Whether you are someone who has never tried to create anything arty before, or someone who has read all the books describing various techniques (like I have) and am an accomplished artist, I'm sure that my hintd and tips will have some relevance for you. I tell you how it is. If a project has failed or a well-meant tip has backfired, I'll let you know about it. You won't find any gushing prose here, no wandering through poppy-filled fields and in a matter of seconds whipping up a few stunning paintings in ten easy steps. No, my exploration of the many art techniques and advice has been often a frustrating experience, which I am sure is shared by many others.

My descriptions of techniques are realistic and meant to make you feel less alone when you create something that even your cat wants to laugh at. Hopefully, you will find that learning from my mistakes is useful too. This section is the art bit. I've created a separate section for craft techniques. Here I will describe watercolour, oil painting, acrylic painting, egg tempera, coloured pencil and graphite pencil techniques that I've tried out. I will add pages each week so keep watching this space.

Colour theory originates from a time when scientists wrote with feathered quills dipped in quaint black pots of ink and pondered on the wonders of the universe for hours on end. From these early beginnings, colour theory has been used to help artists. Here I will show you how knowing a little about colour theory can change your life.

Learn how to use ready-made gesso or you could try and create your own recipe. I compared the two, see how I got on with gesso here.

Once you've created your gesso panels, it's time to mix up those egg tempera paints. See how I got on with egg tempera here.

My attempts at using masking fluid have often been clumsy but have also produced some interesting effects. Here I will show what I made with a Masquepen; masking fluid that is incorporated into a type of pen (yes, an interesting concept?!).