It's all about Practice: how my style has developed and when doing what you love, you have to practice every day.

This weekend I handed over a "Soul Portrait: Family" to an old school friend.  She has remarried and suddenly her family of two had grown exponentially, to seven.  

I had the honour of giving them a Soul Portrait: Family as a wedding gift. 

We go back a long way, over 40 years  (yikes!) as our mothers were very friendly. We shared a love of hanging out every Saturday and playing with our Tiny Tears and Teeny Tiny Tears.  But secretly, we mostly loved sneaking into her older brothers' bedroom, they had a pool table in there and lots of games - it was in the attic, with mucho nook and crannies to snoop!

I have been creating family commissions now for three years, mostly on canvas, and my work has evolved over these years. When I look back at the very first ones I can see how I have developed faces. That very first one winged its way to Israel and is still pride of place in their apartment.  

The intentions were still there; I still weaved Reiki healing and blessings, but the style was all with acrylic paint.

I was in Ryman's last week, the stationary store and I began talking to the assistant as I was buying more pens (for those who know me, you'll laugh at my love of pens and stationary!) 

She asked to see my work and as I have my portfolio on my iPhone, I showed her.  She told me how she would love to draw 'just like that' but 'just can't.'  

"There's no such word as 'cant' I tell her - you just have to practice and seek out tuition along the way to discover basics."

I tell her that I have been trying to learn to draw faces all my life, from the very first time I created my own children's book in primary school.  

I never ever thought I'd be able to draw a face.

In fact, I avoided them at all costs and tried to draw landscapes and flowers (which I still do constantly).

I hesitated with portraits because I looked around me and saw wonderful faces and thought "I'll never be able to draw that".

I was absolutely right.

I would never draw 'like that' because, well, we have to find our own style.  

Find our own Way.

We may take tuition or an online class that helps us to draw faces and teaches us basics, but ultimately it boils down to practising every day and honing our own style.

We never know if we're ever going to find it, or discover it and we look in awe at others who have their own artistic style.  

We wish, we wish that we could find ours.

It is only in perseverance and daily commitment (even for just 10 minutes), do we start to see our own artistic style appear.

The girl in Rymans agreed and I left the shop, hoping that she would pursue her dream and find a class so she could find her style.  

We always tell ourselves that we're no good as artists and I truly believe that we're just comparing ourselves to someone else's painting/picture/photograph and trying to get 'there'.  

We'll never get 'there'.  Because, well, that's just 'theirs'.

We are US.

We have to find our own way.  

So when I look back at my paintings over the last 3 years and I look at what I have done over the last 6 months, I finally realise that I have found my style. 

My practice is paying off - I'm finding me and in that, I'm able to draw you.

I don't replicate your photographs - what would be the point of that? It will be an interpretation of you that you'll love and you'll look in your own eyes and see yourself.

Your eyes.

I spend heaps of time, looking at your photographs when I'm drawing you and your family.  I'm not copying, I'm getting a sense of who you are and translating that onto paper.

It's a magical process for me.

I love it.

Now, my art is very much focused on illustration on paper, with pens, markers, more pens and heaps of magic.  

I love working this way.  

So here's a trip down memory lane (for me) and maybe an introduction to you, so you can see just how I have developed and how I have found my style.

I know you can find yours - in whatever medium you choose; pastels, watercolours, oil paints, charcoal, recyled materials, sculpture, furniture, flower arranging, creating music, writing stories.

It's all there for the taking.

We are creative beings at source and we have to honour that.  If we keep it numbed down, then it numbs us down.

Find what you love and practice every day.

Because I can vouch for the fact that you mustn't give up.  You have to keep on carrying on to find what out makes your heart sing.

So that when you look at it, you'll know.

You've found your own style.

I'd like to share with you my new additions to Soul Portraits and that's the mini Snapshot Videos that take you through the process from sketch to colour, interspersed with blessings and lots of love.  Check out the video below to see the latest one I did for my friend.

What would you love to develop but you keep putting off because you look at someone else's and think you'll never do it like them?

Let me know in the comments below - let's talk about it.


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My very first canvas, sent all the way to Israel.

My second commission for a family who wanted the word LOVE built int here and symbolic jewellery.

Another canvas flew to Israel.

A Wedding Day Commission.

You can begin to see the shift. I'm now illustrating on paper.