Lots of Smillies as the paint goes on!

And ten house-proud Bradford residents are now learning how to follow in the footsteps of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Linda Barker and Carol Smillie.

Based in an empty council house on the Bradford Moor Estate, the intrepid ten are learning all about the art of decorating - from preparing walls for painting to advance techniques such as mosaic work and glass painting.

The course has been organised by Artworks and aims to give people the skills and confidence to decorate their homes on a budget.

Wenna Catt is one of the artists helping participants achieve their decorating dreams.

"Everyone is very enthusiastic. I think most people have made an attempt to do something in their own homes, even if it's basic decorating," she said. "What we're doing is different because we're starting from scratch. We'll be going from bare plaster to a finished home."

Wenna hopes this approach will tackle the problem of decorating shows, which only show half the story.

"The problem with a programme like Changing Rooms is that it's only on for half an hour. You see the nice bits after it has been finished but you don't see all the work and how it was done," she said.

The course consists of four taster sessions to give people the chance to practise with paints and fabrics before work begins on transforming the two-bed semi, which should be completed by July.

Once finished the house will be open to council tenants so they can see what is possible on a tight budget. It will then be let to one lucky tenant who will reap the benefits of the decorators' hard work.

One of the trainee decorators is Donna Coleman, 32.

As well as joining the course to learn how to decorate her home, she hopes the scheme will boost her job prospects.

"I've just moved into my house and I've got two rooms done, so I'm hoping to get a few ideas out of this," she said.

"I'm also hoping that this will help me learn the trade and get a job doing decorating."