself able to think more clearly when your work space isn’t cluttered or chaotic.

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Hello everyone!

I’m excited to share with you Diary of an Artist: Inspiration Behind Mini Meadow At Ashenbury Park. This week I’ll be talking about a time when I discovered something new to paint and a new approach to painting both in the same day.

As you know, I’m really passionate about beautiful landscapes – they’re my favourite subject matter and I love feeling inspired by them. A few years ago, instead of admiring large, open landscapes, I learned to appreciate smaller mini meadows.

I was at Woodfork Park in Woodley, a suburb of Reading in Berkshire. I noticed a beautiful floral display in an S shape and found it quite captivating. It was April and the flowers were in full bloom. I’d seen the display before, but it wasn’t until it was in full bloom that I really appreciated its beauty.

I decided it would be great to paint it. It was like my instincts were telling me I had to paint it. However for this painting, I decided to take a somewhat different approach. I crouched down and got a different perspective of the flowers. I took some photos looking up at the display, rather than across or down on it like I was used to.

The finished painting, Woodland Park, is one I particularly like because it’s a new subject matter and it’s taken from a new angle. Over the past few months I’ve found a few more mini meadows to paint. Once you find a new subject matter, you realise there’s so much more out there waiting to be painted!

Ashenbury Park is near where I am and it’s one of the nicest parks I’ve been to recently. I’d definitely recommend it for a great day out.

So that’s how I came to find a new subject matter and a new approach to painting.

My next video will be a works-in-progress video of my Ashenbury Park painting. I’ll be showing you how I create the painting, while trying to capture the beauty of the mini meadow.

I hope you’ve liked this vlog! If have, please like it and share it. If you’re new to my channel, don’t forget to subscribe.

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Hello everyone!

I’m excited to share with you Diary of an Artist: My Story Part 3. Here goes!

Uni was a whirlwind. It was the beginning of an exciting new chapter, yet it seemed like it finished just as it was getting started.

I eventually moved to Farnham. My work situation wasn’t exactly promising: there were no good opportunities for art-based work, or any sort of work in general. After a year or so, I was out of there!

There didn’t seem to be anything on the horizon. I sold my home and decided to save the money to buy a house with later on in the future. My family were a bit concerned about me moving around a lot. They kept asking if I wanted any stability, but I just told them my home was wherever I lived, simple as that.

I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life tied down to any one particular place. The one thing I wanted more than anything else was to be exploring the world, not moving around places I was already familiar with.

My belongings meant less and less to me, so I gradually got rid of most of them, holding on to only a few. All I could think about was being an artist, yet nothing was happening. I thought going to uni would help, but there was still a piece missing. I had the qualifications, what else did I need?

The answer to that question was something I just couldn’t work out. I had the motivation, the passion and the certificates, so why wasn’t I working as an artist? I started to feel down because I wasn’t where I thought I would be. My negativity started to affect those close to me, which I felt bad about. It was like I was on a slippery slope, when really I should have been scaling the career ladder.

People from my course were succeeding in their different fields. I wasn’t succeeding in mine. This made me feel pretty down and disappointed in myself.

You know when you just feel like nothing’s going right? That’s how I was feeling. I had put in time and effort, but they weren’t paying off.

What do you do when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel? You make your own light to help you find the way out. For me my light was thinking about how much I would enjoy being a full-time artist. I thought about how much I enjoyed art and how, above everything else, it was definitely my greatest love. It had been a huge part of my life and always would be because I loved it so much.

It was now eight years since graduation and I still wasn’t there. Everything I tried failed miserably. Something had to give.

I was stuck in some temporary job as a PA. One day I pushed myself and did some searching on the Internet. I came across Maria Brophy’s website and I knew straight away she was going to give me lots of useful help. It was like a gut instinct, one that I had to follow up. It would take another two years or so, but help would come.

I’d Rather Be in the Art Studio by Alison Stanfield was recommended to me and it was a treasure trove of useful information. On Maria Brophy’s website I came across an ad for some art business institute and clicked on it. I ended up coming across an ad for a business consultation at this art business institute– at first I thought it might be another scam, so I was hesitant to get in touch. Was it a scam? I couldn’t tell whether it was or not. I deliberated for a week before deciding to go for it and get in touch.

And I was in luck. The people I spoke to completely understood my situation and offered lots of great advice. After a Skype call that lasted just an hour, my art business was born and I haven’t looked back since!

