Leisure Painter

Leisure Painter - the number one learn-to-paint magazine featuring practical painting and drawing features from top art tutors. Includes step-by-step tuition and easy-to-follow advice on how to draw and paint.

Editor’s welcome

Leisure Painter

Art in the Gardens 2026 • Browse, buy and be inspired as one of the North’s biggest celebrations of art returns to Sheffield. Set among the beautiful Botanical Gardens, Art in the Gardens brings together hundreds of artists, makers and sculptors for a creative weekend that’s not to be missed.

Spotlight on art • A round-up of events and ideas to enjoy live and online

Finding joy through bold brushstrokes • Colorado artist Teddi Parker talks about developing her distinctive painterly style through daily practice, why she paints with house paint, and how learning to simplify has helped her create vibrant, expressive works full of colour, atmosphere and joy.

The colourful world of John Dyer • From the beaches of Cornwall to the Amazon rainforest, John Dyer has spent a lifetime capturing the spirit of a place through bold colour, expressive acrylics and an unmistakable visual language. He talks to us about finding his artistic voice, painting en plein air, embracing spontaneity and why curiosity continues to shape every new canvas.

Beauty in the everyday • Acrylic artist Olivia Bogen shares how a simple return to painting during lockdown led to a distinctive style built on bold colour, clean composition and the beauty of everyday objects. She reveals how acrylics, experimentation and trusting her instincts have shaped her creative journey.

The colour of night • Artist Diane Griffiths explores her fascination with painting familiar places after dark, and how artificial light, atmosphere and selective detail can transform ordinary locations into emotionally charged spaces filled with atmosphere, memory and shared experience.

How to draw water with three colour pencils • Creating believable water might look complicated but, for once, the beauty of drawing these waves is not in the details – Helen Carter shows you how.

Impasto acrylics Painting with texture and depth • Discover how Tony Hogan uses acrylics, modelling mediums and palette-knife techniques to create a richly textured Cornish landscape. From sculpting tree bark and slate formations to layering colour and capturing the atmosphere of dawn, Tony demonstrates how impasto techniques can bring a painting to life.

Acrylics unleashed • From vivid colour and fine detail to impasto, glazing and abstraction, acrylics offer almost limitless creative possibilities. Anthony Gribbin, Director of the National Acrylic Painters’ Association, explores how the medium has evolved and why its versatility continues to inspire artists.

Lively dancer • Ali Hargreaves shows us how to inject movement into our acrylic paintings, bringing them to life.

Art clubs • Over to you for the latest news on your club exhibitions and activities.

Art club challenge • In celebration of the wonderful medium that is acrylic paint, we invited you to share your artwork using acrylics and we’re delighted to present you with a small selection!

Dear Diary • Join us as we sneak a peak into the diary of an artist.

THE ART WORLD • NEWS, INFORMATION AND ONLINE EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD

Capturing colour, shape & texture • Barry Herniman walks you through his vibrant acrylic painting of the third highest peak in Madeira, Pico de Arieiro.

Painting the interconnectedness of NATURE • With their intricate detail, luminous colour and imaginative narratives, Tiffany Bozic’s acrylic paintings reveal the hidden connections between all living things.

Muted nightscapes & echoes in fog • Caroline Saunders talks to Trudy Good about her...