Everything you need to create your painting.
High quality paints, all the colours are ready mixed, brushes, and a template printed on specialist acid free paper. We also supply extra printed sheets with the colour areas clearly marked so that if you make a mistake you can see what goes where.
Who are the kits suitable for?
Anyone with reasonably steady hand and good eyesight. We suggest that if you can thread a needle you will be able to paint one of our kits. However most chlidren under about 11 might struggle with the details.
What colour ranges are available?
We currently have three colour ranges, Sepia, Subtle Grey and Rich Earth Red, so you will be able to choose a range to suit your decor and your image.
Yes, but we strongly recommend that if it is your only copy you get it scanned and email it to us. Most larger branches of Boots have a photograph scanning facility.
You can send photos to us through the post if you prefer, please don't forget to include your contact details. Send them to:
Sepia Tones
30 Dodds Park
Betchworth
Surrey
RH3 7LD
.
Uk delivery is free, Europe is £6, the rest of the world £10
How soon will my painting kit be delivered?
We will despatch your kit within two weeks of payment, if you really need your kit sooner let us know and we will do our best.
It's important to let your painting dry really thoroughly before framing - this will depend how thickly you have applied the paint, but we recommend at least 10 days. The paint can dry on the surface before it is thoroughly dried through, so be patient and test by pressing your finger nail into a unobtrusive area.
The standard sized kits can be framed using frames from Ikea (use the 30 by 40 cm size). These look fine, but there is no substitute for getting your art framed by a professional who will be able to advise on the best framing options.
You could consider matching the colour of the mount to the colour of the wall which can really coordinate the artwork with your colour scheme.
How long does it take to complete a painting?
We say between 8 and 15 hours - it depends on how much care you take, but we suggest taking it slowly and don't be in a rush, enjoy painting slowly, and your results will so much better.
What if I've never painted before?
Have a go! You have nothing to lose by trying. We want all of our customers to be delighted with their finished art work and we are confident the you will be too. So if you are not happy with your results we offer a money back guarantee. See our guarantee page.
Will I learn anything about painting from a Sepia Tones kit?
We won't pretend that you will learn to be an expert painter but you will probably increase your observation skills and will certainly view other paintings in a new way. You also can get much more of an idea about how tone (light and dark) can be full of surprises in an image. Many customers say that they gain confidence and go on to try further painting projects.
Don’t be put off at first glance! The paintings always look a lot more difficult to paint than they actually are.
If you can, pin up the photo near the painting – it’s helpful to refer to it as you paint.
Take your time. Generally the more slowly you paint the better the results, so relax and enjoy it.
It’s usually more comfortable working with the painting upright rather than flat on a table. You can tape the paper to inside of your box lid and either prop it on your lap, or little desktop easels are great. It’s best to start work from the top left hand side (or right if you are left handed) so that you don’t lean on the wet paint. The advantage of using the box lid is that you can easily store your wet painting between sessions.
You don’t need a palette you can dip the tip of the (clean) brush straight into the paint tube. Try to get paint onto the tip of the brush only – if you get paint down into the ‘roots’ of the brush it forces the hairs apart and the tip won’t be so pointed
In between colours we find that you can usually just wipe the brushes with kitchen roll – if you are changing from a dark colour to a light one they can be cleaned using a little vegetable oil or white spirit and kitchen roll. At the end of a painting session use white spirit to remove any residues. If you prefer, odour free thinners can be obtained from art and crafts shops.
Everyone has a slightly different style of painting. Some people carefully paint all the shapes precisely, some are more loose and free. Refer the photograph while you are painting and go over any hard edges of colour that should be blended – for example smooth areas of skin or sky – with a clean brush, gently smudging the hard edges together. Some people when they become more confident pull the brush through areas of fur or hair for a finer texture.
Don’t be too critical of your work when you are close up – it’s not until you step back that you can get an overall impression and the painting comes to life. You can’t really do that until you’ve got a reasonably large area painted.
Remember that the painting won’t look as detailed as the photo – that’s not possible and not what you are trying to achieve – if you look at any painting close up they suddenly look like a load of paint on canvas and stop looking like the subject.
We include coloured reference sheets to refer to if you make a mistake and for small areas that don’t have lettering. If you find you’ve painted in the wrong colour, don’t worry, you can wipe or scrape it off and redo the area.
Due to the nature of some of the pigments, some colours are more transparent than others so the paint needs to be laid quite thickly to stop the letters showing through. If you find this difficult you can always go over any areas that have letters showing through when the first layer is has dried a little.
Try not to leave any white gaps. Although we do our best to avoid it, occasionally there are areas that are too small to be practical to paint – don’t worry about them, just bring the adjacent colours up to each other – this will become clearer when you actually begin painting!
If you feel some details are missing, take a look the photo every now and then, some details are too small to capture in kits, but you can always add these in yourself if you feel like it, it’s your painting!
If you get paint on your clothes white spirit or brush cleaner will probably remove it (try out an inconspicuous area first).
Don’t be tempted to frame your painting until it is really dry. The paint can dry on the surface before it is thoroughly dried through so be patient!
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