I became a sponge, absorbing all of this new information in. I started learning all about branding, marketing, social media…you name it! I started getting involved in the local art community and really began spreading my wings, so to speak.

That Skype call gave me the kick I’d needed for so long. I was fired up and ready to go. I was determined to put 110% commitment to my art business.
Why landscapes? It’s simple: I’ve grown up loving them, the way they change and the way they make you feel free. They’re beautiful, picturesque, captivating, enchanting, haunting and eternal.

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Hello everyone. I’m excited to share with you the second part of my vlog series, Diary of an Artist. To recap from last week, me and my family had set off on a driving trip from Italy, all the way to Spain!

We were holidaying in Spain in a beautiful whitewashed house right on the beachfront. At the time I was a normal teenager and loved going clubbing – even though I’d seen plenty of different landscapes, no one would have said I would end up becoming an artist!

When I was 16, we moved back to England, which I really didn’t want to do because I’d become so attached to my life the way it was. It took me about 3 years or so before I felt settled in England. I couldn’t stop dreaming and daydreaming about my school and life back in Italy!

When it came to Careers Day at school, I had no idea what to do. I wished I’d had the ambition to become an artist back then, so I could have got to work on my dream sooner; all I wanted to do was to travel. Of course, I would have to get a job to fund any travels. My parents suggested I work in an office and I eventually got into work placements, which I really enjoyed. I got to meet lots of great people and enjoyed my social life.

I turned 22 and started seriously thinking about where I was going in life. By then I’d grown to hate office work and the 9 to 5 lifestyle that went with it. I was still itching to travel: when the recession hit, off I popped! I went travelling around America, Canada and some other places.

Before that there was a family holiday to New York and Arizona. While there I met this bloke and we stayed in touch through writing – days without the Internet! So when I went back to America, I planned on meeting up with this bloke again and I took all my artwork to show him. Of course, airport security questioned me about anything and everything.

While I was out there I ended up getting my very first commercial commission! A local café wanted a painting of a cup and saucer on a checkered board. If I’d stayed in America, I might have been able to build on that, but unfortunately I had to go back to England and find a real job.

I decided I really wanted to become a professional artist when I was stuck applying for job after job. I started drawing and painting with watercolours; I had lots of free time and would spend most of it practicing and learning about art.

I eventually got a job and would paint at weekends. Luckily, some colleagues commissioned me to do paintings and portraits. I knew I’d got the ball rolling! However, I had to stay in work to pay the bills and to fund my fledgling art career.

Then there came a setback: I was made redundant because the company I was working for merged with another company. One of the company partners gave me a rather life-changing parting gift: a professional Winsor & Newton art set. He told me to do something with my love for art.

I went through a few years of thinking I would never achieve my dreams and would end up doing office work for the rest of my life. Commissions dried up and there just seemed to be nothing on the horizon. I felt out of place at work; my lifestyle didn’t suit me at all. Something had to give.

And it did. One day a colleague suggested I go to careers advice. This was following a period of nine years of doing nothing related to art simply because I felt despondent and was sure I was never going to get anywhere with it.

The careers meeting was a success: I left determined to go to an art and design university in Surrey. That evening, the application form was sent off and a few days later, I was invited for an interview! I managed to put my portfolio together after visiting an art shop and asking the girl for help because I had no idea how to do it!

The interview itself didn’t go as well as it could have, at least that’s what I thought on the day. It needed to have gone well. Going to that university was the right thing for me – I felt it as soon as I walked through the doors.

A few days later, I got the letter and…I’d got in! The course itself was brilliant, even though I had to walk 20 minutes to the train station and get two trains there – it was so worth it. I was lucky enough to get on the degree course as well and to top it all off, I got into the halls of residence right by the library. Everything was sorted!

Throughout my course I became interested in artists as people. What makes a person create art and what life experiences do they pour into their work? My degree lasted for three years and I loved every moment of it.

One of my fondest memories from university is visiting London with some friends and having a nice meal on the riverbank. I love the hustle and bustle of cities; I also love how beautiful they look at night when all the buildings are lit up and stuff. It brings the city to life in a whole new way.

Of course, my university lifestyle wasn’t forever. I graduated in 2005. On to the next chapter of my life, which will come next week!

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Hello everyone. I’m excited to share with you the launch of my new vlog series!

