A sketchbook is one of the most valuable tools you can give yourself as an artist, no matter where you are on your creative journey. 

Getting started with mixed media sketching can feel intimidating, but prepping your backgrounds first is my secret weapon for loosening up and inviting creativity. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating playful, layered surfaces for your sketches.

This month we took our paints out to the stunning @stemandgreen flower field, where dahlias stole the show. With their flamboyant shapes, endless colours and playful textures, they were the perfect subject to explore in paint.

This year’s painting holiday at Clos Mirabel was pure joy — laughter, colour, and creativity against the stunning backdrop of the French Pyrenees. We explored acrylics, inks, collage, and even gold foil, with plenty of happy accidents along the way! A magical week of art, connection and inspiration.

There’s something irresistible about painting root vegetables — the colours, the textures, the earthy beauty of what grows underground. My beloved beetroot series celebrates all of that, using playful mixed-media techniques with collage, acrylic, ink and print. Join me in Winchester to discover your own unique style and bring these vibrant forms to life!

If your painting mojo feels stuck, try changing the scale of your work! Jenny Muncaster shows how revisiting old paintings at a bigger or smaller size can unlock fresh ideas, loosen your mark-making, and make creating playful and inspiring again. Perfect for artists looking to reignite their creative spark.

Artist Jenny Muncaster encourages you to experience the magic of autumn outdoor sketching. Capture the season’s vibrant colours, enjoy mixed media techniques, and embrace creative freedom in nature. Perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike, this blog shares inspiration and tips for painting in the crisp, colourful landscapes of fall.

Looking forward to 2026! Jenny Muncaster’s painting holiday at Clos Mirabel in the French Pyrénées promises inspiring landscapes, creative workshops, and unforgettable art experiences. While this year’s retreat is fully booked, you can follow Jenny on Instagram for updates and add your name to the waiting list to be first to know when bookings open.

Hampshire Open Studios 2025 at Colour Factory Studios in Winchester was a celebration of creativity, community, and local talent. From student exhibitions and mixed-media artwork to live demos and gallery displays, visitors experienced the energy, colour, and buzz that make our studios a hub for Winchester’s art scene.

Think you can’t draw? Perfect — that makes you the ideal person to try outdoor sketching. With a few simple mixed media tools and a playful approach, you’ll discover how freeing, joyful, and creative sketching outdoors can really be.

Sometimes it’s not that the painting is bad, it’s that something’s off and you can’t quite name it. When your work feels unresponsive or unresolved, here are five key ideas to help move it forward:

It’s all about layering, experimenting, and letting go. A brushstroke here, a flick there, the drag of a roller, each mark builds mood and motion. This kind of play is where real creativity lives.

Sketching regardless of your artistic ability is a truly magical way to preserve a moment, a place, or a feeling. The act itself is a kind of mindful alchemy: sitting quietly, breathing in the atmosphere, tuning into the sound of the wind, birdsong, or distant chatter. All of it finds its way into the lines and marks you make on paper. It’s not about making a perfect drawing, but about being present fully, intentionally in that space.

Danny, now the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for mental health, clearly understands the vital connection between creativity, community, and wellbeing. He is keen to be a voice for us, the positive impact of creativity and the importance of protecting it; we intend to hold him to it!

Here’s a look at 3 very different sponges. A few ideas and how I

use them in my own artwork:

Looking for a fun and tactile way to explore the expressive possibilities of acrylic paint? Here is a tutorial with video that I'm sharing on how to create blossoms using luscious heavy body acrylics.

The Colour Factory has been a cornerstone of Winchester's creative landscape. It all began in 1994, shortly after I graduated from Winchester School of Art, as a small, paint-filled shop brimming with potential. Today, it's a vibrant and welcoming studio tucked away in a delightful old Edwardian park keeper’s house, right next to the peaceful River Park in the historic heart of Winchester

Looking for a fun way to loosen up your painting? Try using a foam roller and black acrylic paint to create bold, expressive tulips! This playful technique helps you focus on movement and shape before adding vibrant watercolour washes. Perfect for breaking free from over-detailing and letting your creativity flow!

Struggling to break free from rigid drawing habits? These three fun techniques—blind contour, upside-down drawing, and using your non-dominant hand—will help you loosen up, improve observation, and boost creativity. Give them a try and see your artwork transform!

Winston Churchill is best known for his leadership during WWII, but did you know he was also a passionate painter? A visit to Chartwell, his beloved home, reveals a lesser-known side of the iconic leader—his love for art.