Biography

Usual story, drew from an early age blah blah blah. Actually, I was rubbish until I was fourteen. I remember before that all the boys in class being excellent at school and drawing battle fields and castles. I couldn’t. I was also jealous but never-the-less kept at it.

When my little sister was born when I was fourteen my dad took my on a long weekend to Norfolk, and there I bought a book on pencil drawing techniques. Within a couple of days I had actually completed my first real drawing – a tree. Great thing about trees is that if you get them wrong no one knows! I spent along time just drawing trees.

After that I drew a pillow, called it ‘comfort in HB’. How sad. But it was the start of a love of drawing and black and white illustration. Soon I was taking commissions…. from the rest of the church youth group. Mainly copying stuff. My first commission was Peter Rabbit (the girls liked that kind of thing) and I was paid £10, which covered the cost of my book that I bought.

Since then I have drawn off an on for profit or pleasure, having an uneasy relationship with turning profit from art, until I began working as a schools specialist with Scripture Union. SU are a large Christian book publishers, and I came to the notice of a couple of people. Thanks to them I have been paid for what I love, and still maintain a regular income from the key role I am employed for in schools work. It’s enough to keep me busy, but relaxed enough so that it won’t take over my life.

I get asked why I draw in so many different styles. I guess that it’s a love I have for drawing and illustrating, and I enjoy a challenge. I read something in an article recently that said that a person who has one style will be paid a lot to illustrate in that style whilst it is popular, but when it is not popular they will get nothing. But the person who has many different styles will never be rich, but will always have work. I have put this site together with that in mind because I want to show case a sample from all my published work. Some I think is better than others, but all of it has been received incredibly positively as it is in a style that has been requested.

NOTES ON THE BOOKS

10 Rulz. The first full book I illustrated. All told there were 120 illustrations, all in a loose cartoon style which had to be drawn in a 3 week turn around. I also illustrated the front cover.