The Big Picture

1) Patience and inner peace is everything. Find your neutral space.

2) Experiment with new techniques, (but be prepared for a few unsuccessful initial attempts).

3) Don't deliberately rush things. Once it's done, shoddy work can rarely be rectified without starting again.

4) Look at other people's successes and copy them shamelessly.

5) Don't stint yourself on materials, particularly brushes.

Nitty Gritty

• Paint the tops of your paint pots so you can easily pick them out.
• Use a really big pot for water to stop it becoming contaminated quickly.
• Never hold a figure over the flock jar when blowing the excess flock of its base or clouds of flock will cause painful temporary blindness.
• Use a knife sharpener to resharpen scalpel blades. They'll never be as sharp as new ones, but will be enough for most tasks.
• Keep small bits and pieces in the plastic drawer cabinets sold in DIY stores for keeping nuts, bolts, screws etc. in.
• Keep white spirit in a jar with a sealable lid to stop it evaporating.