From the shop

Gouache sits between watercolour and acrylic — water-based and brush-applied, opaque and layerable, with a distinctive matte finish that neither medium replicates. It can be painted light over dark, used on black paper, corrected by painting over mistakes, and reworked once dry. In this complete guide we cover what gouache actually is, how it differs from watercolour and acrylic, what it excels at, and the full range we stock — from the Seawhite Starter Set at £6.99 to professional Sennelier Artist Gouache at £24.95 for 100ml. All at Craft and Canvas, Hebden Bridge.

Montana GOLD is not conventional spray paint — it is a low-pressure, NC-acrylic lacquer developed with professional graffiti and mural artists in Germany, available in over 200 lightfast colours, and precise enough for detailed studio work as well as large-scale murals. In this complete guide we cover what makes Montana GOLD different from standard aerosols, the colour range categories, the Level Cap interchangeable nozzle system, the wide range of surfaces it works on, how to apply it correctly, and the Montana Acrylic Markers that extend the system into detailed mark-making. Montana GOLD from £9.95, Level Cap Set 1-6 at £3.99 at Craft and Canvas.

Brusho Crystal Colour is a dye-based watercolour powder made by Colourcraft in Sheffield since the 1940s — concentrated enough that a pinch activates into vivid colour with a small amount of water, and distinctive enough that each colour blooms into multiple tones as it spreads across wet paper. In this post we cover what Brusho actually is, why it behaves so differently from conventional watercolour, what makes the black colour so remarkable, the product range we stock at Craft and Canvas, and what it is best suited to. 8-colour pack £22.99, 12-colour starter pack £29.99.

Three making materials that sit just outside mainstream craft but open up remarkable creative possibilities. Milliput (£6.25) is a two-part epoxy putty used by model makers, sculptors, and restorers — it sets rock hard, bonds to almost anything, and can be sanded, drilled, and painted. Modroc (£1.95 per roll) is plaster bandage that builds rigid sculptural forms over any armature in minutes. Resin — available as a 1 litre epoxy kit (£34.99) or UV resin kit (£22.99) — sets crystal clear for coasters, jewellery, and embedding. All stocked at Craft and Canvas.

Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic processes — invented in 1842, used to make the first photographic book in 1843, and the origin of the word blueprint. It produces striking Prussian blue prints using sunlight and two iron-based chemicals, with no camera or darkroom required. In this complete beginner's guide we cover the history, how the chemistry works, what you need, a clear step-by-step process from coating paper to rinsing the finished print, and the range of things you can make — from botanical prints to fabric printing to photographic negatives. Cyanotype Set at £22.99 at Craft and Canvas.

Mould making is more accessible than most people realise — once you understand what alginate, plaster of Paris, and liquid latex each do, the whole subject opens up. Alginate is a seaweed-derived gel that sets in minutes and captures precise surface detail — ideal for life casting but single-use. Plaster of Paris is the classic casting material, mixed to a creamy consistency and poured into the mould to set hard. Liquid latex builds up in painted layers to create flexible, reusable rubber moulds for repeat casting. This complete beginner's guide covers all three, explains when to use each, and walks through a simple first project. All stocked at Craft and Canvas.

Both lino and foam are relief printing techniques, but they are quite different in practice. Lino requires carving tools, takes more time, and produces results with a quality and precision foam cannot replicate. Foam can be marked with a pencil, needs no cutting tools, and is immediately accessible for children and beginners. In this guide we compare the two directly — detail, durability, cost, safety, and the quality of the printed mark — and give clear guidance on which to choose for different makers and projects. Full range stocked at Craft and Canvas.

Polymer clay looks simple and reveals extraordinary depth the more you work with it. Fimo — made by Staedtler in Germany since the 1950s — is the starting point most makers reach for, and with good reason. In this complete beginner's guide we cover the Fimo Soft, Easy Metal, and Form and Play ranges we stock at Craft and Canvas, how to condition and work the clay, colour blending, joining pieces, the baking process at 110°C for 30 minutes, and finishing with sanding, painting, and varnishing. Fimo Soft individual blocks at £3.75, Fimo Modelling Tools at £5.99.

Traditional oil-based printmaking inks produce the finest results — but they require solvents for cleanup, which makes them impractical outside a properly equipped studio. Caligo Safe Wash inks solve this entirely. Oil-based, heavily pigmented, and equivalent in print quality to traditional inks — but cleaned up with soap and water. In this post we cover the difference between the Relief Inks (for lino, woodcut, and monoprint) and the Etching Inks (for intaglio techniques), how the Safe Wash Oil and Wiping Compound work, and what the inks mean in practice for home printmakers, schools, and professionals. In stock at Craft and Canvas from £10.57.

Not all air dry clays are the same — and choosing the right one for your project matters more than most people realise. In this guide we cover DAS Air Dry (£8.25 — paper-reinforced, strong, carveable, ideal for sculpture), Jovi Patmache (£7.99 — lightweight paper clay, perfect for armature work and fine surface detail), Silk Clay (£8.45 — foam-based, pre-coloured, ideal for small figures and children's projects), and Fimo Soft individual blocks (£3.75 — oven-bake polymer clay for jewellery and miniatures). Clear guidance on which to choose for your project. All stocked at Craft and Canvas.

Lino printing is a relief printing technique with a distinguished history — used by Picasso, Matisse, and Munch — that is genuinely accessible to beginners with the right equipment and a clear understanding of the process. In this complete introduction we cover everything: the different types of lino block (traditional, easy cut, and foam), the cutter shapes and what each produces, how to choose and use a roller, which inks to use and why Caligo Safe Wash inks are a significant development for home printmakers, the best papers for printing, and a clear step-by-step guide to the full printing process. Starter kits from £23.49, full supplies range stocked at Craft and Canvas.

When the weather warms up, cotton makes far more sense than wool — breathable, cool against the skin, and machine washable. Rico Essentials Organic Cotton DK is 100% organic bio cotton in a 50g / 105m ball, knitting to standard DK tension on 4mm needles at £3.95 per ball. In this post we cover how cotton behaves differently from wool (the inelasticity, the stitch definition, the weight and drape), what it is best suited to — summer garments, baby items, home accessories, crochet, bags — and everything practical including care, tension, and what to expect from your first cotton project. In stock at Craft and Canvas, Hebden Bridge.