49 Comments

    1. Thank you so much Lisa. I really would like to hear your voice one day. Try to get the Pergammon tool. It has a smaller ball pint than most and is good for hairs etc as well as veins.

      There is another technique for veins I will show next tme😊💕

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        1. You could always start a youtube channel that is unlisted and just post the links on WP. That would both be free and would not use your WP storage allowance😊. I just started one before upgrading my WP plan. If I make it public it will get a bigger audience too. For now I may post in both places.

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  5. Darren I’m delighted to know you a little bit more by hearing your voice! Well done with your first post, very accessible and interesting! Wishing you every success with your video upgrade and a big increase in followers as you share your amazing talent!

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  6. I love this new departure! Really interesting to see how you work. I am going to share this with my arty daughter. Out of interest, where did your botanical art come from? Has it always been a hobby or do you have an arty job? I ask because my daughter is 14 and thinking about career choices. She is very creative and loves drawing and making, but also loves computing. I don’t know where to start in advising her – would love for her to gain work experience to inform her decisions. Any thoughts would be welcome!!

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    1. Thank you Ali😊.

      I sympathise with your daughter. We have a niece a couple of years older who will be thinking about university next year.

      I always wanted to work in science. And I do – I am an environmental chemist for a research institute at Lancaster university.

      I don’t enjoy it. I would never recommend going into academia in this country. You get all the corporate BS but without the pay.

      Though I work as a chemist my degree is in biology. And my interest in plants and nature came from my paternal grandfather.

      The art thing is funny. I have always been able to draw but was never encouraged at home or school. Then one day after ten years of marriage my wife bought me a drawing pad and pencils and said she thought I should try drawing. When she came home that night she was somewhat taken aback by my competent drawing of a cyclamen pot plant on our windowsill. She never knew I could draw.

      When I was in my early 40s I saw an advert for a botanical art coloured pencil weekend course at our nearby adult college. The tutor, Susan Christopher-Coulson, recognised my potential and encouraged me to do further courses, culminating the the Society of Botanical Artists diploma course which I completed with a distinction in 2016.

      So at the moment it is a hobby which I am now turning into something that might bring in some money and maybe one day replace my unloved day job.

      I guess the message is that I think it unrealistic to choose your life direction in your teens. Things change as you grow up. I never knew what I wanted to do with my life until I was in my 40s.

      With regards your daughter. Has she considered graphic design/ digital art/ games design/ animation? It is mostly digital these days and would appeal to both her interests.

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        1. Thank you SO much Sharon 🙂 What a lovely comment.
          I’d be happy to take the risk now and throw myself into art full time. Especially given my projects with Lisa and Dominique which look promising. My wife is rather more cautious however 🙂

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