Challenging textures, reflections, and personal moments - my monochrome drawings began with subjects I found daunting. By embracing the limitations of a single colour family, I discovered a powerful way to develop core artistic skills. Value perception, compositional clarity, and texture mastery improved dramatically once colour matching was set aside. Learn how working with 4-5 carefully selected pencils can transform your artistic practice and create deeper connections with viewers through the quiet power of monochrome.

From frustrating chore to creative joy: my journey with line art creation led me to an unexpected digital solution. After years of graphite smudges and transfer headaches, a modest £50 drawing tablet transformed my approach to this essential foundation. Discover how to create clean, precise line art that serves your drawing process, including my surprisingly simple technique for determining which details actually matter.

From pink cats to perfect recipes: my deep dive into ginger fur colours revealed surprising patterns across pencil brands. Through systematic testing (and a slightly chaotic kitchen-table experiment), I discovered how different pencils work together to capture that distinctive orange glow. Here's what I learned about building colour combinations for realistic ginger fur.

From frustration to favourites: my journey through different papers led to unexpected breakthroughs in technique. Looking at the same subject on different surfaces reveals how paper choice shapes both process and result. Here's what I've learned about matching surfaces to your artistic style

I share my step-by-step journey through dense foliage - where careful planning, unexpected solutions, and a few muttered expletives led to new techniques for creating depth in dark areas.

Forget everything you know about drawing clouds - discover how negative space and gentle transitions can transform your approach to these ethereal subjects.

Sometimes the most powerful compositions come from instinct rather than rules - discover how your artistic eye is already working its magic.

Big projects aren't just about size - they're about ambition, growth, and finding joy in stepping beyond your comfort zone.

Published in Jan 2024, this post chronicles the next steps in my art career and why my metrics for success may look different to others’.

Here, I talk about the story behind some of my favourite pieces - my cat reflected in a window. Two of these have now won awards.