I have been drawing all my life. Like most children I spent a great deal of time drawing people and buildings.

At the age of five I was fascinated with mermaids so perhaps this foretold my great interest in life drawing and figurative work.

I don't have a recollection of drawing many landscapes or animals. With one notable exception I did not draw a dog as an adult until I became the co-owner of a Harlequin Great Dane four years ago. Living with him has provided the background for extending my portrait work to animals.

Christmas cards were attempted as soon as I could hold a crayon. I produced home-made birthday cards on a regular basis and I still have a sheet of wrapping paper I designed for Mothers Day at the age of six.

Today pencil is my medium of choice, especially for portraits as I feel it offers the most immediate and flexible approach to capturing the sitter's features, attitude and personality. It can be soft and broad in stroke when defining large areas and fine, precise and incisive when rendering details an close focus. I generally use 5B and 6B leads as they provide the greatest range of tone.

I prefer to work on A3 acid-free paper, though the image may exist on less than the full page. A scan can be made from the original drawing to produce a giclee print in alternative sizes, colours or tints.

Completed drawings are presented with a pH-neutral mount and backing board and are ready for framing.