The city of London has loads to offer art lovers and the best thing is that it is virtually all free to explore. The art industry is huge in Britain, with collections from artists all over the world available to view in London’s galleries and at exhibitions. The city is also home to a lot of British art, so when you are next in the capital why not check some of it out. There are a range of galleries to choose from. The Tate Modern, which is found on the South Bank of the Thames, has the world’s biggest collection of Modern Art. Its free to enter and has two huge floors which contain a range of art work including abstract pieces, such as piles of bricks and canvases with random splodges of paint.

There is the national gallery on the north side of Trafalgar Square. It has a wide collection of Western European art which dates back to from the middle ages, to the early 20th century. Again it is free to enter and with so much on offer it is worth splitting your visit into two trips. The Tate Britain is on the north side of the Thames not far from Victoria Bridge. If you fancy arriving in style you can get a river bus to the Tate Britain which also travels across the river to the Tate Modern. The gallery is the home of British art dating back from the 1500 to the present day. For those that are new to the arts scene you can get an art guide for a small fee.

One other place worth visiting is the National Portrait Gallery. Home to a huge collection of portraits which include those of Kings, Queens and other influential historical figures, the gallery is unique it what it offers visitors. When it opened in 1856, it was the first portrait gallery in the world. Since then it has been expanded twice and one of the gallery’s most famous portraits is of William Shakespeare.

Consider decorative wall painting techniques, such as sponging, ragging, stenciling or stamping. Even if you have no experience, you can brighten even the dullest room quickly and cheaply with one of these easy decorative wall painting techniques. Before painting your room, pick out a color scheme for your walls. When you chose your paint, remember that many painting techniques use two shades of one color. If you are using one of the techniques that does use two shades of color, you can pick a darker color than you normally would chose for your base color, since the lighter top color will make the final result much lighter.

If you are considering using a decorative painting technique such as stenciling or stamping, you may just want to create a wallpaper effect by stamping or stenciling a simple design over your base coat. However, you may want to go a step further with your project and use stencils or stamps to create a faux brick or stone wall. You don’t need to be an artist to create one of these faux finishes. Just follow these simple steps. First, paint the walls with the color you chose for the mortar between the bricks or stones. Once the base coat is dry, stamp or stencil your bricks or stones over the base coat. Once the brick or stonework is dry, spatter a bit of the darker color over your faux art to give it depth and make it appear more realistic.

Creating faux effects such as making your walls look like they are made of plaster or suede can also really make your room stand out. You can easily learn how to create these seemingly difficult finishes at your local paint store. Paint bases that automatically give a suede or textured effect to the walls are a shortcut that even artists use to create fun finishes. Finally, no matter which decorative wall painting technique you choose, remember that it is just a few layers of paint. You can always redo the finish on your walls as you learn more about the art of decorative painting.