So last week saw us exploring ways that we can recreate texture found in nature through the use of  Acrylic Mediums and a Gelli Plate!
After taking some reference photos  in the local park we came back and looked at how we could replicate different types of tree bark, moss and undergrowth without using a brush!
​The first way to find out exactly what each of our Mediums could do was to create a reference board.
We used these really cheap panels from the SAA as our base and divided them up into 12 squares.
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In each square we added a small amount of colour to each Acrylic Medium to see how many textures we could create!
Crackle Paste was not a success and we are still playing with that to see if we can get the desired effect. It requires a lot of patience as can take up to 3 days to start to 'Crackle'! Dries to an opaque, matte finish, with an absorbent surface suitable for acrylic paints and mediums.
Fine Pumice Gel is a great texture to add to your canvas and you can either add it to Gesso to give the canvas or ground some tooth, or add it into your colour for instance effect.
The Fine version of this medium is also really good for creating a 'tooth' for pastel to adhere to and can be used to great effect in Mixed Media Paintings.
Talking of Mixed Media, Acrylic Matt Gel is a great multi purpose medium. You can seal pastel passages in your work by applying a thin layer (take care not to scratch the pastel as you apply - I use a palette knife) and can also be used to stick any paper media to your canvas, and then seal it over the top. It is easy to apply acrylic paint over the top should you wish - or even glazes so the paper media shows through.
The world is your oyster!
​With Modelling or Moulding Paste you can create peaks and troughs and really go to town with the whole 3D effect. 
We coiled some string on one of the squares and built up the Molding Paste around it, but you could add all sorts of small objects and build them into your work, then paint over them. Be careful that you are using this medium on a rigid surface if you are using larger objects as canvas has a tendency to move and could cause a heavy addition to crack off! 

We satisfied ourself with trying to replicate tree bark using bubble wrap, palette knives (to paint the acrylic on), card, sticks - you name it, we used it! Here is a short clip of one of our exercises....Jenny had already laid down a few layers and was finishing with a touch of lichen using bubblewrap!

So in summary we highly recommend taking a day out of your 'Creating a Masterpiece' schedule to play with new ways of adding interest to your work. Fill the pages of your sketchbook with textured backgrounds to work on top of - liven up a canvas before you start painting onto it! Work into an existing painting to give it another dimension! Have a go at Mixed Media!
One tip we would pass on is less is more - it is so easy to get carried away with all the methods we tried, but think it through and you will no doubt end up with a pleasing result.
Thanks to the SAA for supplying the Acrylic Paints - not as heavy bodied as Golden but perfect for using on the Gelli Plate! Thanks to Jenny, Lorna and Tracey for letting us share their experiments. Do let us know if you have a go - we are always happy to answer any questions if you have them!
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Getting a likeness is one of the hardest things to achieve but by turning the exercise on its head we seriously had some amazing results!
​We hope that we will see some more positive painting next year!  ​

As spring brightened up the day we turned to some high key abstracts and used reference photos from the local woods as inspiration! Techniques learnt here were using texture, mark making (using every part of the paint brush), using colour to emphasise and bring forward or set back, and just seeing how much fun we could have! Well done ladies! Here are a few from the session...

Karen will be demonstrating the one colour Lino print technique in her PPP workshops in Spring - Book early to avoid disappointment as these workshops are limited to 5 maximum to ensure that everyone gets the attention they need to complete a simple image in the 3 hours allowed. All materials are provided and beginners are welcome! 

Let's not forget Inktober too! This year Alison set about painting every day with her Drawing Inks and mixed media to create 31 paintings which she sold to raise money for Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, after visiting for a workshop with Lesley Humphrey earlier in the year. She managed to raise a fantastic £300 which will go towards winter feeds!

So after a lovely summer break it was straight from Patchings and back in the studio to complete entries for the Association of Animal Artists Exhibition at Weston Park! It has been a whirlwind year so far for PPP!
No sooner will we have packed up from the Granary Art Gallery, and we will be preparing for Animal eARTh Exhibition in Chester, where we will be demonstrating on our stand on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday before packing up our paintings on Sunday 28th October.
So not much time in-between to plan and run workshops, which was definitely on our To Do list at the beginning of the year!
​Nonetheless there is still time and there will be a series of Acrylic and Pastel workshops run from our Cheshire base in November and some Lino Cutting Workshops planned for early 2019. These are ideal for beginners or those revisiting art after a break and would like to learn some new techniques. 
Spaces will be limited and placed on a first come first served basis, so do sign up to our newsletter so you will be the first to know about them.

