Various craftspeople will be on hand to demonstrate their skills and to give advice to visitors interested in beginning new hobbies or perfecting their skills.  Clint will be demonstrating his illustrative and watercolour styles throughout each day on the stand, with shoppers having the opportunity to buy the original works they will have seen Clint paint.  We will also be unveiling brand new products and designs at the show, just in time to stock up for unique Easter gifts.

Come and visit us at stand E53a, where we’ll hopefully be spreading a little springtime fun to all.

Come and see us at stand 2/Q25, where the full range of prints will be available to purchase, at special show offer prices.

Clint (the illustrator) can personalise any of his prints with a special message for your Valentine.  How about sending “Me and Ewe” with a message of your choice or maybe you think that one of Clint’s many other prints would be more appropriate.  Whichever print you choose, it can be personalised and either sent out to you to give to your Valentine or it can be sent anonymously if you require.  Just be sure to e-mail us with your requirements, at clint@clintonbanbury.com, when you place your order.

A perfect gift for your Valentine, made even more special by adding a personalised message of your choice

For every painting purchased, a donation is made to The Rainbow Community Care Charity (school, orphanage and hospital), local to the artist in Kenya. 

Why not take a look?

During the strikes, we recommend you:

• Place your order early, allowing as much time as possible for your package to reach you or your intended delivery address.
• We’re here to help, so please let us know if you desperately need to have something by a certain date and we will endeavour to make this possible by using additional methods.  You can contact us by telephoning the studio on 01789 773526 or by e-mailing clint@clintonbanbury.com.

An alternative delivery method which we may be able to use is parcelmonkey.co.uk.  parcelmonkey.co.uk aim to deliver packages the next day for £7.13 and within 3-4 days for £6 (all prices are subject to VAT), with £1 of this money going to help the Wave 105.2FM appeal – Cash for Kids, helping disadvantaged local children across the UK.  Unfortunately we would be unable to cover the full cost of this method of posting so would have to charge you a small amount extra for this service.  If you would like us to post your items out to you using parcelmonkey.co.uk, please telephone the studio.

Please continue to check this blog regularly for more updates.

Following The Baby Show and the RHS Show, held at Twycross Zoo last month, “The New Arrival” is well on its way to becoming one of our most popular prints.  Hopefully the success of “The New Arrival” will continue during our many Christmas shows.

As well as having the opportunity to meet Clint in person and purchasing all prints at special show prices, you will also get to see the brand new prints that we will be unveiling.  Our new ranges include Baby Animals (who can resist our Jumping Joey), Fairy Cakes (including “Add one rose then bake with love”), Cowboys and Indians (featuring the loveable “Ride em Cowboy”) and our previously popular handpainted silkscreen “Family Bathtime” pictures which have now been made into limited edition prints – who knows who’ll pop up in the bath next!

Come along and say hello – we’d love to see you.

When I was a little boy the very first thing I drew were crocodiles.  I was fascinated by them – I thought they were aggressive creatures who had the ability to eat people and I loved drawing them with people in their mouths.  Those first drawings were always closer to an illustrative style rather than fine art, but as I grew up I always experimented with different artistic styles until I realised that my passion was illustration.

My tips are:

• Draw in a sketchbook rather than on separate pieces of paper as you will be able to fill each page with drawings, your drawings will be freer than on an imposing white sheet of paper and you will be able to turn the pages and see an improvement in your work
• Always carry a small sketchbook and pens or pencils around with you so that you can get your ideas down and practice anywhere e.g. while you’re waiting for a bus
• Experiment with all mediums of art
• Draw things that are moving as it helps you to understand what is important about that object and how to get them across with the least fuss e.g. people moving, boats sailing etc.
• Buy the best watercolour paper you can afford, but don’t be afraid to use the paper
• Using good quality paper is important and it will mean that you don’t have to fight against a poor quality surface with your watercolours.  This will give you better results and this in turn will give you more confidence in your art
• Observe your subjects – think about what things look like from every angle
• At the end of the day, if you are dissatisfied with a piece of work don’t throw it away!  Take another look at it the following day as you may see something in it that you can improve on
• Practice is the key – once you start drawing and painting, do it for life and practice as much as you can
• The big thing is not to worry about trying to create a masterpiece.  This is where a sketchbook comes in handy as in a sketchbook it’s easier to believe that it’s just a sketch! 
• Work up the sketches in your sketchbook but again don’t worry about the end results as it’s the journey that counts
• Always be prepared to draw at the drop of a hat – for planned trips take a big sketchbook and spend time using your chosen medium e.g. watercolours
• Draw big – be freer with your drawings and fill the page
• When drawing or painting on a large scale, use as big a pencil or brush as you can for the job.  Don’t fiddle around with a large brush in a small area
• Think about the world we live in – draw your cat, your dog and your friends – put life in your pictures.  If drawing a scene and you see people in it, draw them too
• If using watercolours with an expanse of colour, mix up your paint in a yoghurt pot rather than a small palette so you don’t run out of mixed paint during your picture and have to waste time mixing some more
• And most importantly, always enjoy your art.

Here's a page from one of my many sketchbooks