Spinning acrobats, shiny first names and bold, contemporary shapes on a chain round your neck can only refer to the one and only Tatty Devine.

An independent British jewellery design company, their pieces are utterly unique. Vibrant conversation starters, their design have been blurring the boundaries between art, fashion and culture, since its inception in 1999.

Set up by Fine Art graduates Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden, the pair still work together to produce innovative, fresh designs that creatives love. We caught up with the artist-come-entrepreneurs to hear the inside story behind Tatty Devine. (They're also hosting a great workshop in Cass Art Glasgow on 5th October. Book your tickets now to meet the designers and create your own unique necklace that you can then take away with you!)

 

Hi Harriet and Rosie! So tell us: where did you guys meet and how did Tatty Devine come about?

Harriet: Rosie and I met when we were at college. We were both studying Fine Art at Chelsea School of Art on the Kings Road. I had a flat with some friends, we had a spare room and Rosie moved in. From then on we did nearly everything together and got up to all kinds of fun capers.

Rosie: The start of Tatty Devine happened by chance when Harriet found bin bags full of leather sample books in the street. They were all just about the right size to make wristbands in every colour, so we set up a studio in our bedrooms and started selling handmade cuffs at Portobello and Spitalfields markets. Our first market stall was in July and by Christmas we had to give up the market because we were suddenly selling to Harvey Nichols, Urban Outfitters and Whistles. At the same time I was working in a vintage shop on the Kings Road and was approached by a stylist who asked where the jewellery I was wearing was from. I confidently said, “My company made it” then was asked to bring the collection into Vogue on Monday morning. We ended up being featured in Vogue’s Millennium edition, which included photographs by Mario Testino!

That's an amazing story! But what is it that makes your jewellery unique?

Rosie: Our raison d’être has always been to be original and to make things that don’t exist. This by default has meant that we stand out from the crowd. When we started we felt there was a real drought of fun, bright, different jewellery and accessories so by filling that niche it kick-started the brand.

 

Your Perspex jewellery is hugely well-known, but what other materials do you work with?

Harriet: We also love working with wood and leather, and often feature glass beads and Swarovski crystals in our designs. Every season we try to include new ways of beading, threading, and manipulating the materials we use to bring originality and freshness into the way we work.

Did you always know you wanted to design jewellery, or was it something that just happened?

Rosie: We both wanted to be Artists - painters, but Tatty Devine happened and we’ve never looked back. We both fell in love with art at school and were brought up surrounded by craft and making, so being creative was always a big part of our life.

Why is it important that all of your jewellery is handmade in the UK?

Rosie: It’s important for us to support and nurture British talent and we have built up a team of talented makers over the past 16 years. Quality is so important to us and we make everything in small batches with incredible attention to detail. The Seasonal collection always contains pieces that challenge how it is possible to make jewellery and are limited to production runs of 50 or less. It’s essential to keep production here with us where we can be in control, test new things and the designs have immediacy about them.

What was it like working with paper artist Rob Ryan to form one of your collections?

Harriet: It was wonderful to make something with Rob Ryan, as he is an old friend, and these collaborations are always the best - when you both genuinely love what each other do and want to create something truly original.

 

Do you have a favourite Tatty Devine piece or collection?

Rosie: I have a favourite piece every season but long time favourites have been the Dog on Wheels Brooch, Giant Lobster Necklace and more recently the Brushstrokes Link Necklace. The Dog on Wheels as it was made in honour of one of my favourite ever songs (Belle and Sebastian) and the Lobster because it is a timeless piece guaranteed to turn heads, and it's claws move as you walk and talk!

Harriet: I love statement jewellery – the bigger the better! My favourite piece at the moment is the Still Life Plant Necklace from our current AW15 collection, and last season I couldn’t stop wearing the Tudor House Necklace. An all time classic favourite would be the Banana Necklace – I was so pleased our fans voted it back for our 15^th Birthday Collection.

How do you split your time between the jewellery design and the running of a business?

Rosie: We've managed by sharing the spinning plates - being a team of two has certainly helped to make everything possible. From early on Harriet focused on product and I've focused on sales and the operational side. Harriet makes things and I make things happen. 

That's a great tagline. So what would your tops tips be for budding jewellery designers?

Harriet: Make sure you are part of a creative community and never be afraid to ask for help, support or opinions. Finding people that have ‘been there and done that’ is invaluable as when you start it is experience that you lack, but you can learn from other peoples experiences (and mistakes!) 

Rosie: It helps to love what you do as first of all this will show in your work, and secondly it’s much easier to do something you love than something you’re not passionate about. Try to stick to your own ideas. There’s nothing to be gained from mimicking others and people really value originality.

 

Feeling inspired?

Visit the Tatty Devine website here and browse the gorgeous jewellery designs. 

Book your place here for the Tatty Devine workshop at Cass Art Glasgow on 5th October. Tickets cost £15 and you'll come away with a unique handmade necklace that's sure to catch everyone's eye!

Cass Art Student Day is back this October - and for the first time, it's touring the country! It's art on tour with freebies, arty goodies and live music in five of our shops. 

Read on for more information about our first Student Day of the year at Cass Art Glasgow.

STUDENT DAY AT CASS ART GLASGOW

To celebrate the start of the new academic year, we're giving 20% discount off EVERYTHING at Cass Art Glasgow, on Wednesday 23rd September. Open from 9am until 7pm, come on down and stock up for your new year at art school.

And of course, in true Student Day style, there will also be free food, entertainment, art goodie bags and local offers. 

Remember to bring a valid Student ID. If you have a Cobalt  Blue Student Card with us, make sure you bring it along, and if not, don't worry - you can sign up for one on the day! 



FREE GOODIE BAG WORTH £40

As well as some great savings and offers, we will be giving away free goodie bags, worth £40 of artist's quality materials, once you spend £15. 

What's more, we're launching a brand new tote bag - the dazzlingly yellow Golden Ochre, available for first time at Student Day!

The art materials include a Winsor & Netwon Watercolour Marker, Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colour, a Liquitex Painter Marker, a Promarker pen and Heavybody acrylic paint, but we don't want to give it all away - there are some other surprises in there too!



ENTERTAINMENT AND OFFERS

There will be entertainment at Cass Art Student Day, including Doodle Man our artist in residence, music from a live DJ and of course other freebies thrown in on top of the goodie bag.

You'll get 15% off name necklaces from from jewellery designer Tatty Devine, tasty samples and10% off at Tempo Tea Bar, and free bags of Propercorn in case you get the munchies!

DATES AND TIMES

Student Day at our Cass Art Glasgow is on Wednesday 23rd September from 9am until 7pm.


 
GET IN TOUCH WITH #CASSARTSTUDENTDAY

Spread the word about Student Day on Twitter and Facebook so everyone can make the most of the Student Savings - it comes around but once a year! (Admittedly in five different locations this year.)

Please tell us what you think on the day - in the queue, in the shop, once you're home and admiring your new art materials - wherever you are, we want to hear your thoughts! Use the hashtag #cassartstudentday and send us any photos you take.

Pssst...keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming Student Days at Cass Art Bristol, Kingston, Liverpool and our Islington Flagship, soon to follow!

