There is a new magazine on the market from the Stampington & Co. It is a member of the fine series of Somerset family of periodicals. It is a more user friendly version of Somerset Studio for those of us who, while we aspire to reach the heights of artistry in Somerset Studio, aren't quite able to reach those levels yet.


Somerset Apprentice contains wonderful works of mixed media art, but with the added benefit of simple, easy to follow directions and step by step pictures. There are several departments such as Features, Artful Building Blocks, From the Pros, and In Every Issue. Plus, there is the added ease of use of the various articles being color coded. In the top right corner of every page there are three boxes which have a green, orange, or turquoise color. These designate that the project is either a feature article (green), Artful Building Blocks (turquoise), or From the Pros (orange). This makes flipping through the pages to find a project extremely easy.

The Features section contains several step by step mixed media projects that have that "Somerset" feel to them in easy to understand language that even the beginner could easily follow. For those of us with experience in the various mediums used, the directions still have a wonderfully encouraging aura that still makes you feel as if you have something to gain from them.

While Artful Building Blocks starts out in the premier issue in an extremely basic way with articles on how to set an eyelet and Heat Embossing we have all been there and have had to learn these simple techniques. The article on working with wax shows the promise of good things to come. It is written in a simple, easy to understand way that makes it sound incredibly easy and achievable while not being a project normally seen as a beginner method. I am hoping that this is an indication of other wonderful techniques to come.

From the pros give various artists insights into their favorite mediums, techniques, and inspirations. While browsing through these short insights you may just find your muse.

As always, the only advertising in the magazine is from Stampington which means more room for the various articles and projects the always delight us with. Somerset Apprentice is a great magazine to invest in whether you are a beginner or an advanced artist who wants some inspiration from others or just need to be reminded where you started and how wonderful basics can be.