Express your creative side

Posted on 30 Jul 2010 at 14:04

Learn how to sketch like a true artist or pen your first novel with our creative skills guide

The computer and printer have largely replaced traditional ink and paper, but elegant handwriting has a classic appeal that even the most ornate font can’t match.

At Learn Calligraphy there’s a free, detailed guide to writing in ornamental script, with graphic instructions for each letter form, videos and a discussion forum. All you need is a calligraphic pen (available for a few quid in high-street newsagents) and – as long as you follow the onscreen examples carefully – you’ll be hand-writing place settings and greetings cards in a matter of minutes.

For the more graphically inclined, About.com has a splendid guide to pencil sketching. It includes guides to perspective, shading and typical beginners’ mistakes, along with helpful tips on specific subjects such as flames, flowers and animals. It’s surprising how quickly only a few new techniques can upgrade your doodles from Tate Modern to Tate Britain, as it were.

If you’re feeling more ambitious, About.com also reveals everything you need to know about the fundamentals of artistic painting, from types of paint to choosing a brush and getting to grips with colours. Just try not to drip acrylic onto your keyboard.

For some, though, the crowning creative achievement would be to author one’s magnum opus. The only tool you need is a word processor, such as the free Writer application from OpenOffice.org. But writing a novel, or even a short story, is a big commitment that demands organisation and dedication. The web is full of advice on bringing your vision to reality: Josh Catone’s guide includes numerous links to online tools for developing plot and characters, as well as forums where you can discuss ideas and problems with other writers.

If you’re in no burning hurry to be the next Ian McEwan, hang on until winter and you can sign up for National Novel Writing Month. It’s an annual project in which participants try to produce a novel of at least 50,000 words from scratch during the month of November. Despite the “national” tag it’s open to scribblers worldwide, and if you finish your novel in time you earn a certificate – plus the satisfaction of a completed work.