 

“Artists with their easels, paints and sunhats will descend on North Norfolk’s bustling coastal port of Wells-next-the Sea for a four-day juried art competition and exhibition. We believe Wells to provide the ideal backdrop for a coastal outdoor art competition with its variety of subject matter – beach, harbour, salt marsh, and its close proximity in both directions to North Norfolk’s other coastal villages and landmarks.” – James Colman, Paint Out founder

After the resounding success of Paint Out Norwich in 2014 and 2015, the first Paint Out Wells is here! The en plein air fine art event highlights will draw people to the seaside spot and gets artists painting on location in September.

The event includes agala auction at the Crown Hotel on Friday September 11th and a public exhibition of completed works running 12th-13th afterwards on the Buttlands.

The event also features an Artists Question Time at 6.30pm on September 10th, and public sunrise 'paint out' event on September 11th. The beach is renowned for its wide expanse, substantial sand dunes, picturesque painted beach huts, and both landward and seaward vistas.

A prize fund of £2,500-£3,000, iconic views, and the late summer sun will draw many artists to this wonderful seaside town this September.

 

Feeling inspired?

Find out more about Paint Out Wells on their website.

Cass Art and the Cass Sculpture Foundation are offering you the unique opportunity to win an original drawing by sculptor Gary Webb.

Gary Webb graduated from Goldsmiths in 1997 and has since been making abstract sculpture out of industrial materials. Much of his work plays with strong, vibrant and often acidic colours and abstract ideas of form, shape and material. His sculptures are highly finished, glossy interpretations of a balance between material and idea. He has exhibited widely both internationally and across the UK, at spaces like the Whitechapel Art Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts and the Musee d’art Contemporain de Rochechouart in France.

Enter the competition here and read on for more information on this fantastic prize.

 

His sculpture Dreamy Bathroom has been on show at the Cass Sculpture Foundation in Goodwood since it was commissioned in 2014. Whimsical, brightly coloured and referencing a variety of different objects, the sculpture remains enigmatic yet playful, with nods towards Pop Art and Modernism. The main sculpture is made from Aluminium, Bronze, Automative Grade Paint and Lacquer.

THE COMPETITION 

The exciting news is that the original drawing of Dreamy Bathroom (pictured above) could soon be yours! All you need to do is enter your details into the Cass Art competition page here.

The winner will also receive £500 of vouchers to spend at Cass Art.

The Drawing is A4 sized and would be a fantastic addition or wonderful start to anyone's art collection.

For the chance to win, enter on our competition page. Entries close on 31st October 2015.

FAMILY TIES

The Cass Family has been supporting artists for generations. Paul Cassirer was an influential art dealer in the 1920s who promoted Impressionism in Germany, buying artwork by Van Gogh and Cézanne at the early stages of their careers.

Cassirer’s great nephew, Wilfred Cass, set up the Cass Sculpture Foundation in 1992, a British charity devoted to commissioning large-scale sculpture. The most prolific commissioner of sculpture in the UK, it has helped to create over 500 sculptures in its 23 year history. Wilfred’s son Mark Cass is a trustee of the Foundation and also CEO & Founder of Cass Art, the UK’s leading art supplies retailer. 

Both Cass Art and the Cass Sculpture Foundation have come together to offer someone the unique opportunity to own an original drawing by artist Gary Webb.



Feeling inspired? 

Enter here before 31st October for your chance to win the Dreamy Bathroom drawing and £500 of Cass Art vouchers.

Share the link www.cassart.co.uk/dreamybathroom to give others the opportunity to own the drawing.

Visit the Cass Sculpture Foundation website to find out more about Gary Webb's sculpture here.


 

Miss Led is an artist with style. Her fashion illustrations have been used by several prestigious brands including Ted Baker, Loreal and Nike, and her work was exhibited in The Best of British Illustration at Somerset House in 2012.

She is the queen of Liquitex Intermixability, and her mixed media illustrations are filled with the joy of living. Women are depicted against the vibrant backgrounds of different personalities and pastimes; a radio here, a ladder there, bubbles and flowers, alarm clocks and wilting roses. Colourful and flowing, her drawings are speckled with the flavours of contemporary life.

Miss Led has inspired our Liquitex Intermixability workshops this month, so we wanted to find out about the artist behind the successful fashion illustrations.

Der Spiegel Front Cover

What do you love about fashion illustration?

What’s not to love? The colour, expression and movement of the catwalk to capturing a moment in time, a cut, a look, pattern, drapery... I love the playfulness mixed with the control of line. I’m constantly exploring new ways of communicating this.

I spent years drawing from huge pattern books that my mother would buy when I was a child. Leafing through ‘80’s Vogue and Style patterns with beautiful watercolour painted demure ladies transfixed me for hours.

You’ve worked with many brands, including Ted Baker and Selfridges London, but what’s been your favourite commercial project to date?

I created two stylish ladies for a great packaging project for Braun recently, which is launching soon. I enjoyed it as it took me in a slightly different direction. I worked with the client closely for 4 months, being open to create something a little more unique. I’m really looking forward to seeing it finally realised.

Do you have some staple art materials, ones that you couldn’t be without? 

Retractable pencils - Pentel are my ultimate favourite. These range from 0.3 - 0.9

 
Bittersweet 

Which illustrators or artists inspire you or your style?

I’ve been inspired by the work of Audrey Beardsley’s ink drawings since I was at school.

Richard Gray was one of many fashion illustrators that inspired me to draw again after a huge break from creating work.

And Tula Lotay, a contemporary and recent discovery, is a huge talent and inspiration.  

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m in the middle of a really fun multi-faceted advertising commission for Clinique. The project will allow me to see my work animated, which is something completely new for me.

I’m also at the very early stages of planning something very exciting in New York - but that’s top secret for now.

Any advice for the budding fashion illustrators out there?

Be tenacious. Believe in yourself and keep trying no matter what. 

Alexander McQueen

Feeling inspired?

Visit Miss Led's website to browse more of her fashion illustrations. 

Read Miss Led's tutorial on Liquitex Intermixability here to find out how she achieves her mixed media results.

You can book a place at our Miss Led workshops this September, in Cass Art Kingston on 13th September or our Islington Flagship on 19th September.
 

Cass Art Student Day is back this term - and for the first time, it's touring the country! It's art on tour with freebies, arty goodies and live music in five of our shops. 

Read on for more information about our Student Day at Cass Art Bristol.

STUDENT DAY AT CASS ART BRISTOL

To celebrate the start of the new academic year, we're giving 15% discount off EVERYTHING at Cass Art Bristol on Tuesday 29th September. Open from 9am until 7pm, come on down and stock up for your new year at art school.

And of course, in true Student Day style, there will also be free food, entertainment, art goodie bags and local offers. 

Remember to bring a valid Student ID. If you have a Cobalt  Blue Student Card with us, make sure you bring it along, and if not, don't worry - you can sign up for one on the day! 



FREE GOODIE BAG WORTH £40

As well as some great savings and offers, we will be giving away free goodie bags, worth £40 of artist's quality materials, once you spend £15. 

What's more, we're launching a brand new tote bag - the dazzlingly yellow Golden Ochre, available for first time at Student Day!

The art materials include a Winsor & Netwon Watercolour Marker, Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colour, a Liquitex Painter Marker, a Promarker pen and Heavybody acrylic paint, but we don't want to give it all away - there are some other surprises in there too!



ENTERTAINMENT AND OFFERS

There will be entertainment at Cass Art Student Day, including music from a live DJ and of course other freebies thrown in on top of the goodie bag.

You'll get 25% off orders from the scrumptious Wok to Walk, and free bags of Propercorn in case you get the munchies! 

