Having not painted much over the last three years, my paint brushes have fallen into disuse and become flabby and moth-eaten. I like a nice sharp point on my brushes.

So I went to Cornellisen’s, off Tottenham Court Road yesterday. So nice to find somewhere that has never seen a whiff of computer graphics screens. They have everything you want in terms of old-fashioned art supplies. Ox Gall? Gold Leaf? Rabbit Skin Glue? No problem.

Thank heaven’s they still stock my Da Vinci Kolinski Sable watercolour brushes. I suppose I should be a bit more adventurous and try other kinds of brushes, but I’ve got a job to get finished.

Talking of which, here’s my ARTIST TIP OF THE DAY:

My watercolours had dried up something rotten. I placed a large blob of water in each pan and closed the box up. The next day, they were all lovely and squidgey again. Bringing dried up tubes back to life is a bit more labour intensive. Dig out some of the dried paint from the neck of the tube and replace with a few drops of water and screw cab back on tight. You may need to do this often over a few days, but the tube will eventually soften up