Diary of an Artist: My Story Part One is the first in a series of vlogs about my life and how I’ve ended up becoming an artist. I want to share with you how I came to set up my own art business and how my childhood led to me choosing the subject matter I focus on in my paintings.

One of the things I loved about my childhood was that it was ever-changing. Because my dad worked for an airline, we got to do lots of travelling around Europe, living a sort of nomadic and cosmopolitan lifestyle. When I was young and going from place to place, I noticed how each country seemed to have its own landscape. When you travel from one country to another, the landscape seems to change as well, something I find very inspirational.

There was one time when I was living in northern Italy in Turin with my family. Believe it or not, we actually drove all the way to Spain! We set off at 8 in the morning and spent a total of 12 hours on the road. We drove through the south of France and as we went through Provence, there was a particular scene that hit me and has never left me since; it was a huge, open space full of lavender fields. I remember finding that scene really beautiful and picturesque. In fact, right then and there I thought it would be a great idea to paint it. I thought it would be an even better idea to get out of the car and run through the fields! Unfortunately, we didn’t stop.

On the other hand, Paris wasn’t as captivating. We stopped over in the big city and it was too hot and sweaty…to add to that, right below our hotel there was a jazz band playing. All we wanted was to get to sleep, yet this jazz band decided to play till 3 in the morning! Needless to say, the next morning when we set off again, we were all exhausted. We drove on and as we left Paris and came into the countryside, though as we drove into Spain, the landscape was somewhat dry and barren. All that was on my mind were those fields of lavenders…

That’s it for part one! Be sure to look out for part two coming soon.

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As with any other activity, painting requires a bit of common sense. Paints and painting supplies can be dangerous if not used properly and paints especially can be quite harmful. Following a few simple safety tips will ensure your painting sessions are safe and free from problems.

Always read the label

It goes without saying that labels are very important and should not be overlooked. Product labels these days come with a great deal of useful information. They can look overwhelming at first given the amount of information, but what is there is relevant. Usually the most important safety advice will be clear and in a larger font than less important text so that it stands out. Simply do and avoid doing whatever any label tells you to. Most of it is common sense, but it’s always best to double check any labels just in case. Keep products in their original tubes or whatever else they came in, so you can always match a product to its label.

Keep your work area well ventilated

Lots of paints and paint supplies can cause harm if you work with them in a small space that doesn’t have good ventilation. Ideally, you should work in a large space and keep all windows open. If you have a fan, the best place to put it is right by the window, so it’ll blow air out of the room. You don’t want to breathe in nasty fumes which can cause breathing problems if you breathe in too much of them.

No food or drink

Do not have any food or drink with you in your studio. If you want to eat or drink, leave the studio and wash your hands before eating or drinking. You don’t want to run the risk of paint from your hands getting on your food and ending up getting eaten. You also don’t want to accidentally dip your paintbrush in a glass of water that you drink from.

Keep skin contact to a minimum

Painting can be a very messy activity and it’s very easy to get stuff everywhere, including on your skin. However, certain paints and paint supplies can damage your exposed skin. To prevent this, try to cover up as much skin as you can. Wear gloves if you have to, so you minimise the risk of getting paint on your hands. Even a little bit of exposure to hazardous chemicals over an extended period of time can cause problems. As an extra precaution, wash your hands after painting, even if your skin has been protected, just in case. You should also never let anything get near your mouth. This includes paintbrushes – even if you’re trying to get a good point on the end of the brush, don’t put it near your mouth.

Disposing of paints and paint supplies

You shouldn’t put solvent or paints down the drain. In fact, anything with paint or solvent on it shouldn’t be put down the drain. This can lead to blockage and can contaminate water supplies. Instead you should dispose of them in a metallic fire-proof container – solvents such as turpentine are highly flammable and rags covered in turpentine have been known to spontaneously ignite. Check your local recycling centre to see where you should drop your metallic containers off.

Other precautions

Keep all painting supplies out of the reach of children. Always clean up properly once you’re done and don’t leave hazardous products unopened and unattended. If you spill anything that can be hoovered up, hoover it up. Always wash your hands whenever you leave your studio and once you’ve finished painting.

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Getting started

Acrylics are one of the most popular types of paints because they dry very quickly and can be diluted with water to create a watercolour effect. They are very good at protecting a piece of art because they resist water very well, despite the fact that they can be diluted with it. They also show no signs of discolouring, fading or cracking. Beginners often start off with acrylics and take it from there.

