Colourful sparrows art by Lotti Brown...

My sweet sparrows art was inspired by the sparrows in my own garden - we have a little flock of about 12 house sparrows, male and female, who feed (virtually all day, every day) at the feeder in our plum tree.

I think they might live in there too, as the plum tree is thick with ivy and creepers and it's safe for them to hide out or roost. 

They perch across all the branches of the tree, like fluttering decorations, keeping watch and taking turns...

They're so funny to see with their swift, twittering arguments around the feeder. We even had once hanging completely upside down at the feeder to stop being bombarded from his mates from the ferns beneath...

It was quite effective until the little birds got wise and while he was still hanging upside down, they swooped down from above to oust him from the feeder. I haven't seen him try it again since!

Choosing colour for an artwork or design can be a really fun part of the creative process, but sometimes the sheer amount of colour choice available is just a little bit overwhelming, so here's a few tips I've learned over the past few years to help...
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Of course, if the artwork or design is of flowers, animals, or birds I find the the natural colour of the flower, animal or bird is a great place to start, but for more abstract designs, or ones where you don't necessarily want the colours to look true to life, you can start by picking colours out of a favourite photo...
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Here are some I tried from some of my own holiday snaps...

If you're getting fed up with the weather, this may cheer you up a bit - there's two very special offers available at my stockists this week...
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• 20% off cosy Minky-type fabrics in my Spoonflower store
• 40% off tech & office in my Society6 store
• 20% off everything else in my Society6 store

Check out the details below...

A fab offer in my Society6 store this week - 25% off everything - great if you want to brighten up your home ready for Spring with a new colourful art print, or add cushions, curtains, rugs, throws or other accessories...

How we learn art matters!

Where some art teaching just teaches you specific art techniques so that you can recreate an individual artwork or copy the teacher’s style, I want to help you learn art to think like an artist, to be creative, and to learn art and drawing in your own way…

There’s so many benefits to learning a creative way of thinking, an artist’s way of seeing and thinking…

From the way that we can feel free to enjoy ourselves and not subject to judgement from ourselves and others as to if we’re doing art ‘the right way’…

To how we learn to flex and strengthen our creative thinking muscles!
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Literally changing the way we approach problems in our everyday personal lives and potentially benefiting society as a whole as we bring new ways of thinking into the world…

We need to feel free when we learn art and we need to learn how to be creative…

Not just to learn to draw and paint but to learn how to be artists…

You might have noticed that I teach art and drawing differently to a lot of other artists. This is deliberate…

I don’t share my exact techniques and I don’t provide instructions for a quick fix so that you can quickly learn how to draw specific things…

Because, while this may allow you to make a fair copy of the original – which feels good, pretty satisfying, right? – it isn’t you and it isn’t creative!

Instead, I prefer you to learn art by me providing a basic instruction and understanding of the fundamental principles that allows you to go away and find out your own way of doing things…

Play a bit, get curious, develop your own drawing technique and evolve your own unique artistic style.

Whether you're ready for a spring clean or still feeling wintery and cosy, there's some superb savings in my Society6 store to inspire you to brighten up your home this January and February...

There's a fantastic 35% off bedroom and bathroom decor in my Society6 store - PLUS 20% off everything else - so whatever you choose, you can't lose!

No coupon necessary.

Do you have new making and sewing projects for the new year? Then you'll love this special offer on my fabric designs at Spoonflower...

Beautiful and richly coloured 'Chaffinches in Cherry Blossom' artwork by Lotti Brown...

I don't see chaffinches often in my tiny countryside garden, but when I do I'm always happy to see the beautiful colours as chaffinches were one of my absolute favourites as a child and were often visitors to our family garden...

​I create my art from pen and marker drawings...

I draw each bird and branch of cherry blossom separately as I then scan each drawing into the computer and create digitally with my drawings in Adobe Illustrator... do you want to see?

A special offer for my wallpapers at Spoonflower for just a few days - 15% off wallpapers until the end of Sunday 19th January 2020 only...

​Three different types of wallpapers:

• Pre-pasted removable smooth wallpaper - long-lasting with a slight sheen
• Peel & stick removable woven wallpaper - textured with a matte finish - perfect for craft projects
• Non-pasted traditional pebble wallpaper - highly durable with a subtle leathered texture

Learn all about the different types of wallpapers here...
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