About

I am an artist living and working in Hertfordshire in the UK.  I specialise in drawing and painting pets as well as illustration.

I have always loved to draw from a very young age and after many years of working in education, I have decided to follow my passion and focus on my art. Over the years I have experimented with coloured pencil, acrylic and oil but have found that my preferred mediums are watercolour and pen and ink as well as graphite for sketching.

I particularly love to use watercolour to capture the individual characteristics of each pet that I have the privilege to paint. It allows me to create the texture of fur or to capture the unique expression of a pet's face and  creates a fresh, lively portrait.

Process

I begin with the reference photos and sketching out a composition that I feel will have the best impact and be most pleasing to the eye. I then establish form and tone by using watercolour in a loose way with a wet brush, letting the paint have a life of it's own.

I then use a dryer brush to begin to build up layers in order to capture the specific texture of the pet's fur and to add detail. Finally, finishing touches are carefully added such as whiskers or the glint of an eye.