Cyril the Squiril
1 December 2025
Cyril is the star of the show for my 'Cosy Winter Draw-along' workshop that's happening online on 3 January.
I haven't drawn fur in a little while, so getting ahead of myself with this 'practice' piece reminded my muscles how they were supposed to work where fur is concerned.
By the end, I realised three things - Fur is still fun. - He's too big for the workshop. - I need more time.
He took me just under 5 hours, which is too long, so I extended the workshop and will make sure we draw smaller.
He cute tho!
Want to join me online and draw Cyril with me?
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Feelin' Blue
3 November 2025
Members of the Bonny Snowdon Academy had a treat in store with this multi-week Live drawalong!
On Pastelmat, and very tricky with all the small blooms and tangles of stalks, this one had people scratching their heads a bit.
I ended up slowing right down and finishing with a pre-recorded video.
The feedback has been great, and I've seen some amazing versions. So yes, it was a tricky one, but no it wasn't impossible.
Floral Symphony
28 October 2025
Drawn just for fun, I wanted to experiment with a different technique and feel with this one.
From the first few hours I could tell it was going to be different. The textures, the colours, the full-composition just makes for a beautiful piece of art.
I finished it at 2am last night. I was exhausted and parched and my back ached after sitting there for 7 hours - but I wouldn't change a thing! I was in 'flow' and nothing comes close to that feeling...well, maybe waking up and seeing what I'd accomplished.
I'm going to see if I can draw another one in the same style!
Shimmering Alstromeria
24 October 2025
This is one of those that has me beaming from ear to ear. A 'I cant believe I just did that!' kinda moment!
Definitely had to forcibly slow myself down towards the end when I was starting to feel the excitement rise. That's the sign of a good drawing - when the process is known, the pencils are behaving, and the urge to just keep drawing is warming and comfortable and there's a tingling that makes everything sparkle
Okay, maybe not sparkle, but do you know what I mean?
Blossom of the Glass
18 October 2025
Absolutely love, love, love this piece!
Drawn on drafting film specifically for my Realistic Florals on Film workshop starting in November.
It's an intermediate level class running over 3 Sundays. No way could we do all this in one day.
This image has black paper behind the film. I love the way all the darks are darker and the lights seem to glow.
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This workshop has now happened, but there will be an opportunity to purchase a quality recording in the new year.
Cat on Black
10 September 2025
Toying with the idea of creating a cat tutorial on black paper and I drew the fully body, which took longer than I wanted, so I then did another, just the head and that was lovely.
Tutorial ended up being published by Painters Online as part of their 'Start Art - Drawing' in October.
I loved it, so will probably make another and release that myself.
Open Studios 2025
26 August 2025
August is almost over, and I have had another wonderful week at the Hampshire Open Studios.
This year I drew this drenched flower on pastelmat in ten and fifteen minute stretches between visitors. We were super-busy, and thank you to everyone who took the time to ask me about my work.
Paw-trait
08 September 2025
Digby's feet smell of popcorn, apparently!
A rare opportunity to capture the incredible underside of a big dog's paws. This paw-trait (or FEET-trait as I like to call it)was a repeat commission from one of my collectors. It's only a little one, but I think you'll agree it's got so much personality.
Great sense of perspective in this too, with his big head all the way back there looking tiny and out of focus.
I love it! Hope you do too.
If you're interested in a commission like this, why not get in touch.
Alcohol Markers
20 August 2025
I succumbed to the mighty OHUHU marketing train and bought 320 alcohol markers!
Despite being a novice with this medium, I'm not unskilled at drawing realistically, and so for my latest YouTube video I decided to 'practice' in front of the world and see if I could make these markers do what I do with pencils.
This image is a bit of a spoiler, because, yeah, I kind of could.
YouTube is a lot of fun to make videos for. It's a new channel, but if you watch this one, and enjoy seeing me struggle a bit, I'd love you to let me know with a thumbs up, that'd be awesome.
Chrysanthemum Season
15 August 2025
My latest tutorial for the Bonny Snowdon Academy members is possibly my favourite artwork this year.
Coming in at 11 hours, this tutorial is a masterclass in blurry backgrounds on drafting film, and will be available to Ignite members soon.
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If you aren't a member, but you'd be interested in learning something like this with me online, then do sign up for my 'Learning List' emails. You'll be first to hear whenever I drop a new workshop or tutorial.
This 5x7" beauty has been lovingly double mounted, and framed and is for sale at £150. (excl p&p). ​
Stress Free Inktense
2 August 2025
In the midst of feeling particularly unwell this week, I have not felt up to much. It's at times like these when I like to de-stress with some easy art, and reconnect with a supply I haven't used in a while. Inktense pencils are just phenomenal to use. I love the vibrancy of the colours and the versatility of combining the blocks and the pencils together.
