About

About me

Have you worn many hats in your life? Most would say, of course — haven’t you? Well, yes, and some were peculiar. As a curator at the Tower of London, I carried flintlock pistols and once used a dust cloth to clean Henry VIII’s codpiece. I was the only one small enough to get into the display cabinet. I’ve freelanced for the BBC and ITV as a model maker. And worked for over 20 years as a professional illustrator, working with a host of clients. Some you will know, like Templar Publishing, OUP, Hodder Children’s Books, and Eleanor Curtain Publishing.

As a creative, it’s good practice to listen, and I practice a lot. Yes, I’m full of ideas, but I provide a service. It’s important to be flexible, isn’t it? It’s always good to take on board what a client wants, but it’s wise to advise too. One of the most unusual commissions I’ve ever had has to be the time I created Jane Austen-inspired artwork for a lingerie company (I suspect Jane Austen didn’t expect Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy to appear on women’s nighties)! I have even worked as a librarian (managed to squeeze that in somehow).

I guess my CV reads like a crazy comedy-saga. So I do hope (at the very least) it isn’t boring. More recently, I have started writing and have been fortunate enough to have two short stories broadcast on BBC Radio Kent — more than once!

My illustrative style

As an artist, I create original artwork. I work in pencil with digitally drawn elements. I particularly enjoy creating character illustrations of animals and nature. So it is no surprise that I am turning my garden into a wildlife holiday resort with bug hotels and dens for ‘glamping’ hedgehogs. However, I’ve had mixed success with bees and leave that job to my lavender.

What else would you like to know?

Well, I live by the sea in a village called Birchington-on-Sea. It is a large village, but in many ways still feels quaint. My local high street is home to beautiful flower boxes, crocheted postboxes and trees. Yes, even the trees are kept warm in the winter. The local library is besieged with crocheted characters from every children’s book you can think of. It’s wonderful and cosily eccentric. And then there’s the bay. Farmland rolls down to the sandy, seaweed beach, lined with beach huts frosted with sea foam. There you can find a friendly welcome from the most greedy seagulls in the universe! Beware the chip thief and you’ll be fine.

Anyway, that probably covers it. So it only leaves me to say, enjoy my website. At least, I hope you do!