The beginning of a new year is a great time for making plans to spend more time painting and the February issues of Leisure Painter and The Artist, published 12th January, includes our Courses & Holidays supplement; a 22 page guide to art courses and holidays both here in the UK and overseas. Booking a course or painting holiday is great way of making sure you keep up the good intentions! If your New Year’s resolution was to take up painting and drawing for the first time then Start Art provides a perfect introduction. With step-by-step guides for complete beginners and a 1 hour 15 minute instructional DVD by Ian King, the latest issue, Start Art 6, is currently available. Or perhaps you have resolved to take your painting a step further this year and enter competitions, if so the Patchings 2010 Open Competition is an ideal place to start. Advice on exhibiting is also included in this month’s Leisure Painter and specific advice for the Royal Academy Summer Show is the subject of a feature by Vivien Donald in The Artist. If you are an artist that belongs to Facebook we now have a group for Leisure Painter & The Artist magazines, we'd love you to join us and tell your painting friends too, Find us on Facebook now!