‘Dorothy the Donkey’ pub painting

August 22, 2025August 22, 2025Leave a comment

Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of a pub painting wonky donkey I painted on Tuesday… hope you like! 🥰🥰

This time Becca, the teaching artist, decided to outline the shape of our donkeys on the canvas, as apparently otherwise it could have gone drastically wrong, haha 🤣 For some strange reason the background looks more a crimson red but it is actually a bright bold pink. It must have been the lighting. The eyes were first two brown simple circles until we added white dots and girlie eyelashes. The mouth, with its grey shades and black features, inclined to look like ‘Jack Skellington’ from ‘A Nightmare Before Christmas’ (I can’t unsee it now!) 🤣 🎄 We incorporated thick brown brush strokes for the mane and fringe, and fluffy ears. Brown block colour first for the head and body. Then it was very free and expressive the strokes for the fur, with our medium brush, starting off with darker tones of brown to light brown, to white. More white definition around the eyes, and more block colour to the background, and hey presto, the painting was complete 🥰🥰

Although in some ways a more challenging pub painting, it was great fun 😄 We have an extra ‘Sunflower’ pub painting this month, it’s tonight actually, so watch this space 😜

I am also to start a ‘Keanu Reeves’ and ‘YungBlud’ pencil portrait, and there will probably be another diamond art 💎 🎨 or two before the next pub painting in October for Halloween 🎃

Thanks as ever for reading/viewing. Lots of love, Lauren xx

‘Robyn and Matty’ amateur couple portrait

March 1, 2025March 1, 2025Leave a comment

Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of an amateur couple portrait.. Hope you like!

First of all, I used my light box to outline the two subjects (such a cheat! 🤣). I shaded using Derwent professional sketching pencils. The background I incorporated red love hearts ❤️❤️ to fit with the romantic theme, and used a professional colour marker pen to turn the whole background dark purple. I also outlined Robyn and Matty and the love hearts with a black promarker pen. I am a big fan of pop art, and love this sort of style.. and here is the finished piece:

Matty and Robyn are a new couple, and great friends of mine. They paid me £20 to do this portrait of them, to put towards my fundraising for Alzheimer’s Research (I am doing a 5K tough mudder in July in loving memory of my beautiful mum)

Although admittedly I am only amateur and not professional, and I made this clear to them, they were both chuffed with the drawing, and are planning to photocopy it so they both have a copy each. I believe also they are going to get them framed 😁😁

For my next UnicornPostbox blog post, I have started an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ themed diamond art and the Easter pub painting is a bright colourful Easter bunny 🐰 So that will be fun! We also have theatre shows coming up in the next few months 💕💕

Thank you as ever for reading/ viewing. Kind regards, Lauren xx

‘Mystical mushrooms’ amateur pub painting

October 12, 2024October 12, 2024Leave a comment

Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of a mystical glow in the dark mushroom painting 💕💕 hope you enjoy! 🍄🍄

We started off colouring the entire background a dark blue, then lightly painting the mushroom outlines in white, building up the stem with more white to create depth. Green and neon yellow for the grassy area, then painting the caps a deep red. The next step was to add a little sparkle to the sky, and a crescent moon🌙 It was amazing the neon colours when we turned the lights off! Glowing fluorescently, especially the white/neon yellow spots. I added more neon, but also outlined the entire subjects with black, and highlighted more with white…and this is the finished product:

I really enjoyed this one! I realise I am not the best painter in the world but I thoroughly enjoy it so that’s all that matters 💕💕 Usually my friend Denise comes with me to pub painting, but this was an extra session at potteric Carr nature reserve Denise couldn’t make. I have never actually been before but it’s beautiful 😍 I bought a little mushroom snow globe from their gift shop to support them. We also got a free hot drink and cake! So it was really nice..

We have booked up for the Halloween 🎃 and Christmas 🎄 pub paintings. I also have a turtle 🐢 diamond art to start, and I am thinking of doing another celebrity pencil portrait, maybe Keane Reeves. I have a lot of respect for him he is a wonderful person 🥰🥰…

Thank you as always for taking the time to read/view. Lots of love, Lauren xx

‘Pretty peacock’ diamond art

October 3, 2024October 3, 2024Leave a comment

Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of a diamond art peacock 💎🎨 🦚 Hope you enjoy! 😊

It took me absolute weeks to complete this diamond art! It takes so long but is incredibly therapeutic. I am in love with the finished piece, with it’s gorgeous bright colours 🌈 and charming sophistication 😁

My next diamond art is a cute turtle 🐢 and the next pub painting is a Halloween themed Van Gogh starry night, but with pumpkins! 🎃 🎃

So keep a look out 😜😜

Thank you as ever for reading/viewing! Many thanks, Lauren xx

‘Doorway to Italy’ amateur pub painting

June 19, 2024Leave a comment

Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of an amateur ‘Doorway to Italy’ pub painting..enjoy! 😄

To begin with, we horizontally outlined the bottom pale yellow, then blocked out where the green Italian door would be. We brushed more washed down brown paint for the flooring, and incorporated a little step. Then we undercoated the Italian door block emerald green. A cute little pot, and foliage added. We then gave the door white highlights and began dotting out where the flower canopy would go. We used a new technique with a palette knife, layering up abstractly the deep pink, bright pink and white flowers/ emerald green leaf vines. It was really cool to try something new! Blue shimmer stained down the Italian door to make it look trendy, and we distinguished black lines to shape it. A few little finishing touches, such as daisies in the plant pot/bush, white highlights… oh, and the faintly outlined bricks, and here is the finished result:

It was really fun doing something a little bit different i.e with the palette knife! To be honest, this was one of the hardest pub paintings to do, as there were so many stages 😊 I do really like it however and I can’t wait to do the next pub painting the end of July. It is called ‘Sunkissed river’ and the template looks absolutely beautiful 😍 Rebecca is such a talented artist 🎨 and it is fantastic learning from her, she’s so lovely and down to earth too…

So yes, keep a lookout for the next pub painting! Also, my sister has asked me to please do a portrait of the late Amy Winehouse (she loves her 💓) and I also have a sunset diamond art 💎🎨 to start…so watch this space!

Thank you as always for viewing/reading 🥰 Lots of love, Lauren xx

My ‘Stitch’ diamond art

June 1, 2024June 1, 2024Leave a comment

Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of my ‘stitch’ diamond art, a present for my friend Chelsea 💙💙 Hope you enjoy!

This lil dude was so therapeutic to do 😄 It took me a good few weeks i.e hours and hours of work went into completing it. I hope my friend Chelsea will be pleased, she absolutely adores Disney and actually even has a ‘stitch’ tattoo on her forearm 🥰🥰

And here is the finished diamond art 💎🎨:

My next blog post I believe will be progression photos of an attempted double portrait..unfortunately my dad’s very close friend Tony, his dad has just passed away 😢😢.. so my dad has asked me to try do a decent portrait of Tony and his late dad Kenny 💕💕

When I did art A-level many moons ago, my portraiture was (not blowing my own trumpet) really impressive and photo realistic.. over the years, I feel like I’ve lost that talent for whatever reason… so even though I now class myself as an amateur, I will do my very best to draw to the best of my ability, to create a really sentimental art piece 💕💕

Thank you as ever for taking the time to read/view, always appreciated 👍👍

Much love, Lauren xx

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art / craft, travel / theatre

Tag: bright colours