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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, May 5, 2010 · 28 Artscene Sign up now for guitar, bass, drums, and piano OAKVILLE'S MUSIC STORE RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER MINUTE DETAILS: Oakville artist Paul Sandilands is teaching the art of painting miniature figurines at the new Carefree Hobbies store in Bronte. Details, details, details at Carefree Hobbies By Jill Kwasniak SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER nyone with a penchant for painting miniature figurines is in luck. Carefree Hobbies and the Bronte Art Academy and Gallery have teamed up to offer lessons and supplies for painting miniature figurines. Local artist Paul Sandilands will be offering the lessons on weekends -- to both adults and children. "I teach adult lessons and they're one-on-one, private lessons," he said. "I'll do very small groups, maybe three if they are all friends. If they don't know each other, I don't do it. With kids, I put up to A about three kids in a class maximum." Sandilands said age and skill level doesn't matter because each individual works on their own project. Carefree Hobbies owner Nic Bax opened his business in Oakville just weeks ago and admits it's a throwback to other eras. "We don't do computer games," he said. "The whole purpose of our store is to try and get some of the kids of today off the computers and back to playing with real toys again." Bax said half of his store is devoted to specializing in miniature figurines. "Paul approached me and we just basically put two and two together. Paul said, `I can do the teaching and the painting, you supply the product and the paint and we'll work as a team together.'" Sandilands said there are thousands of people involved in painting miniatures as a hobby. "That's kind of where Nic has come in," he said. "He has opened this hobby store with a focus on this in particular. It will kind of be a magnet for all the people who really have no place to go to look at (the figurines) and get advice and learn how to do different things." Sandilands said often those interested in the hobby also have a soft spot for history. "It's for people who are very interested in history and researching history," he said. "They just don't paint, they want to know about it. They want to know who the figures were, what kind of weapon was this, what kind of shield was that, what was it made of, what was the amour made of..." Sandilands said painting miniature figurines fit well with his own background interests -- and so he was hooked. "I saw a few figures a while back and I looked at them and one of them was extremely well painted. I said to myself, I can paint that," said Sandilands. At the University of Toronto, Sandilands studied archeology and anthropology. He also attended the Ontario College of Art. Sandilands said it takes him about five hours to paint a fig- urine. For those just learning, it can take a few weeks as they learn tips and tricks from those who have experience. "We're just starting this program," said Bax, noting the store has all the equipment and know how, those interested need only bring their interest. Sandilands also runs a summer camp for all ages. The lessons start on July 4 and run through the end of August. In addition to miniature figurine painting, Sandilands also teaches fine art. For more information, visit www.artgalaxy.com. For more information on Carefree Hobbies, visit www.carefreehobbies.com.