For this little Bee Eater, I used the blocks on the background first, then swapped to the pencils. As you can see, I like to use a pallete
I started a YouTube
14 July 2025
This month I have properly begun an art YouTube Channel.
I wanted somewhere to play with more mediums, somewhere to have a little fun with supplies with no expectations.
Subscribe to me if you would like to see more of my arty shenanegans. I love it all, and want to share my processes and results, good or bad, with you.
Summer Arty Festival
14 July 2025
Today is my day to reveal my entry into the Clairefontaine SUMMER ARTY FESTIVAL competition. The theme this year is Summer Break, and I have gone way out of my comfort zone to come up with this retro feeling summer cruise poster.
I was one of 31 artists chosen to participate in the summer arty festival. They kindly sent me a large selection of their papers to try, as well as some Darwi watercolour pencils and colour pencils to use. I have used the Paint-on MISCA paper, which has a wonderful old texture and look.
Although there's a competition, I've really enjoyed seeing all the other artists' different takes on the theme, and its always great to meet new artists and see new styles. We're all winners.
Why not check out the rest of the event on Instagram.
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EDIT = I only went and won the competition! Amazing, and very unexpected. Thanks Clairefontaine!
Fresh and Fragrant
07 July 2025
This month, if you are a member of the SAA, you can find me in their Paint & Create magazine with this bright and sunny mini step-by-step for watercolour pencils. Not my usual medium, but they're really good fun, and I had forgotten how easy they are to use - if you're patient!
This beautiful frangipani image was taken while I was in the Philippines. You can kinda see me in the reflection, hahah.
I think the shadows are what makes this painting so interesting. There's a lot to love with this one.
A Perfect Collab
01 June 2025
I am so excited to be working with one of my favourite illustrators, @Naptrapped.Art this month.
It's been on our to-do-list for a couple of years but we couldn't quite decide how to smash our very different styles together in one drawing. We have come up with this crazy idea to not change anything and be true to our styles and see if it works.
We think it works really well.
Created with Pastel Pencils for a change. The colours are so vibrant, but it's really REALLY difficult not to smudge everything. I'm just a messy worker I guess!
Georgie (aka: Naptrapped Art) has a fantastic, punny, bright and very special style. She's a multi-passionate creative with no fixed medium, but you'll find recurring characters, like this 'SLUMPBEE' and the Inventor Mouse (my personal fave!)
Click the button and go check out her stuff. You won't be disappointed.
Back on Black
10 May 2025
I am very lucky to be working with Bonny Snowdon producing tutorials for her Ignite Academy Members fairly regularly.
This is my second venture, and features the ever-popular Hydrangea. It is not an easy one for the beginners to get to grips with, but it will teach a lot of great skills and pencil control. The best thing about producing tutorials for the Academy is that I can help and encourage so many new artists.
For info, the Ignite membership is only open to new members a few times each year. There's a wait-list, but, I feel, the quantity of tutorials, support and confidence you get is beyond what most similar memberships give. The back-catalogue is immense for starters!
I don't know how long I'll be doing this, but I do make my own tutorials too. Have a look at this recent one, also on black paper!
Birthday Workshop
27 April 2025
What a wonderful couple of hours we had!!
It's become a bit of a tradition that I'll run a little workshop over the internet on my birthday, because I can't think of anything more enjoyable than spending time with fellow arty friends who want to learn something or try something new. It's the best!
This time we worked on the lovely Archie, focussing on creating that piggy pink and coarse hair texture, but also that scary background.
Obviously we couldn't quite do it all in the 2 hours, so I carried on and recorded a full tutorial to show the completion of the whole piece. It's really interesting to see that background go from nothing much, to that wonderful summery background.
You can purchase this for a very reasonable price. Click the download button for more info.
Linoprints
24 March 2025
I have been enjoying the relative simplicity of linoprinting for a few years as a hobby, and I feel like I have turned a corner recently in my skill level - though I haven't made many. But, these are just lovely, and I couldn't be happier with how they printed.
I don't have a fancy press, just some basic gouges, some nice paper and a soup spoon!
I think my favourites, the Reed Warblers on the top, are a great example of how an idea can become art. I knew I wanted to have a reflection and water but wasn't sure how to portray it. I also wanted the reeds to give some idea of depth in the top right, and wasn't sure how I'd do that either. Forgiving myself any and all mistakes, I spent a day cutting and printing over the weekend, and came away with these four beautiful prints...as well as a sore neck and tired eyes!
