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Month: July 2025

Artist Review of the Golden Open Slow Drying Acrylic Paint

Golden Open Slow Drying acrylic paints are high quality acrylics with an extended working time that allows artists more time to work before the paint dries. Ideal for blending techniques, glazing techniques, fine detail, and more. In this Artist Review of the Month, Fay Howe shares how the paints are perfect for using in her mono printing practice.     Artist Review of the Golden Open Slow Drying Acrylic Paint by Fay Howe I first started painting using acrylic paints because I found them easier to use than watercolours, which I sadly never managed to master. I continued with acrylics for years, but eventually was frustrated by the speed with which they dried and the difficulty of blending with them. So I changed to oil painting, which resolved those difficulties, and then rarely returned to using acrylic paint.     However, last year, I took an online printing course in which the recommendation was to use Golden Open acrylics. For that course, I was only using two forms of black, Carbon Black and Bone Black, the latter of which is more transparent, and a couple of other neutral colours. Prior to that, when using acrylics, I used heavy body or …

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win £1000 to spend on jewellery tools, materials or training – the jewellers academy support fund for july

Every other month, we award £1,000 to one jeweller to invest in their
business and how you use it is completely up to you. Whether it’s tools,
materials, training, or something else that will support your growth, this
fund is designed to help you move forward with purpose.

Plus, the winner also receives a 1-hour 1:1 mentoring session tailored to
their needs, whether that’s business strategy, marketing, or hands-on
jewellery making support.

Find out how to enter.

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Martha Zmpounou: Visceral to Cerebral

Martha Zmpounou won Anne Rothenstein’s Choice Award this year with her work Dressing Up. In this interview, she discusses her hybrid creative practice, the unpredictability of watercolour, and her approach of discovering rather than creating her pieces. Above image: Martha in her studio     Josephine: Could you share the story of how you became an artist and tell us more about your artistic background? Martha: I joined a foundation course at 18 to prepare for the fine art school’s entry exams. I then continued on to complete my BA in Fine Art and Painting at Aristotle University of Fine and Applied Arts in Greece. During that time, I experimented a lot with printmaking, in particular etching and woodcutting, along with my painting practice. Looking back, those years were not only very fun, but also pivotal to my growth as an artist and all that was coming. It was an intense period, very formative in many ways. After graduating, I stopped painting for a couple of years and turned to handmade jewellery instead. When that cycle came to an end, I returned to drawing and painting, and went on to complete a Master’s degree at Central Saint Martins. I started …

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Grattage Painting Techniques Using Found Materials

In this article, I define the grattage technique, invented by the Surrealist Max Ernst, and used in the work of his contemporaries and beyond. I consider the visual impact of this tactile method of scraping oil paint across a canvas laid over unconventional materials. Then, I demonstrate how to achieve it in your own oil paintings by testing it out with wood, cutlery, string, and some studio objects. Articles in the Techniques Series define the meaning and context of art making processes and give practical tutorials on how to work with them.     The Grattage Technique for Painting Definition Grattage comes from the French verb ‘gratter’ meaning ‘to scrape’. The grattage technique is created when a wet oil painting is pressed on top of various everyday materials, such as wood, mesh, string, glass, or wire, and the top layer of paint is scraped away with a palette knife or spatula, picking up spontaneous unexpected textures on the face of the painting.   What is the Effect of Grattage? The grattage technique relies on unexpected marks and chance textures which the artist and audience respond to intuitively. Adding grattage to a painting may spark new ideas in the painter, or …

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Painting from Imagination

 The key to painting imaginary subjects is to hold onto the dream image as long as possible, even if it’s hazy and tentative. Then you work like crazy to find analogues in the real world, and gather references of any kind. Be like a sponge, and “f…

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Review of Da Vinci’s New Synthetic Paddle Brushes

Paddle brushes allow artists to have tactile contact with their surface by movement through the wrist, allowing them to work with greater control across large surface areas. The sturdy design also ensures brush longevity. Da Vinci has released their own new paddle brush range, with three bristle types available in three sizes – 40, 60, and 80 mm. In the following article, I describe their unique properties, test out the functionality of their innovative ergonomic handle design, and use them to apply acrylic paints, gesso, and mediums with a variety of effects.     Review of Da Vinci’s New Synthetic Paddle Brushes The History of the Da Vinci Company The Da Vinci brush company was founded around 1890 in Germany and remains based in Nuremberg to this day. Their long-standing ethos has been “to produce the best brushes in the world”, covering everything from artists’ and cosmetic brushes to dental brushes. The name Da Vinci doesn’t come from a personal link to the Renaissance master, but was chosen to enhance brand recognition and give an assurance quality after the company trademarked the name ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ in 1952. Today, Da Vinci manufactures about 6 million brushes annually, with the Paddle …

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The Visibility Retreat: A Game-Changer for Your Jewellery Business (podcast episode)

In this week’s episode of the Jewellers Academy Podcast, Jessica Rose is
joined by Anna Campbell, Kelly Twigg, and Emma René to introduce something
brand new: the first-ever Jewellers’ Visibility Retreat, happening this
September in Brighton, England.

This intimate, in-person, three-day event is designed for jewellery
business owners who are ready to get seen, connect deeply with their brand,
and confidently attract customers, just in time for the busy Christmas
sales season.

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