August has been another non-stop month, full of firsts, including my first One Day Coloured Pencil Workshop, my first botanical drawing, the first of my free live events, and much more! Scroll down to find out what I’ve been getting up to this month…

One Day Workshop 

At the beginning of the month, I ran my very first One Day Workshop, and I was joined by 100 other artists as we mastered the art of layering. It was a fabulous day as we all got together to draw a horse’s hair and ears, and I taught everyone the useful techniques they need to start creating more realistic drawings. There were some amazing drawings by the end of the session, and we all had such a fun time chatting, drawing and learning. 

I’ve already decided on the subject for my next One Day Workshop, which I’m running on Sunday 23rd October from 10 AM to 4 PM (UK time). This time, I’ll be teaching you how to draw a realistic human eye in coloured pencil, and we’ll be focussing on adding dark and light values into a drawing, so you can start creating more striking and dramatic drawings. The best thing about this workshop is that all of the skills I’ll be teaching are completely transferable, so, even if you don’t plan on drawing a human again in the future, you’ll be able to take what you’ve learned and apply it to any subject you draw. 

My First Botanical Drawing

You might have noticed that I’ve been trying my hand at drawing subjects outside of the animal kingdom recently, and my latest challenge was a sunflower. I have to say, the drawing actually turned out to be a lot less challenging than I’d expected, and it gave me a really great chance to focus less on every little detail and more on the values of the drawing instead. 

I’ve been really enjoying trying something new and drawing subjects that are outside of my comfort zone. It’s given me a chance to apply the skills I use in my animal portraits in a different way, and it’s made me fall even further in love with coloured pencil drawing, which I didn’t think was possible! 

Live Draw Along

Last weekend, I ran a special Live Draw Along for those on my Academy waitlist, and I was joined by 1400 coloured pencil artists of all skill sets as we drew an adorable little kitten in just two hours. It was a brilliant session. I always love these speedy draw-alongs, as they give you the chance to loosen up a little, stop worrying about the small details and focus on the values and texture of a piece.

I’m running the last of these free live events this Sunday and, this time, I’ll be holding a special confidence session, where I’ll be showing you how the Jelly Baby Tree can help you to understand your current mindset and skillset, gain confidence, set goals, and create a clear plan of action so you can progress and reach your coloured pencil dreams!  It’s going to be a brilliant event with lots of laughs and really useful insights, and you’ll leave it with a renewed sense of motivation and clarification, that you can channel into your artwork.

The Academy Countdown is On! 

I can’t believe I’m saying it, but on Monday 5th September (that’s just three days away!), my Academy is reopening to welcome new members! It feels like just yesterday that the doors opened and I welcomed my last cohort of artists into the membership!

This is always such an exciting time of year for me, as I know I’m just days away from meeting new, aspiring artists who are ready to take their artwork to the next level and start growing in confidence. It’s not too late to sign up to the waitlist if you haven’t already. Sign up before Monday 5th September if you’d like to start learning new skills, creating more realistic drawings and become a part of this special and supportive community. 

To join the waitlist, click here.