Sometimes, the best and only way to unwind is to pop open a bottle (or can) of your favourite beverage, dim the lights a little bit (or light up a candle or two or 20), and fire up some Bob Ross videos.

We know we should heed Monica Geller's instructions for pen and marker care: "You want to push the caps until you hear them click." But kids forget, and when they come back to use them, they are sad. There, there. Dried-out markers need not be sent to the art supply junkyard just yet. You can revive them as vibrant liquid watercolors.

We all like to think we have interesting hobbies, but with the demands of daily life it’s easy for passions to fall by the wayside.

Whether you’ve lost your creativity somewhere along the way or are keen to pick up a new hobby, it shouldn’t be too overwhelming to get started.

Fifty strangers were lined up to spray paint my car. The car, my heavily modified and long suffering Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, was served up like a sacrifice on the curb of a closed down street. The headlights were taped over so that the car couldn’t see what was about to happen. A tarp was spread beneath its tires to catch the blood. On the concrete were a dozen rattle-cans of paint in several shades of taste the rainbow.

If you do a lot of spray painting, this clever box design keeps over-spray from ruining your stuff, helps you avoid nasty paint fumes and is as easy to carry around as a briefcase.

The next time you're painting chair spindles or the banister of your stairs, ditch the paintbrush and grab a sponge. Country Chic Paint (CCP) says sponges are easier in small, uneven and intricate spaces.

Painting a little square of colour on your wall is a good way to test out potential wall colourings, but you only get to see how it looks on that particular patch of wall in that particular lighting situation. To see how it would look in any part of the room, paint a piece of poster board and move it around.

Painter's tape is a must if you want clean, straight lines while painting. Here's a quick word of caution, though: don't leave it on too long.

Narrow spots, like behind your toilet, are tough to reach with a paintbrush or roller. Make your own paint pad from a free stirrer stick for those narrow spaces. Here's how.

Your paintbrushes should be clean and dry when you store them, but getting all that paint out of the bristles can be messy. Rather than use your hands or buy a brush comb, grab a fork to get between those bristles.

iOS: Pixelmator is already a pretty great photo editing app on iOS, but the most recent update takes advantage of the new 3D Touch feature on the iPhone 6s in just the way you'd expect it to, with touch-sensitive painting.

Video: They say painting is all about the prep, and maintaining a clean paint brush will ensure your next paint job starts out right. The meticulous approach shown here uses the least amount of paint thinner and maximizes it's effectiveness.

Video: Sometimes a big painting project will take you more than a few sessions to complete. You can keep a brush and a little touch up paint fresh in between sessions with this handy trick.

Most of us use painter's tape when painting around windows or window frames, and it works, unless you have an oddly-shaped window or frame (like a circular or cut-glass window.) In that case, a thin layer of lip balm at the edges of the glass lets you paint freely and just wipe away the excess.

Before remodeling an older home, you must have it inspected for lead-based paint. Here's how to administer the test yourself, and what to do with the results.

The nozzles on spray paint cans will clog pretty easily, and a clogged nozzle makes the whole thing useless. A bath in some mineral spirits or paint thinner will make that nozzle good as new.

Varnish protects and beautifies wood grain furniture, but it's difficult to apply without ending up with streaks or drip marks. Start with a high-quality natural bristle brush and you're halfway to a smooth finish.

Dear LH, I have lots of painting work that I need to do on an old house, both internal and external. The range of options and advice from different people on paints to use is wide and varied. Any cheat sheets you've come across or other advice?

Paint mixing attachments are huge time savers, but they can also make a mess of things. Drill a hole through your paint lid, then work the top of the attachment through the hole and secure the lid before mixing to ensure the paint remains in the can and not on your floor.