Each year, from 1st April to 7th May, National Pet Month advocates responsible pet ownership, raising awareness through educational campaigns and fundraising events. As pet-lovers, we are encouraged to run our own events or getting involved in organised events across the country. They have so many ideas for raising awareness: a Supporters’ Toolkit to download, competitions and even teachers’ lesson … Read More
Spring Forward
Today, I mailed out my first newsletter with news about the updated prices, my new studio and even a DISCOUNT CODE. Please take a look below and see what you think. I hope to keep you up-to-date with what’s going in a quarterly letter like this. If you’d like to be added to the mailing list then please just let … Read More
Keeping Down Waste
We have all watched in horror, the recent news reports of our oceans slowly filling with plastic bags floating like jelly fish, and seahorses trying to mate with cotton-buds. According to EcoWatch 50% of sea turtles have already consumed plastic and the amount of plastic in the oceans is set to increase ten fold in the next decade. Governments would … Read More
Pastel Pencils: The Quest for the Best
The quest for the best brand of pastel pencil for portrait drawing is a subject I have seen discussed all over the web, and, in my search for the ideal tool, is something I have researched extensively. However, my choice of pastel pencil will vary from other artists’ as I don’t limit myself to a single brand. Buying (or receiving … Read More
The Bare Essentials
If you’ve been following my posts you’ll know that we’ve spent the last few months – in fact a year and a half – debating a home extension versus moving house and many other options, to find the space we need. A fair chunk of this fantasy was to include a studio. I won’t traumatise you with the ins and … Read More
4 Sources of Light For Winter Drawing
Only two weeks away from the shortest day (in the Northern hemisphere), it’s becoming increasingly difficult to draw in the limited winter daylight. Not only has the best of the light gone by 2:30pm but when we do have sun, it is very low in the sky so illumination of the subject and the paper is restricted. To overcome this … Read More
Keep It Colour Stupid
Those familiar with my portrait drawings may be forgiven for thinking I only see in sanguine and white. This is something I am very aware of, and for a long time I have been working on incorporating colour into my portraits. I am not an artist who avoids colour – if you’ve seen my Artfinder and Etsy pages then you’ll … Read More