art · pet portrait · Uncategorized · vinyl stickers · wildlife portrait · work in progress

New in: Pet Portrait Wood Slice Decorations and Vinyl Stickers!

It’s been a busy month in the art studio as Christmas orders for pet portraits have already started coming in! First off I have started offering wooden decoration pet portraits. They measure 6x6cm and are hand-drawn using coloured pencils. Both sides of the wooden decoration are varnished to protect them. If you are ordering a… Continue reading New in: Pet Portrait Wood Slice Decorations and Vinyl Stickers!

art · Uncategorized · wildlife portrait

“Kisses in Blue” has been given the Derwent Award for Best in Show!

I am incredibly honoured and humbled that ‘Kisses in Blue’ has received the Derwent Award for Best in Show at the UKCPS Keswick Exhibition! Thank you so much to the UK Coloured Pencil Society and Derwent, and a huge congratulations to the other winners! You can view my drawing and the beautiful artwork of many… Continue reading “Kisses in Blue” has been given the Derwent Award for Best in Show!

art · art techniques · walkthrough · wildlife portrait

“Kisses in Blue” – the making of my largest coloured pencil drawing to date!

I recently completed “Kisses in Blue”, my newest coloured pencil piece of two bonding hyacinth macaws. I finished this piece last month, and while I didn’t have my camera recording to make a timelapse for this one (It’s just too big!), I’m excited to share my process with you!

art · commissions · dog · pet portrait · Uncategorized · work in progress

Pet portrait of Jackson the spitz in colored pencils

I recently reopened pet portrait commissions and I’m excited to be drawing fur babies again! I would like to introduce you to Jackson, the german spitz! I have a soft spot for spitz-type dogs so this commission has been a lot of fun for me so far! The underpainting and background are mostly laid out… Continue reading Pet portrait of Jackson the spitz in colored pencils

art prints · art techniques · Inktober · sketch · video

My thoughts about Inktober + my experience posting a video every day for a month!

I managed to make it the whole way to the end, despite having one or two days where I nearly gave up, but I am so proud that I managed to finish the challenge! The month of October was a very positive one for me because the challenge really got my creative juices flowing again. I came out the other side positively overflowing with fresh ideas and concepts that I can’t wait to get cracking on!

announcement · art · bee in the city · exhibition

Bee in the City preview shots!

I’m participating in Bee in the City, a public art trail where over 100 giant painted bees will be scattered around Greater Manchester. The art trail runs from 23rd July to 23rd September. My bee is sponsored by the NHS for Henshaws, a charity dedicated to helping blind and partially sighted people. To create an accessible piece of artwork, I incorporated many different sensory elements including different textures and 3D features, shimmering pigments, and an audio box on the base describing the sculpture. I poured my heart and soul into this project and enjoyed every second.

acrylic · art · coloured pencil · flowers · painting · wildlife portrait

Greater Kudu Portrait in acrylics

Finally found a spare moment when it wasn’t raining to get a good photo of the finished painting!   I’m hooked on acrylic painting now. Working on this piece was very relaxing and at some points while painting it I was so in “the zone” that I kept forgetting to hit record on my camera… Continue reading Greater Kudu Portrait in acrylics

announcement · art · bird · competition winner · wildlife portrait

Hyacinth Macaw in Coloured Pencil

Last weekend I finished my hyacinth macaw drawing in coloured pencil!   I’m relieved this one is over! I had a bit of a battle with the paper all the way through this one. I used Uart 800 grade paper. Even with textured fixative and very light layers with the powder blender, it just won’t take any… Continue reading Hyacinth Macaw in Coloured Pencil

Art Product Review · Cat · Graphite · pet portrait · Uncategorized

Staedtler Mars Lumograph Pencils Review

My review on Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils is up on Youtube now! In the video I discuss my opinions and experiences using these pencils and show you how I used them for creating a drawing of my cat, Suki. Check it out if you’re interested in trying out this brand for your graphite drawings! And here’s… Continue reading Staedtler Mars Lumograph Pencils Review

art · Cat · pet portrait · sketch · tools I use · Uncategorized · walkthrough · wildlife portrait · work in progress

Finished cheetah drawing and tutorial

Whew! It’s finished! Up till now the only things I had drawn using the powder blender were invertebrates, which are generally very shiny and easy to shade. I wanted to see how easy or difficult it would be to draw fur using the colored pencil painting kit, so I decided to draw this! I discovered… Continue reading Finished cheetah drawing and tutorial