Ever tried lifting pigment with tape instead of drawing every single leaf? This technique can save hours on detailed textures and create effects that are surprisingly difficult to achieve by hand. I'll show you exactly how to do it safely - plus when it works brilliantly and when to avoid it altogether.

Five 30-minute sketches of bluebells revealed more than just technical approaches. Through testing different surfaces and mediums - hot press paper, fineliner, Pastelmat, and mixed media - I discovered I didn't actually want to draw individual flowers, but rather the woodland scenes they created. These quick studies saved me hours of work on a detailed piece I wouldn't have enjoyed, while teaching me specific techniques to apply in future projects. Quick sketches aren't procrastination - they're valuable research that can dramatically improve your artistic process.

Neutral red, blue, and yellow primaries are unicorn colours – they simply don't exist in most of our pencil collections. Instead, our blues lean toward green or purple, our reds toward orange or purple, and our yellows toward green or orange. Understanding this bias has transformed my approach to coloured pencil work. Discover how recognizing and working with these biases can help you create more vibrant secondaries, develop natural shadows, and recover from colour mishaps with precision rather than frustration. I'll share my split primary experiment, the pink jumper challenge, and why Luminance Violet Grey has become my magical "fixer pencil" for orange fur.

Self-doubt made me put my pencil down for years. Returning to art as an adult, I found joy in precision and detail, but something was missing. Through three months of five-minute cat sketches, I rediscovered the simple pleasure of quick drawing. These sketching approaches have enhanced my observation skills and brought a lightness to my commissioned work. Perhaps they might add something valuable to your artistic practice too.

Challenging textures, reflections, and personal moments - my monochrome drawings began with subjects I found daunting. By embracing the limitations of a single colour family, I discovered a powerful way to develop core artistic skills. Value perception, compositional clarity, and texture mastery improved dramatically once colour matching was set aside. Learn how working with 4-5 carefully selected pencils can transform your artistic practice and create deeper connections with viewers through the quiet power of monochrome.

From frustrating chore to creative joy: my journey with line art creation led me to an unexpected digital solution. After years of graphite smudges and transfer headaches, a modest £50 drawing tablet transformed my approach to this essential foundation. Discover how to create clean, precise line art that serves your drawing process, including my surprisingly simple technique for determining which details actually matter.

From pink cats to perfect recipes: my deep dive into ginger fur colours revealed surprising patterns across pencil brands. Through systematic testing (and a slightly chaotic kitchen-table experiment), I discovered how different pencils work together to capture that distinctive orange glow. Here's what I learned about building colour combinations for realistic ginger fur.

From frustration to favourites: my journey through different papers led to unexpected breakthroughs in technique. Looking at the same subject on different surfaces reveals how paper choice shapes both process and result. Here's what I've learned about matching surfaces to your artistic style

I share my step-by-step journey through dense foliage - where careful planning, unexpected solutions, and a few muttered expletives led to new techniques for creating depth in dark areas.

Forget everything you know about drawing clouds - discover how negative space and gentle transitions can transform your approach to these ethereal subjects.

Sometimes the most powerful compositions come from instinct rather than rules - discover how your artistic eye is already working its magic.

Big projects aren't just about size - they're about ambition, growth, and finding joy in stepping beyond your comfort zone.