So much choice!

The main problem is that there are so many different supplies available. It can be overwhelming for a beginner to decide what to buy and how much of each item is needed. As long as you have the essentials, you should be all sorted. Basic supplies work just fine for beginners, whether the budget is big or small. As artists get more accustomed to acrylic painting and become more adventurous in their work, they tend to then get specialist supplies that meet their exact needs.

What you’ll need

The most important basic tools you will need are acrylic paint, a paintbrush and a surface to paint on. You’ll also need an easel, a palette, an empty jar, a spray bottle and some paper towels. As well as these you might also need some running water and some protective materials. All of these basic supplies can be found at any good art supplies store and there are loads of websites offering good deals for supplies as well. Note that online shopping tends to have cheaper prices and a bigger variety of products.

How many colours will I need?

It can be difficult determining exactly how many colours are going to go on your palette. It’s probably harder deciding what colours are going to go on it. For a basic, beginner’s palette you should probably have white and the primary colours, red, blue and yellow. Add a few different shades in if you can, but if not, the three primary colours plus white should do just fine. Experiment with mixing and finding new colours. As you become more advanced, you can move away from mixing primary colours and focus on more specialist colours.

What type of paintbrush?

There are loads of different types of paintbrushes to choose from. The only way you’re going to find the one best suited to you is by giving several a go. Try out some different shapes, makes and sizes and see which one you feel most comfortable with. You should only need a few brushes to complete your painting. Brushes that shed their bristles easily tend to be cheaper, while the more expensive ones don’t shed their bristles that easily.

What do I paint on?

The best painting surface for a beginner is a canvas. You don’t necessarily need an easel if you’re prepared to paint on a flat, horizontal surface, but it’s much easier having your canvas face you on an easel.

What’s everything else for?

Have a spray bottle handy and every so often spray a bit of water over your palette. This keeps it from drying out faster. You’ll need a jar to store brushes and another, bigger one with plenty of water in to wash and rinse off your brushes. Before you get started, make sure all surfaces close by protective materials that you don’t mind getting paint on, such as an old cloth. Have access to water so you can prime your jar and wash your hands. Paper towels are handy for wiping brushes and washing your hands with.

Get the basics and go from there

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by the vast amount of different products out there. When you go shopping for supplies, just choose the basics and go from there. Once you’ve got the hang of it, be adventurous: try different types of paintbrush, new colours and new surfaces to paint on. There are so many options, but it’s always good to start off with the basics.

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While renting a studio can give you a work space away from home, it can also be quite expensive. About a third of UK artists don’t put money towards renting a studio and about a seventh of those who do are planning on quitting renting studio space to save money. Here are three things you can do instead of renting studio space:

1. Create a workspace in your home

If you can’t afford to rent studio space, the simplest solution is to work from home. Many artists find it hard to be productive at home, which is why they rent studio space in the first place. If you do decide to work from home, you should create boundaries and establish a separate working space. If you have a spare room, for example, make that your workspace and do your work there. It doesn’t have to be a spare room, of course; it could be anywhere you like, so long as you’re comfortable working there. If you live with others, make sure they understand that this is your space to work and that you shouldn’t be disturbed while at work. Do everything you can to make sure that while you’re in your workspace working, you can get as much done as if you were working in a rented studio.

2. Create a workspace outside of your home

If you’re lucky enough to have a front or back garden, you can take advantage of this extra space outside your home to create a workspace. The best way to do this is to have a shed, which has the advantages of being separate from your home and cutting down on your transportation costs. The only major downside to this is that if you don’t have a shed, it can be quite expensive buying and installing one, though you could consider it a long-term investment. Another downside is space, because sheds aren’t usually that big. Before investing in something like a shed to work in, make sure you’ll be able to be productive in such a small space.

3. Work outdoors

A lot of painters, especially landscape painters, do their work outdoors. Many landscape painters paint en plein air, capturing the beauty of the natural world as they see it. If you can’t afford to rent studio space, consider working outdoors – it isn’t just landscape painters who do their work outdoors. Even if you’re not doing paintings of the world around you, what you see, hear and experience can be a great source of inspiration. The main problem with painting outdoors is of course the weather. There’s also the cost of transportation to consider, depending on how far away you’re going. Overall it’s a lot cheaper than renting a studio and if offers you the chance to get some fresh air and see more of the world, rather than being cooped up in a studio with four walls to stare at.

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