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Why I draw and paint daily

If I don’t draw and paint every day I don’t know when I will. I started trying to teach myself to draw and paint properly in 2011, but it was a side project to help fill the walls of my pottery studio. And over 2011 and 2012 I would fill quite a few sketchbooks, especially at the start of 2012, when we had another had our second child due, but my eldest was at preschool, so when we went out together I would take a sketchbook and practice and practice from life.

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My youngest was born in the summer of 2012 and I decided to professionalize my teaching skills, I had been teaching ceramics and that was the main earner but I wanted to get better at teaching. So I applied for a teaching qualification and got into the program and despite the fact I was teaching art at a sixth form I rarely picked up a brush, pen or pencil.

In fact between caring for my young family, and doing teaching prep and assignments for my university course, I was working in placement four days a week, and on the fifth day, I was at University in classes. I forgot how much I enjoyed it over that year and didn’t really pick up on drawing much at all till I had finished my Master’s degree which was a completely different course.

first three days of acrylic painting in 2016

By this time it was 2016 and four years had escaped me, and I knew I was probably going to have to find work so ceramics was out of the way of finding the calming influence of the flow state, where you forget everything else apart from what is in your hands with a narrow focus and the world is blinkered without care.

As a teenager, my dream had been to be an artist and create spaceships for Lucas film and with my pottery, I was also looking at doing sgraffito through layers of slip on my pottery and loved drawing boats and bins, so threw myself into practising those days by day.

I quickly found my pace and I got up at 5 am every day so I would have some alone time without the children to paint. I also found a day job working in a school so then I was term time and school time so then I was around with my children and I did that until getting furloughed in early 2020 and then never went back after my furlough ended.

I also really enjoy drawing and painting every day it is the highlight, of my day. For me the drawing is the more challenging stage, laying down watercolour I can reach the flow state where you forget everything around you, and honestly it is so relaxing.

I honestly wish that all I had to do day by day was to paint, just relaxed not worry about everything that needs to be done from marketing to trying to sell all the work I am producing on a day-by-day basis. Eventually, I will find a way to be prolific and sell enough to remove the stress of selling.

Another reason I draw every day is because it helps me improve, I am always trying to push what I can draw, the quality of the marks that I make, and most importantly whether I focus on ceramics or painting it helps improve my fine motor skills which because I am very dyspraxic and clumsy by nature, and had Occupational Therapy as a teenager where I worked on my gross motor skills and learnt to finally catch by sitting on a chair and through a can of deodorant hundreds of times till I could throw it and catch it without landing on my head.

There was also a void without painting in my life and I don’t want that void back again. I always felt like I was missing something, which is why I am currently working on a secret project, make sure you are on the mailing list to be one of the first to here about the project when it gets launched soon!

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Views of Preston

Views of Preston

Views of Preston is my first ever book, it has 56 pages and is all the drawing I did to prepare for Derelict Art of the City micro-residency. I’m really excited to share it with people, and it is available in the shop

My favourite pieces in the book I also made into a series of 5 prints It was amazing working with Derelict themselves and was an amazing opportunity to draw and I will be making my own drawings in combination with workshop participants into a digital book.

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Blackpool Burger Bar

Blackpool Burger Bar


Burgers, Donuts, Fish and Chips

Blackpool is a hive of activity, selling food to holiday makers along the seafront is a lucrative business. every space is taken up between food and B&Bs and even entertainment.

Original A4 watercolour painting with drawing in ink and posca markers.

 

This screams Blackpool

  • Lots of buildings, huts
  • All serving food, sweet treats
  • Along the seafront
  • buy here

 

 

 

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Largs Sea Front Views

Such a fun word, Largs

  • means “the slopes”
  • Vikings and scots battled here
  • home of Vikingar!
  • Buy here

Largs Sea Front Views


A strange sort of tourist trap

My wife is from East Ayrshire in Scotland so when we are visiting we often visit Largs seafront, visit the Viking Museum, go on the ferry, eat fish and chips followed by a round of ice cream. The scene itself is from Aitken St, Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland.

Original A4 painting watercolour, posca markers and fountain pen

 

 

 

 

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We Don’t Promote Gambling

Cleveleys Town Centre

  • just pen and ink
  • I made a series without watercolour
  • Love the colour of this blue ink
  • buy here

We Don’t Promote Gambling


It’s just the shapes were interesting

I promise it has very little to do with gambling as I don’t do it myself and none of my art so far is sponsored by any companies, or has even been used to promote any companies. If you need an illustrator for your business contact me.

Cleveleys is close by only being the next town over from Fleetwood and only a short trip on the tram. And has quite a few buildings with character.

original A5 pen and ink drawing on white card.

 

 

 

 

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Sketchbook Adventures The Stone Grill

Sketchbook Adventures The Stone Grill


More Blackpool architecture that overlooks the seafront.

I enjoy working quickly especially as this paper absorbs ink, especially if you hold the pen still even for a fraction of a second. It can be a fun challenge working fast enough whilst still retaining the readability of the sketch.

This drawing is of The Stone Grill, which overlooks the sea at the north end of Blackpool, away from the bright lights of Blackpool itself and much closer to the Norbreck Castle, which is unique in being nothing like a castle.

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Golden Mile Amusements

Golden Mile Amusements


A stones throw from Blackpool’s golden sands

The Golden Mile in Blackpool lies between the Pleasure Beach in the South with the South Pier past all the amusements, the Blackpool Tower and finishes at the North Pier. This stretch is Golden because it is where all the foot traffic is and you see crowds in the summer walking along the Golden Mile using businesses as they go.

It was the boom in the town that had my Grandad’s family of blacksmiths move to the coast from Myerscough. The promise of work and trade brought them to this area of the coast in the 19th century near what was the Blackpool Central station. The rest of that family moved to Fleetwood and they worked alongside the boat builders in Fleetwood.

 

Isn’t Blackpool Amusing

  • Seafront covered with entertainment
  • Interesting Architecture
  • Sea-life Centre
  • Click here to buy