DATES AND TIMES

Student Day at Cass Art Bristol is on Tuesday 29th September from 9am until 7pm.


 
GET IN TOUCH WITH #CASSARTSTUDENTDAY

Spread the word about Student Day on Twitter and Facebook so everyone can make the most of the Student Savings - it comes around but once a year! (Admittedly in five different locations this year.)

Please tell us what you think on the day - in the queue, in the shop, once you're home and admiring your new art materials - wherever you are, we want to hear your thoughts! Use the hashtag #cassartstudentday and send us any photos you take.

Pssst...keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming Student Days at Cass Art Kingston, Liverpool and our Islington Flagship, soon to follow!

 

Cass Art Student Day is back this term - and for the first time, it's touring the country! It's art on tour with freebies, arty goodies and live music in five of our shops. 

Read on for more information about our Student Day at Cass Art Kingston.

STUDENT DAY AT CASS ART KINGSTON

To celebrate the start of the new academic year, we're giving 15% discount off EVERYTHING at Cass Art Kingston on Wednesday 30th September. Open from 9am until 7pm, come on down and stock up for your new year at art school.

And of course, in true Student Day style, there will also be free food, entertainment, art goodie bags and local offers. 

Remember to bring a valid Student ID. If you have a Cobalt  Blue Student Card with us, make sure you bring it along, and if not, don't worry - you can sign up for one on the day! 



FREE GOODIE BAG WORTH £40

As well as some great savings and offers, we will be giving away free goodie bags, worth £40 of artist's quality materials, once you spend £15. 

What's more, we're launching a brand new tote bag - the dazzlingly yellow Golden Ochre, available for first time at Student Day!

The art materials include a Winsor & Netwon Watercolour Marker, Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colour, a Liquitex Painter Marker, a Promarker pen and Heavybody acrylic paint, but we don't want to give it all away - there are some other surprises in there too!



ENTERTAINMENT AND OFFERS

There will be entertainment at Cass Art Student Day, including music from a live DJ and of course other freebies thrown in on top of the goodie bag.

You'll get buy one get one free on a scoop of ice cream from Creams, and free bags of Propercorn in case you get the munchies! 

You'll also get free tickets to The Other Art Fair (15 – 18 Oct 2015).

DATES AND TIMES

Student Day at Cass Art Kingston is on Wednesday 30th September from 9am until 7pm.


 
GET IN TOUCH WITH #CASSARTSTUDENTDAY

Spread the word about Student Day on Twitter and Facebook so everyone can make the most of the Student Savings - it comes around but once a year! (Admittedly in five different locations this year.)

Please tell us what you think on the day - in the queue, in the shop, once you're home and admiring your new art materials - wherever you are, we want to hear your thoughts! Use the hashtag #cassartstudentday and send us any photos you take.

Pssst...keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming Student Days at Cass Art Liverpool and our Islington Flagship, soon to follow!

 

As a practicing artist, working with galleries can be something of an enigma. It's not really taught at art school and it can be hard to know how to proceed, and how to distinguish the good opportunities from the not so good ones. jenny Judova, Founder of Art Map, has written a series of How To Work With Galleries tutorials, exclusively for Cass Art, to teach you all that you need to know.

PART 1: TYPES OF GALLERIES

People throw around the term ‘gallery’ all the time and it builds an assumption that all galleries are equal - but they are not. There are different types of galleries and each type operates in its own specific way. The way galleries work with their audience, collectors, and artists is determined by what type of gallery it is.

First of all, before we even talk about galleries, it should be noted that the art market is divided into two very different areas - the primary and the secondary market.

The primary market is defined by works being sold for the first time either by the artist or by the gallery that represents the artist. An example of such a gallery is Vitrine in Bermondsey Square.

VITRINE Bermondsey Square, Adham Faramawy ‘Hyperreal Flower Blossom’ May-June 2015

The secondary market is where the resale of the work takes place, that is someone who owns the work wants to sell it on. Therefore the artist does not usually participate in this transaction, and the resale happens through an agent such as a gallery, a dealer, or an auction house. An example of such a gallery is Gimpel Fils.

The articles in this series will explore only the primary art market as it is more relevant to living artists.

Within the primary market, the galleries can be divided into the following four groups: commercial, non for profit, artist run, and project spaces.

Commercial galleries aim to make money by showing and selling art. The irony is that according to the most recent research a third of commercial galleries operates in the red. An example of such a gallery is Breese Little.

BreeseLittle View of the opening night of Classicicity, photograph by Mary Ashton Ellis

Non for profit galleries do not sell work (apart from possible editions). Usually they commission new work from the artist and show it. An example of such a gallery is Studio Voltaire.

Artist Run spaces are the hardest to describe as they can be whatever they want to be and how they are run is completely defined by the artists who run them. Such an example is Espacio Gallery.

A project space is a venue that can be used for literally anything and by calling it ‘project space’ the owners resist boxing it into one category or other. Such an example is The Ryder.

I further divide commercial galleries into four sub-groups, based on how they choose to work with the artist: Sharks, Shops, Leo Castelli and Research Gallery.

'Sharks' prey on the weak and the clueless. Their usual tactic is to cold email as many artists as possible with a variation of the following email:

‘Dear Artist,

We have seen you work on website/show X and we love it and we would love to include it in our exhibition. Please pay us a Y amount of money to be included in our show.’

With every mail out they find a handful of naive artists who assume this is a good investment. It is not. Critics and dealers know the names of such ‘pay to play’ galleries and avoid them. An example of such a gallery is The Brick Lane Gallery.

'Shops' are the galleries that operate only on consignment - which is the majority of galleries in London. In other words they do not represent artists - they show work and sell it, and they take a commission if something sells. Such an example is the Lawrence Alkin Gallery.

The Leo Castelli Model is named after the now legendary New York dealer called - funnily enough! - Leo Castelli. What he became known for is finding unknown artists and marketing them to a superstar status. This is what my artists hope to find in a gallery, but unfortunately this is a dying breed of art dealers. An example of such a gallery is FOLD.

Installation view: Demolition Derby (2015) @ FOLD. Courtesy FOLD.

Research Galleries don't just want to represent you; they emphasise the research behind your work and support you in commercial and non profit endeavours. An example of this kind of gallery is Arcadia Missa.

It should probably be noted that galleries, like people, go through career stages. There are four main (and self explanatory) stages: Project space (a beta of a gallery), Emerging (Tintype), Mid-career aka mid-size (Limoncello), and blue chip (Gagosian).  

I should also add that it is hard to tell a good gallery from a bad one, or an emerging gallery from a blue chip one, without researching it first. Size, location, and website quality rarely determine or reveal how good or how bad a gallery is. I have seen many white walled fabulous places based in Mayfair come and go when basement galleries based in Haggerston grow from strength to strength.

So if that is the case than how do you figure out which gallery is which? The answer is simple - go to galleries. There is no short cut in learning about the art scene, especially the fast paced London art scene. The only way to know it is to live it, and the only way to live it is to go to 3-10 galleries each week. This should not be seen as something foreign to your practice but as an integral part of it, as the better you know the gallery scene around you, the easier it is for you to start working with one.

By Jenny Judova

Jenny is an art writer and speaker specialising on the primary art market. She is the founder of Art Map London.

Art Map London is an art events listing website that developed into a peer to peer network for artists and curators. 

Feeling inspired? Keep checking our blog for the rest of Jenny's tutorials on working with galleries.

