At first glance, you might wonder why an artist known for pet portraits and teaching beginners would decide to draw a skull wrapped in flowers and vines.

The answer is simple.

Think back to when you were a child.

You probably drew without giving it a second thought. Dinosaurs, houses, superheroes, pets, trees, cars... whatever captured your imagination found its way onto a piece of paper.

You didn't worry whether it was good enough.

You simply enjoyed creating.

Then, somewhere along the way, many of us stopped.

Every artist has been there.

You finally find an hour to sit down with your sketchbook, sharpen your pencil (or biro), make yourself a cup of tea... and then spend the next twenty minutes wondering what on earth to draw.

The blank page can be surprisingly intimidating.

Fortunately, there's a simple exercise I come back to whenever I feel short of ideas, and it's one that works just as well for complete beginners as it does for experienced artists.

Many people would love to draw more, but struggle to find the time.

Not because they are lazy. Not because they lack ability. Usually because drawing gets pushed behind work, family, chores, screens and the feeling that you need a big block of time to make it worthwhile.

But drawing does not have to start with a full afternoon, a perfect setup or a finished piece of artwork.

It can start with ten minutes, a pencil and something simple in front of you.

If you are a beginner, the aim is not to suddenly become brilliant overnight. The aim is to make drawing feel possible, enjoyable and part of your normal week.

Sometimes the best drawing subjects are not dramatic landscapes, carefully posed portraits, or perfectly arranged still life setups. Sometimes they are simply what is right in front of you.

Recently, I made a short time-lapse drawing in Procreate of my own legs and trainers. Nothing staged. Nothing complicated. Just an everyday view, captured digitally on a tablet.

And that is exactly what I like about digital drawing. It removes a lot of the barriers.

Instead of asking yourself:

"What should I draw?"

Try asking:

"What can I leave out?"

It sounds backwards, but one of the most important skills in drawing isn't adding detail.

It's knowing when to stop.

One of the biggest misconceptions in drawing is that every piece of artwork needs to become a finished piece.

Many beginners sit down to draw and immediately feel pressure.

The drawing needs to be good.
It needs to be accurate.
It needs to be something worth showing people.

Unfortunately, that pressure often becomes one of the biggest barriers to improvement.

That's where a sketchbook can become incredibly valuable.

One of the questions I'm asked most often by new students is:

"What medium should I start with?"

The answer is usually simpler than people expect.

There isn't a single "best" medium.

Each medium offers different possibilities, challenges and ways of working.

The real goal is finding the one that you enjoy enough to keep picking up and practising.

One of the biggest things that stops people enjoying drawing is the belief that everything needs to be perfectly accurate.

Perfect proportions.
Perfect perspective.
Perfect realism.

But some of the most interesting drawings are not exact copies at all.

They’re interpretations.

People often assume highly detailed pet portraits are created with paint or digitally.

In reality, most of my portraits are created using coloured pencils on drafting film a combination that allows for an incredible amount of control, layering and detail.

It’s also a process that takes time, patience, and a slightly different approach to drawing.

There’s something different about drawing when you’re outside.

You’re not working from a perfect photo.
You’re not adjusting composition on a screen.
You’re standing there, looking, deciding what matters and committing to it in ink.

That shift changes everything.

It takes just 24 seconds to watch this portrait come to life.

In reality, it takes a lot longer.

Anyone can create something that looks like a pet.

The real difference is whether it actually feels like them.

That’s where detail comes in.

There’s something incredibly special about turning a home into a piece of art.

Whether it’s a first home, a family house full of memories, or a gift for someone moving on, a hand-drawn house portrait captures more than just bricks and windows, it captures a moment in time.

I’ve recently started sharing more of my process, and below you can watch a full timelapse of a house portrait coming to life from start to finish.

Creating a hand-drawn pet portrait is far more than simply copying a photograph. It’s a careful, considered process that takes time, skill, and attention to detail at every stage.

If you’ve ever wondered what actually goes into a custom portrait and why they are priced the way they are this guide will walk you through it.

It’s one of the most common things I hear:

“I can’t draw.”
“I’m just not artistic.”
“I was never any good at it.”

And it’s never true.

Not everything I do is highly detailed.

I enjoy working on precise, carefully rendered drawings, but it’s just as important to step away from that and sketch more loosely from time to time.

This is a recent study focusing on the eye.

I’ve always found this is where a drawing really comes to life.

I always enjoy drawing cockers.

They have so much expression in their eyes and face, and capturing those small details is what really brings a portrait to life.

Hello, I’m Mark.

I’m a pet portrait artist and private art tutor based in South West London…