I was pleased to receive an email from a reader recently which extols the virtues of painting from photographs. Although working from life is considered the best way to learn to paint – and it’s certainly great fun (as long as there aren’t too many people stopping to pass comment) – it’s just not always practical, is it? Our emailer, Mr Austin, takes this a step further and maintains that painting from photographs can be just as – if not more – creative than painting en plein air. He makes an important point with which, I’m sure, many of you would agree. It’s really about our approach to painting that counts, I think. It’s important to learn the skills and techniques that come from following the demonstrations and tutorials, but also to consider the photograph as a starting point only. Would changing the colour palette give the painting more impact? Would including wildlife or a figure walking a dog make it more personal to you? In your efforts to learn and become more confident, don’t forget to put your own stamp on your artwork, too. Over the years, this is what makes painting such a rewarding pastime. I also want to thank everyone who entered the challenging Family Portraits competition for helping to create such a lively event. We knew from experience to expect a good standard of work, but everyone was impressed and delighted by your children’s drawings and paintings. Particularly, there was some superb work from teenagers. Traditional, figurative painting is often sidelined these days in favour of the conceptual and the abstract, and it’s good to know that the next generation of painters is waiting in the wings. We will be showing the ten pairs of winners in Leisure Painter early next year. And we’re already working on the next painting challenge to offer you...