To watch a video straight from the Association of Animal Artists Exhibition you can click this link! 
Don't forget to watch to the end so you can see Alison being daft!

We made it!
There were times when I really didn't think we would...but we did!
There was a last minute (before the printing of the price list, signs, catalogue etc) trauma with my computer.
It broke.
And lost all it's data.
DO NOT MENTION THE 'BACKUP WORD!!!!
Despite a promise from the supplier that my frames for my paintings would arrive in plenty of time, they arrived two days before we left leaving me to paint 8 frames and actually stick them around my paintings in 8 hours - they all needed 3 coats and despite having a short coated dog (Manchester Terrier), in the extreme heat we have been having, he is conveniently moulting!
Karen meanwhile had all her framing equipment to hand only to find the blades were blunt and had to make a last minute dash to a local and ever so friendly but also manically depressed framer who saved the day! At great expense! Hooray! 
I then got a last minute 'good luck' text from a lovely art friend who asked me who I insured my paintings with when I go to art festivals as she was looking to do one in the future and just wondered....ha!
Sorted!
Admit it - you thought I had forgotten didn't you?
Luckily I am a member of two organisations that provide insurance for such events.
The SAA and the GSA.
I am an Gold member and Professional Artist of the SAA which gives me some great benefits including:-

• £10,000 exhibition cover (UK & ROI) under SAA Group Insurance Policies
• £5 million third party public liability cover (UK & ROI) under SAA Group Insurance Policies
• £5 million product liability, professional indemnity & libel and slander cover (UK & ROI) under SAA Group Insurance Policies
• £10 million employers liability cover (UK & ROI) under SAA Group Insurance Policies
• Free promotion for professional artists
• Free Tax and Accountancy helpline

The GSA or Guild Society of Artists is an offshoot of the Fine Art Trade Guild, specifically set up to support and encourage the 'artists' that make up the FATG. Recognising that they have specific needs outside the framing and industry side of art it has just had it's first year under the chairmanship of Karen Hollis. Leaving to concentrate on her art career it is now under the guidance of Peter Hayton.
They have a great support package for it's members including the Original Art Register which protects artists copyright by cataloguing the artwork, along with relevant images. For only a few pounds per artwork it is a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Along with comprehensive legal advice and extensive knowledge in areas that most artists will utilise, such as picture framing, fine art printing and exhibiting artworks it is a good way to develop your art career with their knowledge and support to guide you.

​Alas, I confess, that my other half is NOT a wizard at anything remotely D.I.Y. and doesn't know one end of a spanner from another so he could not be called upon to make a folding screen. On the other hand, Karen's beloved husband is a whizz with an electric screwdriver and despite a few naughty swear words has managed to make us a perfect (well it looks perfect on the pictures she has sent anyway) hanging facility for some paintings! 
Racked with guilt over the effort and time this must have taken I dismantled an old frame and painted it pink! That should even out the score in the "what did you do to make the stand look amazing?" stakes! It did take three coats after all! And a coat of varnish!

Then came the revelation that Karen was going to make her own frames! Now we all know how ridiculously expensive framing is, but also that the right frame can make a bad painting, and that a bad frame can break a good painting, so it was no surprise to me to find photo's pinging through of a frame cutting machine sat in Karen's studio! Hat's off to her! Excellent plan...but with only three weeks to go I am not sure that there is time to perfect the technique. I had my doubts. Which if anyone knows Karen, is just pointless, because despite the instruction manual being in German, she has turned 'Learning How To Use My New Toy' into a leisure activity, and I have no doubt that she will be getting a big list of things to frame for our next foray into the world of exhibiting! Still it's nothing that becoming a member of the Fine Art Trade Guild won't solve as I am sure there will be framers happy to give advice! As a member myself I will luckily be insured in the event of a thief with an eye for a masterpiece for the duration of the show!

So on to the actual production and refinement of what will be appearing on the Stand (Stand 60, Marquee 17 in case you want to come and admire our efforts). As this is my busiest month for commission work I have been relying on a few paintings from the archives making an appearance, and adding some new work into the mix. I was quite proud of my efforts and was giving myself a quiet pat on the back when 'PING!' my phone alerted me to a new update from the Sillar Studio! 
OMG!!! She's either hyper thyroid or on some sort of recreational performance enhancing drug!
Look what I got! Her tile cutting hands must be covered in Band Aid!

