In addition to the final celebrity sitter, finalists are required to make a portrait of a loved one - in this case, I painted my housemate and best friend, Matt. In this blog post and in my desire to teach people about monoprinting, I wanted to discuss this portrait, including the process, challenges and certain decisions I made before painting Brian Cox in the last leg of the competition. Matt, Housemate 2025 Mixed-media (monotype, watercolour and pastel) on Hahnemühle paper

So, the final is here, and if you've already watched the episode, you'd know that I am honoured to have been named the winner of this year's Portrait Artist of the Year competition! I've made a separate post about the commission piece I made of my housemate and best friend, Matt, which you can read here . Before getting into the thick of my portrait of Brian Cox, I wanted to talk a bit about making a monotype for the finals. Like my other posts, I've broken up my blog into th

Nearly 7 months after the filming, I am finally able to share my experience of the heats of PAOTY 2025. And before I get into the details of my heat portrait (and spoilers), I am excit ed to share that I've advanced to the semi-finals of the competition! I thought I'd break up the post into three sections: the prep aration , my experience of the day , and my final portrait and afterthoughts . The Preparation As a monoprinter, I need access to an etching press to print my plat

In my first post discussing the application to Portrait Artist of the Year 2025, I mentioned that I wanted to dedicate a separate entry to talk about the self-portrait I created and submitted for this year's competition. Outside Battersea Arts Centre, April 2025 I've spent many years developing my practice, thinking about how and why I work as a creative and individual and what this means for my art. I am a process lead person and during the last 10+ years, I've trialled diff

At the very beginning of 2025, I saw the call out for Sky Portrait Artist of the Year and I am excited to share that I am one of 72...