 

Cass Art Student Day is back this term - and for the first time, it's touring the country! It's art on tour with freebies, arty goodies and live music in five of our shops. 

Read on for more information about our Student Day at Cass Art Liverpool.

STUDENT DAY AT CASS ART LIVERPOOL

To celebrate the start of the new academic year, we're giving 15% discount off EVERYTHING at Cass Art Liverpool on Tuesday 6th October. Open from 9am until 7pm, come on down and stock up for your new year at art school.

And of course, in true Student Day style, there will also be free food, entertainment, art goodie bags and local offers. 

Remember to bring a valid Student ID. If you have a Cobalt  Blue Student Card with us, make sure you bring it along, and if not, don't worry - you can sign up for one on the day! 



FREE GOODIE BAG WORTH £40

As well as some great savings and offers, we will be giving away free goodie bags, worth £40 of artist's quality materials, once you spend £15. 

What's more, we're launching a brand new tote bag - the dazzlingly yellow Golden Ochre, available for first time at Student Day!

The art materials include a Winsor & Netwon Watercolour Marker, Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colour, a Liquitex Painter Marker, a Promarker pen and Heavybody acrylic paint, but we don't want to give it all away - there are some other surprises in there too!



ENTERTAINMENT AND OFFERS

There will be entertainment at Cass Art Student Day, including music from a live DJ and of course other freebies thrown in on top of the goodie bag.

You'll get a free cofee at The Bluecoat Café when you buy a cake, and a Private View invitation to an upcominge exhibition at The Bluecoat.

You'll also get free bags of Propercorn in case you get the munchies! 

DATES AND TIMES

Student Day at Cass Art Liverpool is on Tuesday 6th October from 9am until 7pm.


 
GET IN TOUCH WITH #CASSARTSTUDENTDAY

Spread the word about Student Day on Twitter and Facebook so everyone can make the most of the Student Savings - it comes around but once a year! (Admittedly in five different locations this year.)

Please tell us what you think on the day - in the queue, in the shop, once you're home and admiring your new art materials - wherever you are, we want to hear your thoughts! Use the hashtag #cassartstudentday and send us any photos you take.

Pssst...keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming Student Day at our Islington Flagship, soon to follow!

 

The ORIGINAL Cass Art Student Day is back in our Islington Flagship! After touring the country our Student Day will end in our Flagship store with freebies, arty goodies, a photo booth and live music.

Read on for more information about our Student Day at Cass Art Islington in London.

STUDENT DAY AT CASS ART ISLINGTON

To celebrate the start of the new academic year, we're giving 15% discount off EVERYTHING at Cass Art Islington on Wednesday 7th October. Open from 9am until 10pm, come on down and stock up for your new year at art school.

And of course, in true Student Day style, there will also be free food, entertainment, art goodie bags and local offers. 

Remember to bring a valid Student ID. If you have a Cobalt  Blue Student Card with us, make sure you bring it along, and if not, don't worry - you can sign up for one on the day! 



FREE GOODIE BAG WORTH £40

As well as some great savings and offers, we will be giving away free goodie bags, worth £40 of artist's quality materials, once you spend £15. 

What's more, we're launching a brand new tote bag - the dazzlingly yellow Golden Ochre, available for first time at Student Day!

The art materials include a Winsor & Netwon Watercolour Marker, Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colour, a Liquitex Painter Marker, a Promarker pen and Heavybody acrylic paint, but we don't want to give it all away - there are some other surprises in there too!



ENTERTAINMENT AND OFFERS

There will be entertainment at Cass Art Student Day, including music from a live DJ and of course other freebies thrown in on top of the goodie bag.

You'll get a free frozen yoghurt from Frae round the corner, and free tickets to The Other Art Fair. You'll also get 20% off hot drinks at Appestat in Islington.

Finally, we'll be handing out free bags of Propercorn in case you get the munchies! 

DATES AND TIMES

Student Day at Cass Art Islington is on Wednesday 7th October from 9am until 10pm.


 
GET IN TOUCH WITH #CASSARTSTUDENTDAY

Spread the word about The Original Student Day on Twitter and Facebook so everyone can make the most of the Student Savings - it comes around but once a year!

Please tell us what you think on the day - in the queue, in the shop, once you're home and admiring your new art materials - wherever you are, we want to hear your thoughts! Use the hashtag #cassartstudentday and send us any photos you take.

But most importantly - have fun, spread the word and keep making your art with whatever you get on the day!

 

Here at Cass Art, we love art, we love paint, and we love it when new innovations in art supplies are brought to our attention.

And if you're reading this, you probably love all these things too - which is why we wanted to tell you about the brand new Sennelier Abstract paint. They're brand new heavybody acrylic paints brought to you in a completely original design, and they're available at Cass Art exclusively online - so read on to find out more about them.

What makes Sennelier Abstract unique?

It might look like it belongs on the juice shelf of a supermarket rather than in an art store, but that's part of its brilliance. The Sennelier Abstract range comes in innovative new design pouches, which makes them more malleable and useable than traditional paint tubes - you can squeeze directly onto a surface, and control the dispersion of paint much more easily.

The design is innovative, unique and advantageous - and they fit so comfortably in an artist's hand.

 

Because they're so tactile it's also easier to know how much paint you have left, so you'll know when you're running low in a particular colour. With these paint pouches, you won't ever have to face the inconvenience of squeezing out the final drop when you have a painting to complete.

You can also easily use every drop of paint inside, so they create minimum waste and are fantastic value for money.

The Sennelier Abstract paint has a creamy, thick consistency with brilliant covering power, so it's ideal for artists who work on a large scale. They're proving to be a popular choice with street artists and muralists, not only because of their wide covering power but also the directness of their application. They can be manouvered directly onto a surface, rather like spray paint.

They're also widely used by professionals, students and hobbyists alike because of their unique application.

The colour quality is also great, with a high pigment concentration and range of vibrant colours.

The pouches themselves are very durable. If you stand on them accientally in the studio, they won't burst - not that we recommend trying it at home (just in case!) What's more, the pouches are recyclable, so it's a greener way to paint. Happy chappies all round.

The Sennelier Abstract Acrylic comes in a range of 60 colours and is available in two sizes, 120ml and 500ml.

Don't just take our word for it...

Watch the video below to see what real artists are thinking about the Sennelier Abstract range.

The Story of Sennelier

Sennelier has been a leading brand in quality since 1887, when Gustave Sennelier first opened his store as a colour merchant. He developed extra-large paint tubes for the artist Nicolas de Staël and created the oil pastel used by Pablo Picasso. 128 years later, Sennelier is still innovating in art supplies, and have launched the first range of acrylic paints in this kind of original packaging.
 
Looking Beyond the Art World

What's most exciting about the Sennelier Abstract paints is that we can see how artsuppliers are starting to look outside of the art context, and beyond the traditional tube of paint. The world of art materials is starting to think more broadly, and with it comes new possibilities in the realms of art-making. We hope you're as excited as we are!



Feeling inspired?

You can buy the Sennelier Abstract acrylic paints online at Cass Art. Click here to shop the range. 

Many visual artists will have heard of Art Licks, in some shape, form or perhaps as a celebratory weekend. After launching in 2010, the organisation has as website, printed magazine and its vibrant and dynamic festival, the Art Licks Weekend. 

Back for its third year, the festival will last 3 days and include artist-run projects, curatorial collectives and young galleries, opening their doors to the public for free in celebration of emerging artists.

