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Recent creative projects shared on my Blog

WW2 diorama from scratch An opportunity to try some new building techniques
Treasure chest box Another small wooden box decorated with Marquetry
Wooden Stream Train model My 3rd model of this laser-cut slot-together construction type and no less enjoyable to build
Wooden Vintage car model My 2nd model of this type but this doesn't carry the ROKR logo and was a fraction of the price
Sycamore Gap Tree An ink drawing of this iconic tree as it was before it was so cruelly cut down
Stamps with Borders The fascination of discovering used stamps with borders still attached
Old Railway Shed This ink drawing of an old Railway Shed is the 3rd in my "Touch of Red" series
Hand Pulling Rope A pencil drawing of this Jersey statue by Derek Tristram, situated in St.Aubin, Jersey.
Puppy with Snow on his face A watercolour painting copied from a comic as asked for by my granddaughter.
Pelican I took this shot in 2016 at Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water. If you haven't been then I can highly recommend it.
ROKR 3D model I've seen these models in shops but this is the first I've ever made and the quality of the kit is outstanding.
Rowing Boat When walking around a local area of small lakes, I saw this broken and rotting old rowing boat on the opposite bank
Hexagonal Box Another marquetry piece, this time a common, cheap, plain hexagonal box, made to look unique and classy
Lion in Ink It occurred to me that I've never attempted a serious drawing of an animal using only pen and ink.
Vintage Petrol Pump My drawing of the Lakeside Cottage left me inspired to find another subject that would provide the same opportunity for a red highlight.
Faithful Servant A pencil drawing of an old and battered metal kettle
Lakeside Cottage This ink drawing of a cottage beside a lake gave me an opportunity to show off it's red roof
Puffin A watercolour painting of a Puffin for the monthly challenge in my forum
Steps at Robin Hoods Bay - 2 An ink drawing of another set of steps in this quaintand historic coastal village
D-Day Diorama - Part 3 The troops are painted and deployed and the historic scene is now complete
D-Day Diorama - Part 2 The sea, beach and German fortress are largely completed so it's time to deal with the vehicles.
D-Day Diorama - Part 1 And so it begins.... I have finally made a start on the D-Day Diorama I've been planning for so long.
Tess & Sally - a tribute in wood The final drawer of my unit was the hardest yet as I incorporated portraits of my two beloved dogs.
Badger Not very pleased with this one as trying to paint every single hair just didn't work well.
Robin on a Spade A painting for my forums challenge and some thoughts about my favourite papers and paints.
Eagle Another attempt at wood burning but also some internal reflections on why I have so many media interests.
3D Pattern Although you would expect irregular shapes like flowers to be the hardest, I actually found this to be the most difficult so far.
Target House Originally called the Archery House, read why it's name was changed.
World War II Diorama - Part 4 Finished!! It's a long way off what experts achieve but I'm pleased for my first effort.
World War II Diorama - Part 3 Not getting the realism I had hoped for but thoroughly enjoying the process.
World War II Diorama - Part 2 Lots to learn and experiment with as I begin work on the landscape.
World War II Diorama - Part 1 The beginning of my Diorama journey as I venture into the world of scale model realism.
Rose Hip Another forum project. Not a subject I would normally have chosen but I'm pleased with how it turned out.
Combining Marquetry and Pyrography So now I can add drawings to my woodwork.
Daffodil in wood More marquetry with Sand Shading as I create this Daffodil design as a drawer front.
Tulip in wood My first endeavour at Sand Shading as I create this Tulip using wood veneers.
Cannon Another forum painting project, this time one of the ornate cannons at Portmeirion in North Wales.
Turtle My attempt at the forums Monthly Painting and Drawing Project.
When is a stamp, not a stamp .... They look like postage stamps, and people call them 'stamps' but these are anything but.
Artistic Licence or not? Two drawings of my neighbours house as a gift for her, but which of the two is best?
Log Cabin - Part 2 The restoration didn't go as easily as hoped but the final end result couldn't be better.
Log Cabin - Part 1 After over a decade stood outside in all weathers, this treasured gift was falling apart.
Shire horse and Dray - Part 2 Repairing the leather by thinking outside the box saw this piece carefully reconstructed.
Shire horse and Dray - Part 1 Wishing to repair this sentimental ornament the first step was it's deconstruction.
"Maud": Finished for now I've taken it as far as I can for now and need to research how best to proceed from here.
Model boat - starting the rebuild After the deconstruction of the old model, now begins the first steps of the rebuild.
Lion With Pyrography, just as I do when drawing with a Fineliner ink pen, I allow the darker tones to build up by repetition and just kept adding marks to deepen the tones.
Surfer The waves and spray in this pencil drawing of a surfer were really challenging
Small Boat My submissions to one of the Art Forum's monthly painting and drawing challenges
The stand for the model boat I needed to think outside the box to make a presentable job of the stand
"Kiya" Another sad loss prompts this Pastel painting of a much loved Cocker Spaniel
Old Fishing Boat A Pen & Wash painting and an ink sketch of an old boat that doesn't look seaworthy
Stamp Collecting A brief introduction to my Stamp collection and why I like old, damaged stamps with no value
Making progress with the boat The sanding is not as straightforward as I'd expected and I think I need a support jig for the hull
Boys and their toys My adventure into remote control vehicles and a few photo's of my new truck going through it's paces.
"Buddy" Another pet portrait drawn using Pastel Pencils.
An intriguing discovery The next stage of work on my model boat uncovers an intriguing surprise.
Kitten on fence Our Art Forum runs many projects and challenges and this is my entry for one of them.
Steps at Robin Hoods Bay A Pen & Ink drawing of cobbled steps in the coastal village of Robin Hoods Bay.
A toy that's never been played with A childhood toy boat that I will make into a wooden keepsake.
Irish Church A Pen & Ink drawing of a semi-ruined church I found in Ireland.
Rocky & Alfie After a second sad loss I am moved to dig out my Pastel Pencils.
More Wood Burning Moving back to Pyrography (wood burning) it's time to try a more complex scene.
My First box Another practice for my marquetry project but this time to understand how to veneer a box.
Artistic Licence Keen to draw a snowscene using Pen & Ink I couldn't find the exact subject I was looking for.
Lighthouse in storm Following previous 'stormy sea' pencil drawings I decided it was time for another.
Practice for major project A major marquetry project in my mind needs a good practice run.
Steam engine 41218 A pencil drawing of a steam engine that was part of a boyhood memory.
Flowers design for drawers A set of plain wooden drawers being decorated with marquetry designs.
Nothing ventured.... I had no idea how this Pen & Ink Washes drawing of a country home would turn out.
Harley Davidson Looking for a challenging subject to draw I chose this picture of a Harley Davidson motorbike.
Pyrography - Second attempt I was so pleased with my first wood-burning attempt that I decided to jump straight in and have another go
Trying my hand at Pyrography Seeing online videos about Pyrography (wood burning) I knew it was something I had to try.
Iris A watercolour painting of one of the many Irises I inherited when I moved into this house.
Second attempt at Marquetry For this second attempt at Marquetry I tried a different technique to see which method I prefer
Marquetry - my first attempt Having stumbled across Marquetry online this is an account of my first efforts at having a go for myself