Tonight Matthew, I am going to be Banksy...

I last picked up a paintbrush about 22 years ago, apart from adding some life into my boring white lounge walls that is! At school I can remember making clay animals, pots and bowls, none of which I still own today due to them being completely unrecognizable as to their intended use!  My poor parents still have one of my creations - a pink clay elephant - it sits proudly with its superglued tail on their bookcase. Everything else, however, has been filed in the bin. As for painting, I have some memories of using acrylics at school but can't for the life of me remember what I painted!

So it was with some trepidation that I agreed to attend a 'pop up painting' event. Based in pubs and bars around London and Surrey, these events bring painting to you in a relaxed environment with a drink or two. You are shown shortcuts as to how to achieve a copy of a famous painting, or indeed, how to create your own very different masterpiece! Well, that is what I was told!

So I was booked onto a session in Richmond, arrived in plenty of time and had a drink to calm my nerves. We met all the other people also on the course and chose our seats, taking into account the lighting and getting a decent view of the picture we were copying. I specifically chose to paint Banksy. I liked the graffiti style and thought that it didn't matter if the painting was not quite right!

The background paint went on first. I struggled with the watering down and merging of the colours but got the hang of it eventually. I think a little more practise wouldn't go astray! Then came the girl and her balloon. This was a little more tricky. Using the white to fill in the negative space was a new concept to me, it highlighted the arm and added texture. After 2 hours it was finished. I stood up, walked backwards and looked from a distance. Actually quite pleased with it. And, yes, it will hang on my wall!