Not to be outdone I rustled up a new painting of a horse that I had been pondering for a while!
'PING!' Ha! Sent! That'll get her going! HAHAHA!!
So despite the frenzied activity in the Sillar Studio, and a deep feeling of guilt that I harbour, I personally cannot wait to see how the stand comes together and spending some time with my PPP friend will just make our 5 days together all the more enjoyable.
It will just be Karen and I showing this time as Jenny takes some time out with her little boy, but we are so excited to be able to show you what we have been up to.
Do come and see us on Stand 60 at Patchings.
We are at the top of the first bend so easy to find - plus the Stand will be several shades of cerise pink so you can't miss us! x
Now, on with weaving that cerise pink carpet for Karen to rest her feet on! ;)
 
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So a lot has happened since our little foray into Shrewsbury! Jenny has adopted a little boy and is instilling a creative spirit into every day life with a small person! Potato prints and mud pies are nothing in her house!
Karen has become the Treasurer of the Association of Animal Artists accompanying me, (Alison) into the world of volunteering! I have been the Chairperson of the AAA for a few years now and love it but it does sometimes get in the way of personal creative time! So our plans for PPP have taken a slightly different turn this year! We have taken a stand at Patchings Art Festival and although Jenny will not be showing any of her work this time, she will be visiting us on Saturday 14th June so if there are any dog owners that are after a beautiful dog portrait you can grab her then. In the meantime, Karen and I are busy planning our stand and painting and printing like mad to fill the space with colour and goodies!
Of course there are costs involved in presenting your art to the public, including the extortionate cost of framing. It is the one thing that is often overlooked and unappreciated by buyers of art but the one thing that can make or break a work of art.
In our AAA experience we see all sorts of horrors and as we are members of the Fine Art Trade guild we get inside information into the best practice when it comes to professional presentation. They have also launched a new Guild Society of Artists of which we are members. This is aimed not just at framers but at artists which gives some great advice, including guides on pricing and professional practice. We hope that this means that when you purchase a work of art from PPP that it will be optimum quality and made to last a life time!
So it's back to the easel and printing press and we look forward to seeing you at Patchings! 

So today we wrap up the exhibition and say goodbye to Bear Steps Art Gallery. We have had such fun and met some really interesting and lovely people. We've sold some of our work, drunk too much mulled wine (and peddled refreshments to the stewards and visitors).
It will be sad to say goodbye but we have some exciting plans for 2018 so keep watching and following for news about future ventures!
We would like to thank everyone for coming in and especially to those who have left feedback and entered our Prize Draw! We will be revealing the winner of Big Cock this afternoon and I'm sure he will be bringing a smile to whoever is the lucky recipient.
Over and out!
From Alison, Karen and Jenny
X

We had a fabulous surprise today in the form of a visit from our fellow Association of Animal Artists Trustee, Christina Hopkinson and her lovely family! It's always great to catch up and what better way to do it but in the company of like minded friends over a mild mulled wine! (I have been convinced that the alcohol content of the mulled wine is low, but I can report back on that tomorrow night as we are all getting together for our Christmas PPP celebration and I am sure there are a few bottles that need polishing off!
Oscar dog was in fine form today and greeted the visitors with a full inspection and seal of approval. He was very conscientious and made sure that everyone knew that the prize draw was going to be drawn soon. Every comment on the blog counts! Here he is pointing out the prize alongside the entry info. (I knew he had his uses! Useless at hoovering and washing up though!)
After many visitors and an early morning sale (hooray!) to a lady that had found the 'one' for her new house, Karen settled down to an urgent competition entry - a tiger wearing a santa hat (er...like you do!).
I would like to take this opportunity to gush about Karen for a couple of lines (don't want to get carried away). She has been a total natural as gallery guide and it has been pointed out on several occasions that she really should try to seek employment in this area. We are totally indebted to her as she has turned up every morning to open the gallery and has been on hand to meet greet and inform, refresh, wrap the paintings and take the sales. She has battled snow, ice, a broken car, and a horrendous chesty cough! Karen we couldn't have done it without you! You are amazing! This surely is what friends are all about and both Jenny and I are really looking forward to taking our Print Pastel and Paint adventure into 2018. (Hopefully nearer to home so we can do the 'running')