Painting a Day: 28 Ideas for February

Select one brush to work with, then use the others as the subject for your painting. (Or a handful if you've loads.) Standing them in a container will create interesting negative spaces as the brushes stand at varying angles. Let the brushes dominate the composition, not the container.

Metal, plastic, large, tiny... staplers come in all sorts of variations, though the basic shape is usually very similar. Don't paint it flat on, but at an angle; it'll make the composition more interesting. Remember to check the perspective on the straight lines!

A ball has two main challenges: for it to look like a ball and not a circle, and to convey its texture. A tennis ball has a fluffy, soft surface (great for some rough brushwork) while a beach ball has a smooth, shiny surface (great for glazing). Be sure the ball doesn't float in the sky unintentionally!

• Painting Basic Shapes: A Sphere

The sun is sphere, but painting it simply as one doesn't convey the light radiating from it. A painting that depicts this can be approached in numerous ways, for instance through pulsating saturated color filling the composition or through intriguing stylized rays.

What kind of light do you have illuminating your painting space? If it's something functional rather than aesthetic, you could opt to paint one from another room that's more beautiful, or focus on the colors in the "white" light.

If you've lots of time, paint the landscape the lighthouse stands in. If you've only a little time, have the lighthouse totally dominate the composition, perhaps even going off on one side. Consider what the weather's doing: is it sunny, stormy, misty? Is it daytime or night?

If you've lots of time, paint the river, lake, harbor, or sea where the boat is. If you've only a little time, have the boat totally dominate the composition, perhaps even going off on one side. Remember to consider which direction the sun is shining from and place the shadows accordingly.

Whether it's an adhesive bandage (plaster) or a elastic plaster wrapped around, the challenge lies in capturing the texture of the bandage and how it lies across a surface. You could use your non-dominant hand to model it, or place it on a sheet of paper alongside its packaging.

Use a lamp to get the fork to throw some strong shadows and you can get all sorts of interesting patterns. One with long tines works the best. Remember, the "silver" of a fork doesn't need silver paint; a range of grays will do the trick.

Paint the salt or pepper pot you use when you're having supper. Or if you don't have a set on the table, then the one you use when you're cooking.