At one time or another in the last 90 years, British artist David Gentleman has turned his hand to painting, lithography, engraving, stencilling, illustration, and printmaking. You will probably have encountered his work thanks to the many accessible formats it has appeared in, ranging from stamps to station murals to book covers.

While many of his peers turned to education to sustain their creative careers after graduating in the 1950s, he instead leapt into commissions so that he could still spend his days honing his craft. Although he never went down the formal teaching route, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have learnings to share.

Quite the opposite. Gentleman has gathered a thing or two about the creative process throughout his lengthy career, and he’s sharing these slices of advice in a new book published by Penguin and designed by Tom Etherington called Lessons for Young Artists. (The lessons are of course relevant to budding artists of any age.)

While a lot of books on creativity can end up feeling like lofty, philosophical doctrines, Lessons for Young Artists is filled with nuggets of practical advice. Among them are prompts to help kickstart the process if you’re drawing a blank, suggestions on what equipment to take out and about, and arguments on the benefits of a regular rhythm or drawing from life rather than photos.

Nestled between his pieces of advice are memories and anecdotes that give a window into Gentleman’s creative perspective and worldview. For example, he observes that, over time, his practice had become increasingly political, leading him to abandon commissions that were diluting his commentary, publish a book on the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US, and create designs for the Stop the War coalition protesting the invasion of Iraq.

The book also features plenty of his artworks that illustrate his points, from stamps and book covers that people may recognise to work-in-progress paintings and sketches that had never previously seen the light of day – offering plenty of visual gems for artists at any stage of their career.

Lessons for Young Artists by David Gentleman is published by Penguin; penguin.co.uk