Art Licks is showcasing the work of over 300 artists in 90 different spaces, and admission is free to all.

ART LICKS WEEKEND

The festival will be running from 2 – 4 October 2015 and the opening times are from 12-6pm.

The Preview is Thursday 1 October from 6-9pm.

Visit the Art Licks website here where you can download an interactive map to explore the full itinerary and plan which arty events you would like to attend.

This year Art Licks Weekend is proudly supported by Cass Art, Arts Council England, Cockayne Grants for the Arts and London Community Foundation.

Image Credits: 

Yvonne Carmichael and Bryony Pritchard, Hosiery Posery, performance for Art Licks Weekend, HOST, 2014, Photo: Ollie Hammick © Art LicksNow

if one returns to melancholy, Pauline Michnowska, FoodFace, for Art Licks Weekend 2013. Photo: Mariona Otero

Russell Haines is an artist who discovered a talent portraiture later on in life. He suffered a brain stem stroke at the age of 44, and after he couldn't return to work, he turned to the therapy of painting.

His aptitude for capturing the likeness of his subjects has led him to painting the past and present stars of the Gloucester Rugby team, for an exhibition Wow! Rugby, supported by Arts Council. 'Sinbad' James Simpson-Daniel, Pete Glanville and Adam Balding are among the Kingsholm stars who have been the subject of charcoal drawings and colourful oil paintings by Russell at his gallery, That White Room, in Clifton Road.

The exhibition is touring across the UK, and you can currently see the larger than life portraits at The City Museum in Gloucester, until 31st October 2015.

We had a chat with Russell to find out more about his striking portraiture and what art supplies he uses to create them.

 

Can you tell us a bit about the Rugby Exhibition – how did this body of work emerge? And are you a Rugby fan?

The exhibition came about as I had painted an ex-Gloucester rugby player Andy Deacon a couple of years ago, and he suggested then that I do some other players for the World Cup. It seemed a long way off then but it has come around really quickly! I then approached Gloucester Museum and Art Gallery and they were keen to feature it as part of their summer exhibition Wow Rugby. I decided to put in an Arts Council grant application which I received to help put on the exhibition, and now it has grown into about 120 portraits shown across 4 different venues in the city.

I wasn't a huge rugby fan, but I must admit meeting and chatting to the players has since sparked my interest.

 

What materials have you used to create the portraits and why?

I have produced some large charcoal and pastel drawings and then oil paintings. My style is a sort of figurative expressionism and the large scale suits the way I work.

The drawings are big and messy and charcoal is perfect for them. I have been using Derwent XL charcoal which is far more robust than anything I have used before and perfect for creating thick lines, and I buy rolls of Fabriano paper which also can be treated roughly.

I only paint with oil, again as I think it suits the way I paint. I use Pebeo oil paint for my under painting which is fantastic value and then Michael Harding over the top. I have bought all of the drawing materials and most of the paint from Cass Art Bristol who have been very helpful!

 

We're glad to hear it! What’s it like working on such a large scale?

The scale is the fun part! It gives me the freedom to make big marks on the paper and to really feel like I'm getting involved in the drawing process. I do most of my work early in the morning with the music turned up really loud - I'm lucky that my studio is not in a residential area! But this allows me to try and feel what I'm drawing. It's therapy for me, I suppose. I don't correct anything I do and it's done in one sitting normally, so it's either kept or binned.

What top tips would you give to someone wanting to try portraiture?

Just do it firstly. But train yourself to look properly. You're never going to draw a likeness of someone if you don't look at them properly. It sounds simple but often people don't see what is in front of them, they don't trust their eyes.

Did you train as an artist?

I'm self taught and started painting late in life after having a brain stem stroke at the age of 44. It began as therapy to try and help me cope with depression because of what had happened, not being able to work and the various problems that created...My life is completely different now to how it was before and it's the old cliche of I found what makes me happy and now I don't want to do anything else.

Finally, what inspires you to draw people?

I think the only thing to draw is people! For everything else just take a photo! People are fascinating and so are their faces.

 

Feeling inspired?

Visit Cass Art Bristol to stock up on the art materials that Russell uses to make his portraits.

The portraits from Wow Rugby! will be touring different galleries on these dates:

Gloucester Museum 5th - 30th November 2015

Eastgate Shopping Centre 5th - 30th October 2014

The Quays Outlet , Gloucester 10th July - 30th November 2015

Gloucester Guildhall 2nd September - 30th September 2015

 Visit Russell Haines's website here to find out more about his portraiture.

Almost a year has passed since we last caught up with Jean-Luc Almond, the painter and one of the prize-winners in last year's National Open Art Competition. His exhibited painting won The Big Prize from Cass Art: a day shadowing an artist of his choice, as well as a commission, which he has now completed.

His finished painting, Blow, was put together with a most unusual process, and he met with painter Justin Mortimer to tour his exhibition at Paraffin Gallery. We wanted to find out more about his commissioned painting and what he learnt from his artist shadowing.

Hi Jean-Luc! Can you tell us about ‘Blow’, the painting commissioned by Cass Art. How did you go about making it?

The painting was constructed through processes of creation, destruction, damage and repair. I took elements from a broad range of images in my studio and put them together, like a collage. I would then photograph the painting and manipulate it digitally using Photoshop. This method interested me the most as it allowed me to take various inspirations and bring them together.

As it was a completely open brief, what was the inspiration for the painting?

Combining history and the present; historic film stills, old master paintings and Victorian photographs together with current day mug shots. Together the images give the painting the characteristics of feeling in flux and ambiguous, the red triangle is used to give a formal structure to the composition. The tonal contrasts reference baroque paintings and sepia Victorian photographs but the face itself was a combination of present day mug shots. The synthetic colours altered the context further by polluting the image. The destructive marks and colour bring the painting to life and give it an energy and resonance. It took the painting beyond the representational and embraced what paint can do and my fascination with texture.

What was it like shadowing the painter Justin Mortimer for a day?

I’ve admired Justin’s paintings for a long time and so it was great to be able to talk to him in person about his work. He was very open about his concepts and technique, which was helpful. He also seemed interested in my work so it was great to be able to share ideas and talk about our mutual passions for painting. He took me around his latest exhibition and we spoke about the inspirations behind his new body of work and how he creates them. It was very inspiring. His paintings are beautifully constructed and executed with flawless technique.

Has your practice changed in any way since you won the prize at NOA last year?

It has evolved in a natural way. I have started a new series of larger works that have incorporated some more recognisable historical figures. They incorporate more of the figure as well as the face. The new paintings have been challenging but also exciting as I see them continue to evolve. Winning the prize was fantastic, and now I want to take my work further and keep exploring new ideas.

What else are you working towards at the moment?

I’ve got an exiting new exhibition coming up at Leontia Gallery in London in late October. It is titled ‘There and Now’ and I hope to have some of my new larger works ready to show then.



Feeling inspired?

Read another blog post about Jean-Luc Almond's paintings here.

Visit Jean-Luc's website and explore more of his paintings here. 

As a practicing artist, working with galleries can be something of an enigma. It's not really taught at art school and it can be hard to know how to proceed, and how to distinguish the good opportunities from the not so good ones. Jenny Judova, Founder of Art Map, has written a series of How To Work With Galleries tutorials, exclusively for Cass Art, to teach you all that you need to know, and here is the second in the series.

