Skills Junior Artist Range

 Due to the increasing demand for childrens art materials by Stony Stratford shoppers, Skills are excited to introduce the Fun Range and their new Junior Art section.  These colourful and economical art materials cover all age groups and activities – from finger paints and washable picture stencils for the younger artists, to high quality acrylic and watercolour sets for budding artists starting out on their creative pathway.  Complementing this range are manga design sets, zentangle, scrapbooks, art doodle books, and sketchpads.  The only problem is choosing which to try first!

Drawing Essentials for every Artist and Colouring Fan

For Technical Drawing

High precision technical pen with refillable ink reservoir, in 13 line widths. Wear-resistant, hard chrome-plated thin tip allows working in exquisite detail.Refillable ink reservoir ideal for frequent drawers using bottle inks.

Experience the exquisitely smooth flow of fine graphite from the Cumberland Valley in England. Derwent’s Graphic Pencils are made from the finest quality graphite and purest clays for a smooth line. They are ideal for crisp, detailed illustrations or tone drawings.
Derwent Graphic Pencils are available in a full range of densities from 9B (softest) to 9H (hardest). Pencils in most of the range have 2.2 mm graphite cores, but the softer pencils from 4B to 9B have thicker 3.5 mm cores. The matte finish hexagonal shaft affords a firm grip. Pencils are pre-sharpened.

For Manga Lovers

 Strathmore 200 Series Bristol Board Pads are economical, smooth bristol weight boards printed with non-reproducible blue lines for comic and Manga applications. They are created specially for the comic, cartoon and graphic novel industry.



For Sketchers and Colouring Book Fans

 Pitt artist pens are famous for combining a modern brush nib design with traditional India ink. India ink offers artist odorless, permanent, waterproof, lightfast ink in 48 vibrant colours. The durable nib gives the freedom to create broad, medium or narrow brush strokes with an even application of colour.  Perfect for colouring books, colour sketches, and manga drawing.

Graphik Line Painters are a fine line paint pen that gives immense depth of colour, even on dark backgrounds.
Create layers, dribbles and washes with the opaque waterbased ink in 20 strong colours.
These cool pens have a 0.5 Japan nib is robust and delivers a fluid paint line.

Sketching Essentials

The dramatic beauty of traditional charcoal with a hint of colour. Naturally water-soluble.
Contains Sand, Glowing Embers, Lavender, Mountain Blue, Ocean Deep, Green Moss, Dark Moss, Driftwood, Peat, Natural, White, and Charcoal Dark.

 The paper stump makes the difficult job of blending dusty media such as charcoal and pastel much easier and cleaner. Once the stumps get dirty and the points wear down they can be easily cleaned and re-pointed using a sandpaper block. Derwent paper stumps can be found individually or in a handy pack of 3 sizes ranging in diameter from 5.5mm to 10.5mm. The paper stumps are made from compressed rice paper and with a point at each end.

 This eraser takes your drawings to another level and creates specific highlights in coloured pencil drawings of animal fur and foliage.  Used quickly and lightly – in a stroking or dabbing action – it can lighten without removing all colour. If you you then work back over the erased area it’s possible to create a complex texture of optical colours.  The eraser works quickly over large areas and makes light work of rubbing out.







For Commuting

Zentangle sets with the sturdy tile as a canvas, provides a fantastic support and boredom buster for the budding artist and doodler on the bus or train.

 The Collins and Davison Travel Journal is both practical available in A5 and A6 size, hard back black, and elastic binding.  Beautiful quality paper for sketching on the move.

Keep Calm and Zentangle

 Decrease stress and increase your creativity and focus with the intuitive art of Zentangle. Discover how various shapes and textures fuse together to become tangles all your own.  Skills now stocks a wide range of Zentangle instruction books covering the very basics to designing zentangle mandalas, cards, and jewellery.

