This is a good time of year for trying new techniques, media and subjects in the warmth of your own home or studio. Have you ever thought of painting insects? Even if the motif doesn’t appeal to you, turn to the first part of Liz Chaderton’s series, Beautiful Bugs (pages 40 to 43) this month and practise some essential line and wash techniques. You can be sure that the same methods and materials will be relevant for your favourite subject – and might well give it a new lease of life.
I have been enlightened by Linda Birch’s series, Journey into Abstraction, which comes to an end this month (pages 30 and 31). Through Linda’s teaching skills, I feel closer, not only to understanding the theory behind abstraction, but also to trying it myself. I am interested in the idea of paring down a subject to its basic shapes – and, in the same way, paring down my own emotional response to it. If any of you have tried painting abstracts based on Linda’s series, please share your thoughts with other readers through our letters’ page.