Part 2: How To Approach A Gallery

Sadie Coles stated in an interview, "I always thought it would be good to have a gallery called ‘Stuff I like by people I like.’" This very simple phrase defines all the relationships in the arts. Collectors don’t just buy stuff - the great ones take their time to meet the artist.

In case of galleries working with artists, liking your work, and liking you as a human being are often not enough. When it comes to the relationship between a gallery and an artist it’s ‘Stuff I like by people I like that I can sell’. Galleries are businesses; they stay in business if they can sell enough art. Each gallery has its own audience and collectors' base and no matter how good your art and how good the gallery, sometimes it will never sell. It’s not uncommon for an artist to be selling well in one gallery then moving to a different one and the sales disappearing – or vice versa.

George Shaw at Wilkinson, Art Map London instagram

This is why it's important to do your research about what the gallery shows and for what prices it sells before you approach them. Otherwise if you are an abstract painter approaching a figurative art gallery, no matter how much they like your work, or how much they like you, they will not take you on because you will not sell in their space. Now let's look at how to actually approach a gallery.

Beatrice Loft Schulz at Arcadia Missa, Art Map London instagram

First of all, forget the idea of 'approaching a gallery'. You are not approaching the brick and mortar venue - you are approaching the human being who runs it. The majority of emerging and mid-size galleries are run by a team of 3 people (usually it's the owner, gallery manager, and assistant, or two directors and an intern), and usually it's one or two of these people who are in a position to make decisions. In other words, start thinking about it as ‘How do I approach Anna and Mary from Gallery X?’    

In my opinion there are only two acceptable ways to approach a fellow human being, be it a gallerist, a writer, or a curator. Remember you are not approaching a gallery but a human being. 

Theaster Gates at White Cube, Art Map London instagram

#1 Timing

Everyone is approachable the trick is to find the best time to approach them. In my experience people are most approachable at a talk, a conference, panel discussion, tour, or networking event. First of all you have something to talk about - you have a shared experience of being at the same talk. Second of all, those events are all about conversation and discussion it's almost anathema not to engage. Also it's a lot easier to start the conversation with a simple line such as "What did you think about the talk?"

With this advice I should explain which are the worst times to approach a gallery or a dealer for longer than a fast "Hi, how have you been?"

Private views - they are hosting and trying to sell at the same time, it's stressful and there are many people trying to talk to them. You are just another face in the crowd.

Art fairs - they're paid a big amount of money to be there, let them do their job and sell work. Do not bother them.

Before a conference/talk where they are suppose to present - we are all human and we all can get a bad case of nerves!

Dominic Beattie at FOLD, Art Map London instagram

#2 Introduction

The best possible way to meet someone is to be introduced by a mutual friend, thus never be mean or rude to your peers. Make friendships and build bridges - you never know who knows who and people usually tend to be connected in the weirdest ways. The most important tool at the artist disposal is their peer group.

#Bonus: Be more than an artist

Running a project space, a blog, or a studio alongside your art practice often gives you opportunities that artists who are just artists are not exposed to. It also makes you stand out above the crowd because, let's face it, anyone can wear paint splattered clothes and call themselves an artist.

Print Club London at Somerset House, Art Map London instagram

Conclusions

All advice given boils down to - go to more galleries and meet more peers. We often have this idea that an artist is a sole genius working away in their studio - that has never been the case. Meeting people and going to shows should be an integral part of one's practice.

Someone recently made a comment that ‘"my priorities have shifted a lot in the recent years, so it's more about making my art and getting it out there than the socialising bit." I would argue that the viewing the ‘socialising’ and ‘getting work out there’ as two opposite things is incredibly flawed.

Networking and socialising does not mean drinking the evening away with your buddies in the corner of a gallery. It means meeting new people and engaging with them. ‘Socialising’ and ‘getting your work out there’ are not two different things; they are one and the same. The only way to get your work out there is to show it to other people and to allow them to have a conversation about it. Trust me - the better those people know you, the more interested they are in your work. In other words, if you want gallerists, curators, and other artists to know and care about your work, they have to care about you - so start socialising.

By Jenny Judova

Jenny is an art writer and speaker specialising on the primary art market. She is the founder of Art Map London.

Art Map London is an art events listing website that developed into a peer to peer network for artists and curators. 

Feeling inspired? Keep checking our blog for the rest of Jenny's tutorials on working with galleries.

After the huge success of its painting show, Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, a new series is back with a twist - Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2015. 

Here at Cass Art we are delighted to support the inaugural landscape series, a series that explores the beauty of the British countryside as the artists tour famous National Trust sites.  so tune in for another unmissable season of painting in action.  

Charming presenters Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner are returning to the show, alongside the previous judges Tai Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano and Kate Bryan.

The programme aims to discover talented artists of all capabilities, whether they are amateurs, professionals or hobbyists, and sees them painting some glorious settings across the UK's landscape - come rain or shine!  The episodes will take place in the grounds of glorious National Trust sites including Waddesdon Manor, Trelissick and Lyme Park, and the winner is awarded a £10,000 commission, which will be added to the National Trust's permanent art collection.

The first episode is airing on Tuesday 6th October, at 8pm on Sky Arts, so tune in and follow as the entrants paint their way to be crowned the winner.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

We will be interviewing each heat winner exclusively after every episode, so check out our blog to get some behind-the-scenes insight into the featured artists’ experiences.

Look out for our Sky Arts events at Cass Art - keep an eye on our events page for confirmed dates and times. 

Watch the trailer for Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2015 below.

Feeling inspired?

Read our interview with the winner of last year’s Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2014, Christian Hook, here.

Stock up on your own painting supplies here to perfect your own landscape painting.

The Winsor & Newton Winton set of 10 oil colours has a fantastic pigment load at exceptional value. Or try your hand at watercolour painting with our Winsor & Newton Artists' Watercolour Lightweight Metal Box - pure and brilliant colour at the sweep of a paintbrush.

Catch the first episode on Tuesday 6th October on Sky Arts from 8-9pm.

Fayez Barakat paints at night. By day he is an overtly busy man; a renowned antiques dealer and gallery owner, he has been immersed in the art world his entire life. He heads up the Barakat Galleries which were founded in Jerusalem over 125 years ago, and has spent invaluable time with great artists like Picasso and Chagall back in the 1960s.

Despite the fact that he has been making art since he was two years old, Barakat’s own paintings are relatively unknown, only coming to light in recent years. Perhaps this is because he rises in the middle of the night to paint in numerous studios dotted around the world.

“I often wake suddenly in the middle of the night with a concept to paint,” Barakat says, when discussing his midnight-painting habits. “I feel most of my masterpieces are created in early mornings.”
 

He is an artist with a real transient need to create; he explores painting of all forms, across all manner of styles and mediums, embracing the human need to make things and express oneself. But for what reason? For spiritual growth? For creative catharsis? Or just because he can, because he loves it, and because it brings him indefinable joy?

"Every artist is driven to paint based on a vision, a dream of something that exists within oneself, that is to be shared with the viewer," he explains, when asked why he paints. "But what motivates me? Many different facets. When I paint I run away within myself, and I suppose that is a confession in a way. When I excel at a technique, something that started as escapism becomes a form of art which I need to perfect and then portray to the rest of the world." 

 

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Barakat expanded the family galleries to London, Beverly Hills, California and Dubai, and in 2014 he exhibited his work in Jordan for the first time. He has been painting prolifically (and in private) for thirty years now, in studios in Jordan, North America and the United Arab Emirates. Canvases cover the floors of his basement studio in London, stacked in their hundreds against the walls and sporting bright colours and marks of all kinds.

