Chaffinch

This small watercolour bird illustration has a delicate luminosity and draws on a love of stained glass.

It was the first picture in which I felt my illustrative style began to emerge. I started to utilise naturalistic figurative elements whilst allowing for a personal interpretation free from over-reliance on realism as such.

Working in this way brought creative freedom, and I have continued to enjoy painting like this ever since. It enabled me to explore colour more freely, as well as incorporate pattern and other decorative elements in my work.

Birds have since featured in some of my later designs: Blues Tits and Daisies, Chaffinches and Roses, Hummingbirds and Lemon Blossom and my ‘Boho Birds’ wallpaper design.