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A few ideas here from here there and everywhere. Let me know if you can add any.

1. When using masking fluid first dip your brush into washing up liquid, work it well into the ferrule. It helps protect the brush from the masking fluid. A pill bottle or something similar is ideal to hold the washing up liquid without taking too much space in your kit.

2. If your masking fluid begins to dry in the bottle add water a little by little, shaking in between. Saves the cost of replacing it before it's time.

3. You know the feeling you are in the mood to paint but don't know where to start. Keep a file of resource materials.

Not only photos and sketches but clippings from, brochures and mags, old calendars, or buy about this time of year as they are greatly reduced. Check the leaflets that fall from mags, and all the junk mail through your door before binning. Doodle design is a colouring book for older children, bought from Wilkinsons copy the pics and add your own tone etc. Ask family and friends for greetings and postcards of nice pics for you to reproduce. Going on a day out be sure to buy guides and postcards, the photos are likely to be better than you can take yourself, what with other visitors and our inclement weather. What ever the resource you don't need to keep bulky books just cut out the bits you need.

When you are stuck for a subject get the file out, you might still not be inspired, but you get a lovely trip down memory lane.

4. For flat washes dry with a hairdryer so you can get on with painting, but be careful with wet in wet or similar techniques where the aim is to exploit the paint or other bits added to add to the effect.

5. Organise your paint box, if you are just using the colours suggested on this site this may be useful to you. Print it off if you have waterproof ink or copy it in pencil on watercolour paper.

Try to paint the boxes in graduated washes providing not only a handy map of where colours are in your box, but also of some of the tones available.

6. Brush holders help protect your brushes but can be costly, treat yourself to a pack of 'Pringles' or something similarly packaged. Cover the tube with sticky back plastic and presto! a free brush holder. Be sure to place your brushes handle down and leave the lid off or add a moth ball if they are not to be used for a while.

7. If getting the tones correct when creating aerial perspective is giving you problems, scan your painting in greyscale at every stage. This will show up the tones which should become deeper as they get nearer in the painting. If you get it wrong, you can then adjust it by lifting out or glazing another layer over any errors.

8. When sketching for watercolour use a watercolour pencil. The lines will disappear when you add the washes, if not a gentle stroke with your brush will do the trick.

9. Colour shapers can be bought at your art suppliers but for a free alternative cut up your credit cards. Cut each corner to suit your needs.

10. If a subject seems impossible to paint even when you have simplified it, make small studies of the most difficult bits. Then put it altogether for the masterpiece.

11. If you want to do flower painting but working from life takes too long and they wilt or change position try using silk flowers instead.