G'day Legends. Just a quick video drop on how i paint the sunlight through the foliage. There's no right or wrong way this is just the way I did it on the day. Don't fall into the trap of knowing everything. Some days things will happen for you and another day things wont and you have to figure out a different way. But one thing's for certain, you won't learn anything if you don't try! Get a paintbrush in your hand and go for it. Heff.

🎨 Did Artists Really Paint With Mummies? As strange as it sounds… yes, they did. For hundreds of years, artists used a paint colour called Mummy Brown — a rich transparent brown pigment made partly from ground-up Egyptian mummies. Human remains, linen wrappings, and resin were crushed and mixed with oil to create a warm earthy colour loved by painters in the 1700s and 1800s. It became popular because it created beautiful shadows, glowing skin tones, and deep transparent layers that other browns struggled to match. Many respected artists used it, often without thinking too deeply about where it came from. The trade was fed by a growing European obsession with Ancient Egypt. As tombs were opened and artefacts shipped overseas, mummies became collectibles… and sadly, also raw material. Some were sold to museums, some to private buyers, and some ended up in pigment factories. One famous story tells of artist Edward Burne-Jones. When he discovered his tube of Mummy Brown was made from an actual person, he was horrified. He reportedly buried the paint tube in his garden out of respect. By the early 1900s, real Mummy Brown began disappearing. Supplies ran low, public attitudes changed, and people realised how disturbing the practice truly was. Paint makers eventually replaced it with synthetic versions using ordinary pigments. Today, when you see “Mummy Brown” sold in modern art ranges, it contains no mummy at all — only a colour recreation. So next time you squeeze out Burnt Umber or Raw Umber, be thankful. Some old paint history is better left in the tomb.

I got a really nice email this morning from someone who painted along with one of my tutorials. It reminded me of something I believe pretty strongly — especially for beginners and returning artists. You don’t learn painting by thinking about it. You learn by having a brush in your hand. Something else happens too… time disappears. You stop thinking about everything else and you’re just there, making marks, mixing colour, figuring things out. Before you know it 3 hours has passed by. Artists call it “the zone”. It doesn’t always show up — but when it does, it’s magic. If you’ve been putting painting off lately, this is your nudge. Even 20 minutes counts. Cheers, Ben (Heff)

G’day legends! Heff here — truckie, tradie, and part-time artist finally getting the chance to create again after life and work got in the way for a while. This space is for anyone who’s ever felt that same pull to pick up the brush and have a crack at art again. I also run a YouTube channel — Ben Heffernan Art — where I share easy tutorials, time-lapses, and creative tips for beginners and returning artists. Drop a quick intro below 👇✅ Who you are✅ What kind of art or creative stuff fires you up✅ Bonus: Share a pic of your workspace or your latest project! Let’s build a laid-back, inspiring corner where we can all learn, share, and have a laugh along the way.Cheers,— Heff 🎨🔥

G'day Legends In this short tutorial I use a larger brush on a small canvas. This gives a loose almost expressionist style and stops you getting bogged down into the detail. Which is fine if you want to create a realism piece. That's not what this vid is about tho. It's a crafty design that I actually put a little pouch on the back so I could ad potpourri to make it smell nice while on the counter or desk or wherever you have it on display. I dont go into that here but you'll get the drift. Not hard not easy but for those of you wanting to ease back into painting it's perfect. Cheers Heff.