I took the plunge and entered a piece of my work into the UK Coloured Pencil Society 17th Annual Open exhibition. I didn't have any expectations as this is a juried exhibition - so I was stunned to have been one of 66 artists selected to take part in this annual showcase of coloured pencil work. The piece selected is "Donnah and Her Amazing Technicolour Scarf" - this is a portrait of a friend, completed solely in coloured pencils on pastel paper. The exhibition takes place at the Stratford ArtsHouse from Wednesday 2nd May until Friday 11th May 2018. If you are in the area please do pop in and ..read more

I was absolutely thrilled to receive notification this week that one of my colour pencil portraits has been selected for inclusion in Ann Kullberg's CP Hidden Treasures publication - Volume 4. I entered a couple of pictures for inclusion in the next CP Treasures book but out of over 880 entries, I didn't make the cut (there are only 120 spaces). However, to celebrate the breadth and quality of submission entries - CP Hidden Treasures features a further selection of around 120 or so coloured pencil artworks from around the world. This is the first time I've entered any pieces for publication s ..read more

I'm raising money for the Vale Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre in Gloucestershire, to support the tireless work they do to help sick, injured and orphaned animals. I was particularly touched by the story of George the swan, a well known face at Pittville Park in Cheltenham - who suffered a horrendous injury when he was shot through the head with a crossbow bolt in January of this year. Seriously injured - George was looked after at Vale Wildlife Hospital who were able to successfully treat him and release him back to his home. George was reunited with his life partner and happil ..read more

Ok, ok - I'll start with a disclaimer: I do NOT recommend eating coloured pencils! This is a review of my experience using Faber Castell Polychromos Colour Pencils with Canson Mi-Teintes Touch paper. I ordered a sample pack of a variety of papers that are recommended for use with pastels - these are often suitable for colour pencil work too, due to their ability to 'grip' colour and enable multiple layers to be built up. In the pack was a sheet of the Touch paper -in a beautiful light blue. It was the perfect background colour for a Jack Russell Terrier pet portrait I wanted to work on. The s ..read more

Well, this little fellow is the newest arrival to the portfolio. A gorgeous tabby cat - this picture was created as a portfolio piece using a photo reference image (not for sale, or commerical gain). I wanted the challenge of working on a domestic cat and he just jumped out at me and asked to be drawn! I particularly enjoyed working on the eyes and trying to capture not just the expression but also the depth and glassiness. Layering the colours to create the texture of the fur was time intensive but so worth it - I think you can get a sense of the plushness of the cat coat, especially on the c ..read more

On the drawing board this week - a gorgeous tabby cat. This is the very early stages - started last night and a couple of hours in. The final picture will be full body - with the cat reclining (as only cats can!) on a lounger. I love the look in it's eyes - such a guarded, aloof expression. The right eye needs some extra work to develop the 'glassiness' and shine. I'm really looking forward to tackling the detail of the fur - tabby cats have such beautiful stripe markings. Having lost our own cat just over a year ago (RIP Little Mo) it's a pleasure to take the opportunity to study this gorgeo ..read more

I took the plunge and entered a piece of my work into the UK Coloured Pencil Society 17th Annual Open exhibition. I didn't have any expectations as this is a juried exhibition - so I was stunned to have been one of 66 artists selected to take part in this annual showcase of coloured pencil work. The piece selected is "Donnah and Her Amazing Technicolour Scarf" - this is a portrait of a friend, completed solely in coloured pencils on pastel paper. The exhibition takes place at the Stratford ArtsHouse from Wednesday 2nd May until Friday 11th May 2018. If you are in the area please do pop in and ..read more

I was absolutely thrilled to receive notification this week that one of my colour pencil portraits has been selected for inclusion in Ann Kullberg's CP Hidden Treasures publication - Volume 4. I entered a couple of pictures for inclusion in the next CP Treasures book but out of over 880 entries, I didn't make the cut (there are only 120 spaces). However, to celebrate the breadth and quality of submission entries - CP Hidden Treasures features a further selection of around 120 or so coloured pencil artworks from around the world. This is the first time I've entered any pieces for publication s ..read more

I'm raising money for the Vale Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre in Gloucestershire, to support the tireless work they do to help sick, injured and orphaned animals. I was particularly touched by the story of George the swan, a well known face at Pittville Park in Cheltenham - who suffered a horrendous injury when he was shot through the head with a crossbow bolt in January of this year. Seriously injured - George was looked after at Vale Wildlife Hospital who were able to successfully treat him and release him back to his home. George was reunited with his life partner and happil ..read more

Ok, ok - I'll start with a disclaimer: I do NOT recommend eating coloured pencils! This is a review of my experience using Faber Castell Polychromos Colour Pencils with Canson Mi-Teintes Touch paper. I ordered a sample pack of a variety of papers that are recommended for use with pastels - these are often suitable for colour pencil work too, due to their ability to 'grip' colour and enable multiple layers to be built up. In the pack was a sheet of the Touch paper -in a beautiful light blue. It was the perfect background colour for a Jack Russell Terrier pet portrait I wanted to work on. The s ..read more