My Sketchbook Practice

  • A watercolor painting of a rural garden scene with a woman walking among tall yellow and pink flowers, a white house with a red-tiled roof in the background, and lush green trees and bushes surrounding the area.

    On location in Portugal

  • A watercolor painting of a coastal scene in Mallorca with rocky cliffs, trees, pink flowers in the foreground, and a lighthouse on a hill in the background.

    On location in Mallorca

  • Hand-drawn illustration of a woman in a wide-brimmed hat watering flowers in a garden with pink, yellow, purple, and orange flowers.

    In the Garden

  • Watercolor landscape of two lakesides with boats, grass, and trees, in a sketchbook.

    Mannintree in the Winter

  • A watercolor painting of a child in a green raincoat and striped shoes at the beach, walking along the shoreline next to a large boat, in a sketchbook. The sky is light blue with few clouds, and the scene is calm and serene.

    Exploring Mersea Island

  • Watercolor painting of a person reading a newspaper on a bench in a lush garden with trees, plants, and wooden frames, under a cloudy sky. Travel sketchbook

    On location in Portugal

  • Drawing of a person wearing a hoodie and beanie riding a scooter in various positions and angles.

    Scooting

  • A watercolor illustration of a child picking apples in September on the left and a cluster of ripe cherry tomatoes on the vine on the right.

    Picking apples and tomatoes

  • Watercolor painting of pink poppies and strawberry plants with green leaves in a sketchbook

    Poppies and strawberries

  • Watercolor painting of a lush green landscape with trees, grass, and a small body of water reflecting the trees in a sketchbook

    Location painting in Little Clacton

  • Watercolor illustrations of five different wildflowers, labeled from left to right: wild geranium, cosmos, rock rose, umbrella milkweed, and another yellow flower in a sketchbook

    Flower Studies

  • Hand-painted illustration of various potted flowers on a windowsill and a hand holding a bouquet of mixed flowers. The illustration is labeled 'Studio flowers April 2023' at the top left corner.

    Spring Flowers

  • Two botanical illustrations of flowering plants side by side. The left depicts a plant with pink and red flowers, labeled 'hollyhocks'. The right shows a plant with green round leaves and small orange, pink, and yellow flowers, labeled 'nasturium July' in red.

    hollyhocks and nasturtiums

My sketchbook practice is the cornerstone of my development as an illustrator and artist, it’s a place for exploration and idea generation. I view my sketchbooks as little idea factories; places where I experiment with new ideas, capture moments of everyday life, and test out techniques. Whether I’m looking for reference images of children playing, coming up with a new painting tutorial, or experimenting with mixed media, my sketchbooks are always my first point of call.

I work across several sketchbooks at once: one dedicated to full colour paintings on thicker paper, another filled with rough black and white sketches, and a third focused on preliminary ideas and notes for client projects. I’m inspired by nature, travel, the ever-changing landscape of East Anglia, the seasons, and my son. In my sketchbooks I work in gouache, watercolours, pastels, coloured pencils, and Artgraf.

Above, you can have a virtual flick through of my sketchbooks and have a peek into my creative process.

I’ve written a book, Keeping a Creative Sketchbook, published by Running Press, which explores the importance of sketchbooks for any creative. If you’re interested in developing your own sketchbook practice, I also run a dedicated Patreon account where I share insights and techniques to help fellow artists grow.