About Me
Hi there! I’m a Manchester-based artist with a passion for exploring color and creativity. By day, I navigate the world of marketing technology as a consultant. But when I clock out, I trade spreadsheets for canvases, transforming my love for art into vibrant oil and acrylic paintings.
Art isn’t just a hobby; it’s my escape and a wellspring of joy. I’m a self-taught artist, comfortable with both traditional drawing and venturing into the digital realm. This creative spirit isn’t new – I spent years as a graphic designer before diving into marketing tech. While design isn’t my full-time focus anymore, those skills still come in handy.
You might find traces of my design background in my volunteer work. I previously served as the marketing and PR officer for Grimsby Pride, and I also lent a hand as club secretary for the Manchester Sharks water polo club.
Want to see more of my artwork? Check out my portfolio. Interested in discussing a commissioned piece? Feel free to contact me!
Oil Paint
For my oil paintings I have started using paints from Michael Harding. They have some great pigments available and the quality is simply superb.
Acrylic Paint
My acrylic paint of choice is Winsor and Newton Artist Acrylics. The pigments are vibrant and the paint covers really well. I also pair these paints with flow enhancer and other mediums from Winsor and Newton.
Paint Markers
I use acrylic paint markers a lot in the early stages of my paintings and my brand of choice is Liquitex, although Posca markers are also great.
Brushes
I’ve used a lot of brands but my new favourites are the Ivory Synthetic range from Rosemary and Co. I also love the freestyle range from Liquitex for my acrylic work, their handle shape is great for painting at arms length.
Surfaces
When using acrylics and oils I love to work on canvas, it’s so much more forgiving and it feels more natural. Although I love Winsor and Netwon canvases, I often turn to Daler Rowney as they have amazing deals on multipacks.
My Process
I’m quite traditional in my approach to painting. No matter what the subject, I will always start with a rough sketch on paper, this helps me understand the composition of the subject and the major areas to focus on. Sometimes the sketch is spot on first time, other times it’s a good reference but lacking accuracy, this can come later though.
The next stage is to transfer to canvas, I always do this freehand except for the rare occaisions using the grid method for very large canvases. Once transfered I ground the canvas with an appropriate colour and begin an underpainting, focussing on values. I will also sometimes go over the pencil lines with an acrylic marker if i’m confident with the drawing.
After the underpainting is done I generally start the colour work, though I often have to correct elements of the drawing as I go along until the likeness starts to appear.
Water Polo
I’ve been playing with the Manchester Sharks since 2014 and it’s a big part of my life. We compete in the champagne water polo league which takes us all over europe for tournaments and provides me with a great deal of inspiration for my paintings.
My photo kit
I used to work for Canon UK so naturally I’m drawn to their products for my photography kit. It’s quite old now but my EOS 500D is still a great camera and something I still regularly use, especially for animal photograpy. I generally use an EF-S 18-135mm and EF-S 55-250mm most of the time. My newest addition is my PowerShot G7X Mark III, this is a great little camera and i use it for a lof of my video work. Last is my Pixel 4, it’s a bit old now but the low light photos are stunning and it’s a great workhorse for everyday snaps.