I've put the few prints for sale in my shop, if any of them appeal.
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A Very Lucky Cat
19 March 2025
This is Sasha and she's a very lucky cat indeed.
When she was little she was hit by a car that crushed her pelvis and she was miraculously put back together by the TV SuperVet Noel Fitzpatrick. She's fallen out of windows, been stolen by little boys, reported to the RSPCA by old ladies and poisoned by neighbours. All nine lives were thoroughly used, and she loved every one of them.
Now it's my turn to draw her likeness. Trying to capture that haughty, slightly annoyed expression, yet with those eyes you can fall into over and over again. It has been my absolute pleasure to get to know her while creating her memorial portrait.
Sasha is half Ragdoll, half mouser. A wonderful character.
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I am open for commissions during 2025. Please get in touch for a no obligation discussion and quote.
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Seeing Double...
28 February 2025
Sometimes things go a bit wrong, and when I lost the video footage for this rose the first time, I was just going to start again. Except I didn't. I carried on and did it by myself just because I was enjoying it. So, of course, I had to draw it again for the video!
But this time I love it even more!!
I think this is only the second, or third time I've ever needed to redraw something and the added pressure of filming the entire process was an added dimension that definitely slowed me down. I have a problem with maintaining focus, (I'm working on it) and I get distracted really easily, and having to stop regularly to transfer footage, give my voice a break and just review the progress, actually resulted in a better experience. I'll be recording more often from now on.
You can now purchase the full tutorial in my shop, as well as either of the originals.
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I have to draw it again
21 February 2025
This beautiful drawing nearly didn't make it! I started first with a new (to me) black paper, which I liked, but then decided I didn't. Then this one, which is on my favourite Black-Black paper, and I'm recording my progress with full narration because it is a new tutorial...but I corrupt the file and lost over 3 hours of work.
I was going to just scrap this, since I have to start over anyway...but I decide to continue just for the fun of it.
I'm so glad I did! Now I have this gorgeous drawing that I can use for promotion, or sell, (its for sale) and I get to draw it all again again.
I wonder how different the third iteration will be?
What's the focus?
21 January 2025
EDIT: Summer Garden is now complete and available to purchase.
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Who would choose to draw an giant floral artwork, where all the flowers are out of focus!?
Me, that's who!
Yep. What you see is one very small part of a much larger colour pencil drawing where the main subject is entirely out of focus. So I have been asking myself, is it a floral or is it not? The whole thing is an image of flowers behind a window covered in water droplets. Think rainy English summers, and you'll be there.
While sat for hours just blending and pushing from one colour to another, I can't help but wonder whether its the rain that is the star of this show? Only time will tell, I suppose. And maybe I'll just leave that up to the viewer to decide. But for now, I'm still working my way through, adding the raindrops, blending the background, and hoping it looks okay in the end.
Expert Artist
01 January 2025
It has been my pleasure to know Bonny Snowdon almost since we both started posting our art online, and it has been wonderful to see her build her successful colour pencil Academy from scratch. She's a fabulous teacher and mentor.
This year, she has asked me to create some fun, fabulous florals as tutorials for her members, the first of which is this glorious Dahlia on drafting film.
I've upgraded my camera and microphone and got to business back in December, and it has been so rewarding to see all the Dahlia's come to life in the Academy Facebook page. What a treat it has been.
I will be making more throughout the year, as well as making my own detailed and fullly narrated tutorials. Keep an eye on my socials or sign up to my Learning List if you're interested in learning with me outside of the Academy.
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Merry Christmas
&
Happy New Year
30 December 2024
What year that was!
I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for having had such a busy, fun and happy year. After I returned home to the UK in January, I had Christmas with my family, and catch-ups with my friends, and yes, it was hard to be home without my husband, but I knew I had to remain positive about the future, busy in the present, and grateful for the past.
And that's how I carried on.
I put myself out there. Did things I've never done before. Made new friends. Saw my favourite painting ever! Did in-person workshops and video tutorials, and started a magazine column, and got a book published (only a little one) I created new art, with new supplies, had arty-farty-afties, got very sick with shingles, and even tried to have a cat (don't ask!).
It's not often that a year surprises me, but 2024 certainly gave me hope and put a big smile on my face, in spite of all those firsts I had without my beloved George to cheer me on.
So I say to you, THANKYOU, for being part of this incredible year. THANKYOU for buying my art, or coming to my workshops, or talking to me at the Open Studios, or just liking and commenting on my socials. However we interacted, I thankyou.
With lots of love, and hope and positivity for 2025.
Helen
xx