We stock the 10 piece zentangle tool set which comes in a handy wallet.   The set includes three black Micron pens, including a size 01, size 03 and a size 05. You will also find in this collection a pencil for laying down your dot, border and string, and for shading your finished tangles. Also included is a tortillion. This tool allows you to manipulate your shading and add an overall softness to your work. This set is complete with five ATC sized Zentangle tiles. This 2.5” x 3.5” tile is a fun alternative to our Original tiles and perhaps might inspire you to explore the world of artist trading cards (ATC). Whatever your vision is, you are sure to have fun using this set to get lost in the world of creating beautiful, non-representational art using the Zentangle method.

What is so special about Unison Soft Pastels?

Skills are the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire stockist for the top quality Unison soft pastel range.  Why do artists choose these particular pastels over other varities on the market?  The reason why they were created in the first place is due to creator John Hersey’s experience as a pastel artist.  He was dissatisfied with manufactured pastels available – which had poor colour vibrancy, inconsistent colour texture, and often crumbling and breaking soon after purchase.
John Hersey was born in 1925. He was a student at the Byam Shaw School of art in London where he won a Rome scholarship and lived in Italy for several years. On returning to London, he continued to paint and ran a business making fine art colour slides.

With his experience using pastels, John had a vision for the quality of pastel he would like to use for his artwork.  For several years he worked on methods of production, colour sequences and the texture of his pigment mixtures. In 1987 he decided to offer the results to fellow pastallists, with immediate interest.  Eventually sales expanded in the USA and now the Unison brand is known as a sought after artists quality pastel range.  Find out how the unison pastels are made.

Unison pastels are available to purchase at Skills individually in a pick n mix purchase and a special offer for 6.  Attractive boxed sets, including starter, bright, dark, portrait, and landscape are also available for a special Christmas gift.

Click on the wheel to view the complete range.

Frida Kahlo Memorabilia Framed

There is nothing that cannot be framed by Skills of Stony Stratford.  This quirky framing order has been completed of some Frida Kahlo memorabilia from a holiday including a visit to the Mexican Artist's Blue House.  Eight matchboxes featuring Frida Kahlo portraits complete with matches still inside. I'm sure you will agree look stunning!

Skills Christmas Window

If you haven't time to window shop in Stony Stratford then here is Skill's window to browse at your leisure.  The previous window was the Alice in Wonderland theme to join the fantastic windows in  Stony Stratford High Street for the lantern parade two weeks ago.  As Skills houses such fantastic Christmas gift ideas, this window shows off our fab adult colouring books, artist faber Castell quality marker pens - including a pack called 'Shades of Grey' though 6 rather than 50!  Our brand new zentangle range now in stock, along with art doodle books for the budding artist to try their hand at a Picasso or Degas.  The window easel displays our artist of the week Stony Stratfords own Derek Daniells.  This gorgeous framed acrylic painting of Stony Stratford under Snow delicately captures a scene of the High Street from the Old Stratford bridge, making a stunning winter centrepiece in our display.

Artist of the week - Derek Daniells

Beautiful Acrylic unvarnished, available varnished, framed size 450mm x 490mm £725

Derek Daniells was born in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire in 1949. He is a professional artist who uses a variety of mediums such as oil, acrylic, mixed media and pastel with equal skill on a wide range of subjects.
From the initial abstract blocks of colour, Derek builds the play of light on form following the inspiration of earlier painters such as Vuillard, Degas and Turner. He prefers direct observation often working on site at any time of day or night. Derek's work shows his strong passion, excitement and sensitivity for his subject, always seeking to capture a moment in time. Searching out subjects that excite his eye, Derek has travelled extensively.
Derek exhibits internationally and at many galleries throughout the UK. He has exhibited in the open exhibitions of The Royal Society of British Artists (selected for the Daler Rowney painting award 2009), the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Royal Watercolour Society and Pastel Society. His paintings are part of many private collections both in the UK and abroad, including that of Henrietta, Duchess of Bedford.
Derek still lives in Stony Stratford with his wife Caroline and son Luke.