Barakat speaks of spiritual satisfaction when asked about completing a painting. "I try to go into a trance when I paint," he explains. "Even though it’s a blank canvas I try to elevate myself to achieve what a meditator achieves – a blankness, a void. In that process one will experience all kinds of stimulants or nuances or visualisations of unrealised dreams. But we build on accomplished dreams to further accomplish higher dreams. Notions and movement of certain colours can transcend me to a certain level."  He returns to his paintings across several years, adding layers and perfecting them until he feels they are finished.

And how does he know when a painting is finished? "I feel a palpitation of the heart," he says.

Despite his meditative techniques, and his passion for traversing all artistic mediums and styles, Barakat is most known for his pursuit of abstract painting. His work can be likened to the masters of modern painting; Claude Monet, Mark Rothko, Henri Matisse and Cy Twombly among many others. He paints mainly onto canvas with oil and acrylic paint, though he believes that every artist should experiment and continue to challenge themselves when it comes to materials.

“I always prefer to paint on linen canvases,” Barakat explains, when asked about his preferred art supplies. “I am not intimidated by size – the larger the better. Generally, I prefer to prepare my canvases with solid colours; however I have also worked on unprepared canvases.”



He tells the amusing story of when he met Pablo Picasso when the artist visited his father’s gallery in Jerusalem in 1967, accompanied by the mayor of Jerusalem. He didn’t know who either of them were at the time - and Picasso made him a drawing that he regrettably threw away.

"He was speaking French and praising all the African art," Barakat recalls with a smile. "I tried to get him to enjoy the Egyptian or Roman art that we had on offer but he told me not to belittle the African artefacts. He opened my eyes to start collecting African art, and I started learning about African art and their tribes, the mythology, theology and traditions of it all. Art is to them a sacred feeling."

As well as his love for antiques and painting, his instinctual need for creation and a historical involvement in the art world, Barakat also has a commitment to sharing his artistic vision, especially with those who may otherwise not have been exposed to art. This comes back to his Middle Eastern roots, and his recent exhibition at the Zara Centre in Jordan, where he organised for schools to come and tour the art galleries and make their own artwork on the floor. The artist believes that the Middle East could hugely benefit from more exposure to art and hopes to bring about some change with these kinds of steps.

“By exposing children to art, I hope that we can pique their interests in the arts and get them involved. I would like art to become less of a luxury and more of a necessity in Jordan,” he says.



Here at Cass Art we couldn’t agree more; we believe that art promises creative freedom, and that everyone has the right to make art and experience the joy that it brings. Barakat puts it into words just as masterfully as he places paint on canvas:

“It is my opinion that feelings, sensations, thoughts, expectations and dreams are frequencies that respond to colours, shapes and forms that are embedded in our subconscious minds. When I paint, I try to share my experiences through this vibration of colours.”

Barakat also makes the good point that painting so obsessively is not always enjoyable. "It's not always a pleasant experience; it can be extremely frustrating and painful. But you must divert pain into some form of pleasure, to create something fantastic and powerful."

He explains the sheer happiness that painting can bring, and the hope that viewers are experiencing at least a little of the jubilation he finds in the act of making.

 

“The ecstasy I feel after the completion of each artwork is the basis of a new creation and a process of spiritual growth. To share this journey with my viewers is my ultimate joy in the brief experience we call life.”

Between his championing of Middle Eastern art, prestigious family antique collection and meditative process of art-making, Fayez Barakat is an artist worth celebrating. Despite being occupied managing three major galleries around the world, he always makes the time to paint, to continue his journey of abstraction and discover things afresh with every brushstroke.

And surely, that’s what being an artist all is about – picking up a paintbrush whenever, and wherever, the moment takes you. Even if it is in the middle of the night.


Feeling inspired?

Visit Fayez Barakat's website to view more of his abstract paintings, and the Barakat Galleries website to explore the Barakat family collection.

Shop for acrylic paint, oil paint and canvases both online and in-store at Cass Art to pursue your own creations.

Ah, the Great British Bake Off. A BBC cookery show featuring cake, loveable presenters, expert judges and an overload of puns, it soon became a hugely-watched national gem, and is soon to crown its fourth ever Bake Off Champion.

But you know us here at Cass Art. It's often more about the art than it is about the cake. (Sometimes. There's never a shortage of cake here either.) Bristol-based illustrator Tom Hovey is the artist behind the gorgeously depicted cakes that formulate before your eyes every episode, and we wanted to get to know him. Ahead of the Great British Bake Off Final this week he tells us more about his illustrations, gives us the low down on his favourite drawing materials, and of course confesses his favourite sweet treat.

Read on for the perfect balance of art and cake, as well as a sprinkling of sheep,  layer of music festivals and a huge dollop of serendipity.

So tell us: how did you land the job of illustrating those wonderful treats on The Great British Bake Off?

I moved to London in 2010 to earn my millions as an illustrator but I hadn't organised a job to go to, and with only a few freelance gigs I was stuck working in a pretty rough pub. Luckily my best mate worked in TV and managed to get me a job helping out in the edit of a new cookery show for the BBC. I was working in the edit suite of a posh post-production house in Soho with the Series Director and Editor. They mentioned that there was a visual element missing from the show and they were thinking of including some illustration to help the viewers understand what the bakers were intending to create. I said I could do it, pitched a few ideas and got the gig. A serious bit of serendipity. 1000 bakes (and counting) later I'm still doing it!

What’s the process for drawing each one – and how long does it take you?

During the filming on set, after the bakers have finished baking, one of the production team take lots of photos of each bake from various angles, so I can get an idea of how the bake is put together.

I always sketch out the bakes in pencil first, making sure I have the form, shape and details roughly in place. I then ink each bake by hand with my trusty Posca pen. I love keeping a hand-drawn element in the illustrations as I think it adds to the homely aesthetic that fits the show so well. Once drawn I scan it, colour it in Photoshop and set it to its background, adding the title and ingredient arrows. 

What kind of art materials do you use for the Great British Bake Off drawings? 

As I am part analogue part digital I use a lot less art materials than I used to. I have also streamlined my process for GBBO so that I know exactly what materials I need before every series, so I stock up before I start. 

I use a 0.9mm Pentel Mechanical Pencil with B lead to sketch out every drawing quickly on any old printer paper. I then draw the final illustration with PC-1M Posca pens on 160gsm Fabriano Academia paper. I buy Posca Pens in packs of 20, I've gone through 16 in this current series. I buy the Fabriano paper in slabs of 150 sheets and that will all get used for the main series. I'm onto the second slab for this year's Junior and Sport Relief Great British Bake Off. I complete the illustrations by colouring and fiddling in Photoshop with my Wacom Intuos 5. 

 

Do you watch the show yourself? And if so are you rooting for anyone in particular this season?

I do now, it took me a few years to be able to watch the show and be completely happy with how my work looked on TV. I'm always self-critical but I think knowing that so many people were watching the show it made me determined to make the illustrations look better every year. By Series 4 I felt I had figured out the keys to unlocking the style I had been striving for in the first 3 series which meant I felt much more comfortable watching the show and I really got into it. I've been hooked ever since!

I tend not to have favourite bakers, just favourite bakes as the bakes are my main focus on the show. I love illustrating the really big fantastical bakes like Paul's King of the Jungle 3D bread sculpture and Flora's Earl Grey Tea box. I shouldn't be after six years on the show but I am constantly surprised at how creative people can be with baking. 

