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Start 2014 with a new year resolution to enter at least one UK open competition and increase your chances of gaining recognition as an artist by using our helpful diary of key deadlines and dates in the centre of this issue. This month's issue also sees the start of a great new series by professional artist Shane Record, who offers loads of useful advice, based on personal experience, on how to promote your work in the new digital age. Watercolourists will love the advice from Catherine Beale on painting larger-than-life-sized portraits, cover artist Jim Cowan's feature on bold, colourful cityscapes and Geoff Hunt's new series on how he transitioned from an oil painter to an outdoor watercolourist. We also have practical features on drawing with charcoal, how to turn a seemingly empty scene into an engaging composition and how to make an easy to use version of egg tempera to create impressive paintings. Plus, Haidee-Jo Summers shows how to retain spontaneity in your still lifes, and Max Hale advises you to sweep away old habits to revive your creativity. These are just some of the features in this month's issue, designed to inspire and inform your drawing and painting at at the start of another new year! Enjoy!