You’re perhaps most well-known for your GBBO work but what other illustration projects have you worked on recently?

A dream job for me has been to work as an on-site illustrator for Glastonbury Festival's Free Press newspaper for the past couple of years. I am also now producing a lot of food illustration work (not just cakes) for a range of clients from editorial for publishing to branding for foodie businesses and even adult colouring books. However as I have been a freelance illustrator for nearly a decade I have a range of styles that I still use if the job needs it. I have range of animations coming out soon. My work for Glastonbury Festival Free Press for instance, working as an on-site illustrator is very different stylistically, but just as fun to produce - it's nice to draw people sometimes too. There are several other really exciting projects that I can't talk about yet but keep your eyes peeled as they are looking fantastic and I think people will really enjoy them. 

 

What was it like working on your Shaun the Sheep for Bristol? (He looked good enough to eat…)

It was one of the best projects I've ever been involved in. It was a really fun process as I got to paint alongside lots of the other Shaun in the City artists in a big workshop. It felt a bit like being back in university, just with more tea and biscuits and sheep of course. I am honestly not sure of exactly how long it took but I guessed at about 150 hours. It was a lot of long days and nights over the space of about 5 weeks. Seeing as I spend a lot of my time illustrating food and more importantly cakes, I felt like it would be a great opportunity to design a sheep-shaped cake. I decided that creating a layered cake design based on the french pastry dessert, mille-feuille would work well on the 3D sculpture, with layers of multi-coloured fruit, creams and pastry. I also incorporated swill rolls and cream buns for the ears, top of the head and tail, and legs which gave the design a bit of balance against alongside the busy body. I ultimately wanted to make it bold, bright and look good enough to eat and I think I achieved that. 

 

How did you get into design and illustration?

I studied art full-time from 16 onwards; I got out of school as soon as I could. I never really had any ambition to do anything other than draw pictures but my school art education was so poor I had no real knowledge about how to do it for a living. I discovered Ralph Steadman & Gerald Scarfe in the college library and it blew my mind; I saw a clear path to a career as an illustrator, but I also realised I had to get much better at drawing. So after college I took a HND in Sequential Illustration in Swindon and then an Illustration degree in Bournemouth. 

I've been working as a freeIancer for 10 years next year, but I've only been full-time freelance since 2012. I always knew illustration was the right path for me although I have changed styles and directions with my work a lot over the years. I experimented until I found a direction that really suited me. I made my own way in a style that was unique to me and I was lucky to find success doing it. 

What’s the best thing about your job? 

Never feeling like it's a job. I've drawn pictures everyday since I was able to, and now people pay me to do it. 

And finally for your Top 3…who is your favourite artist, what is your favourite art material, and of course – your favourite dessert?

Favourite Artist - Parra.

Favourite Art Material - Posca pens.

Favourite Dessert - Cinnamon buns with brown sugar.

 

Feeling inspired?

You can buy Tom's favourite Posca Pens in all Cass Art shops. 

Visit Tom Hovey's website here to check out more of his illustrations.

Let us know who your favourite baker is for this season's finale of Great British Bake Offer on Twitter by tagging @CASSART with the hashtag #GBBO.

Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year made its debut tonight with the first episode airing on Sky Arts. The first round saw a group of talented artists painting the British countryside at Lyme Park, a beautiful setting on the edge of the Peak District.

After some discussion the judges crowned Jamie Hageman, the winner of the first heat - a huge congratulations to him! He's one step closer to the big final, where the winner will receive a £10,000 commission for the National Trust's permanent art collection, as well as a year’s supply of art materials from Cass Art. We wanted to find out more about his heat and his usual practice - painting mountains.

 

Congratulations on winning your heat! What was the experience like – the whole day, painting to a time limit and being chosen by the judges?

The whole experience of the Lyme Park painting heat was generally terrifying. I got myself very nervous beforehand, and was hoping that would all melt away as I started concentrating on painting, but it didn't!  I really wanted to produce a painting that I was proud of.  Something that showed what I could do, and didn't detract from my other work. In the end, I ran out of time and felt pretty drained.  I certainly wasn't feeling confident.  When I was selected from the group as one of three possible heat winners, I was a little surprised and very pleased with myself. Then the build-up to the announcement was gripping! I didn't know what to say when I was chosen. The judges obviously saw potential in my work, despite the fact that it was a bit rushed in places (the foreground was a big green swish done in the last two minutes).  Having seen the other contestants' work, I knew it was going to be a difficult decision for them - they were all very accomplished artists and all quite different in style and approach.  After the announcement, it was great to see my parents grinning from ear to ear. Seeing their reaction really made my day. 

 

Your normal practice sees your painting mountains – how did you get into this specific niche of landscape painting?

I started painting mountains when I was at school in Lincolnshire. I couldn't get to the hills very often, so I dreamt about them and drew them as a way of being there and reliving past trips. I discovered that I could use my imagination to enhance and romanticise what I had seen while mountaineering. I also found that I could envisage what certain views might look like just by looking at a map and the contours. It's something I still do when I'm at the planning stage of a painting. 

The whole long process of creating a painting - exploration of possible viewpoints, climbing, thinking about weather, time of day, composition and the painting itself - is immensely enjoyable. After university, I moved to the Highlands and haven't looked back. I need to be close to mountains - they are a very important part of my life. 

Your mountaineering must keep you outside a lot of the time, so do you often paint outside as well, or do you have a studio?

I have painted outside, but a lot of the time I take photographs on the move and do quick sketches, mostly for composition and to record little details that I might otherwise miss. The painting then takes place back home in my studio (Clare's sun room which I've taken over, much to her dismay).  It's not ideal because it's tiny, south-facing and gets far too hot when the sun's out (even with the curtains closed), but it's better than painting in the lounge. I would like to get a shed or a container in the garden as my studio. Painting outside at Lyme Park was actually rather nice. The pods gave us some shelter from the drizzle, and I had prepared for the cold so was wearing plenty of layers. I was still shivering and shaking though, but that could have been nerves!

What paints do you tend to use and why? 

The paints I seem to have settled on are Jo Sonja acylics from Australia. They are highly pigmented and have a very smooth and runny consistency. Acrylics do have their drawbacks though, and I'm keen to try oils sometime, especially having seen the other contestants producing such wonderful work with them.

 

Finally, were you pleased with your final painting at Lyme Park?

I can see positives in my Lyme Park painting, but I just wanted to carry on working on it until I was happy (another two hours would've been useful).  I suppose I look at it and see an unfinished painting, but one which has the foundations for being a rather nice piece of work.  What the heat did give me was the confidence to work quickly, and paint a subject I wasn't used to.   

Feeling inspired?

Explore more of Jamie Hageman's paintings on his website. Find out more about Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year here.

Catch the programme on Sky Arts on Tuesdays at 8pm.

Few people know that the mother of Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, is an avid portrait painter.

Charlotte Johnson Wahl is the mother of famous siblings Boris, the writer Rachel Johnson, environmentalist Leo Johnson and MP Jo Johnson. A talented painter, she was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's at the age of 40, and has struggled with mental illness in the past.

A new documentary, Painting The Johnsons, will explore Charlotte's paintings and how her art informed the childhoods of her famous family.

Watch it on Sky Arts on Wednesday 7th October at 9m.

Catch a preview of the documentary below.