Creative, Illustration
Creative, Illustration
Creative, Illustration
Creative, Illustration, Magazine
Creative, Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
Creative
I’ve been passionate about drawing for as long as I can remember. As a child a packet of felt tips and a jotter pad would keep me amused for hours. At school I would illustrate everything, whatever the subject. From chemistry diagrams to trigonometry triangles, I would always focus on the pictures. I was born to be an illustrator!
I’ve been freelance for over 15 years now, working for countless clients including Scholastic, Oxford University Press, HarperCollins, Constable and Robinson, Horrible Science Magazine and Girlguiding UK to name but a few.
I am a nature geek and love being outside. So I feel I am perfectly placed, happily living and working in the heart of the Cotswolds in Winchcombe, near Cheltenham.
I specialise in children’s illustration and cartoons. I draw my artwork by hand and then colour it digitally (although I love the opportunity to dust off my watercolours from time to time!). I especially like to draw animals, maps, architecture and vehicles, the more complicated the better!
I also teach beginners drawing, life drawing and like to get out and about doing events and workshops at schools and festivals.
Please get in touch if you’d like to see any more work, to request some sample artwork or if you would like to chat about possible commissions or workshops. I’m always happy to help and would love to hear from you.
Lisa Maurer, Managing Editor– Schwager & Steinlein Verlag, Köln, Germany
Duncan Proudfoot, Publishing Director– Robinson, Piatkus, Constable & Robinson, London, UK
Jason Pelta, Director– Pages Creative, Cheltenham UK
Nicolle Thomas– Scholastic
Creating art is a great way to stimulate the brain and anyone can do it! My classes are very friendly and relaxed, and I teach in Winchcombe and surrounding areas. Absolute beginners are very welcome. Please see details below and get in touch if you would like more information.
DRAWING FOR BEGINNERS – ONLINE CLASS
This is a virtual class for beginners but it is suitable for any ability. It will cover the basics and fundamentals of drawing. It requires a basic list of materials which are easy and inexpensive to obtain. I will email out a task every Wednesday and will be available to offer support by email, phone or text. I will individually critique each students’ work by email. Task sent out every Wednesday morning. £10 per week, 6 week term.
WATERCOLOUR FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS – ONLINE CLASS
Are you keen to try your hand at painting with watercolours but unsure where to start? This course will cover everything you need to know, starting with the basics and gradually progressing to experimental and contemporary techniques. We will cover paper, brushes, painting techniques, using colour, composition and draw our inspiration from several different sources with an emphasis on nature and the landscape. Suitable for beginners or those wishing to improve their existing skills.
This course requires a list of materials which are easy to obtain. I will email out a task every Wednesday and will be available to offer support by email, phone or text. I will individually critique each students’ work by email. Task sent out every Wednesday morning. £10 per week, 6 week term.
BEGINNERS’ DRAWING AND PAINTING – THIS CLASS IS CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19
This class is for anyone that would like to learn how to draw but is worried they would be intimidated by a regular class. Even if you haven’t picked up a pencil for years I can help you to find your hidden creative talent.
I cover all of the basics, line, shading, capturing light and texture, composition, using colour, perspective, portraiture, landscape and still life. The list goes on and on. This is a friendly, relaxed class and we even venture out to draw the beautiful Cotswold landscape and architecture in Winchcombe on warmer days.
Wednesday mornings 10am – 12 noon at Encounter Church, Winchcombe. £85 per 6 week term
WATERCOLOUR FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS – THIS CLASS IS CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19
Are you keen to try your hand at painting with watercolours but unsure where to start? This course will cover everything you need to know, starting with the basics and gradually progressing to experimental and contemporary techniques.
We will cover paper, brushes, painting techniques, using colour, composition and draw our inspiration from several different sources with an emphasis on nature and the landscape.
This course is suitable for beginners or those wishing to improve their existing skills.
Monday evenings 7pm – 9pm at Abbey Fields Community Centre, Winchcombe. £99 per 6 week term
Gemma Hastilow
Winchcombe
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
Sadly, due to the Coronavirus situation; the Wychwood Festival held at the Cheltenham Racecourse had to be cancelled this year. Undeterred, a virtual festival was organised and streamed live at the time the original festival was due to take place. Nearly all of the artists and individuals involved made videos for the collective effort.
Here is … Continue reading
With the Coronavirus pandemic upon us we have two choices – to bow down and give in or pick up our pencils and draw! ✏️
I am currently preparing a virtual 6 week drawing course for my beginner’s class next term so am going to extend this offer to anyone that is stuck at home as … Continue reading
We projected images onto the model at life class on Monday evening. Interesting effects with light, contours, colour and shadows. The class takes place at Abbey Fields Community Centre on Monday evenings. For more details see my Art Classes page.
My Beginners Class have had a great start to 2020, stepping up to the challenge of drawing portraits of each other, getting out to do some drawing at Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum and drawing plates of biscuits without being tempted to take a bite! I’m so proud of them – they just get better … Continue reading
Cheltenham Paint Festival a yearly street art festival which brightens up the town with a riot of colour every year. I was delighted to be involved this year with a giant collaborative doodle which took shape over the weekend. The theme for this year’s festival was books and authors, to coincide with Cheltenham Literature Festival’s … Continue reading
What a fantastic summer of festivals! My summer was ‘book-ended’ by two fabulous festivals – Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham in May and End Of The Road Festival at Larmer Tree Gardens in Wiltshire in September. I created a crazy Whodunit with Blue Peter award winning childrens’ author Gareth Jones and the audience, then drew some … Continue reading
So happy with these recent illustrations I did for Croome Court. It’s great seeing these drawings at such a large scale and watching visitors engage with them. They were for the current exhibition, Toxic Beauty, about the short and sad life of Maria Gunning, the wife of the Earl of Coventry who inherited Croome.
Delighted that my hare Fennella that I painted for this year’s Cotswold Hare Trail launched the hare trail this week at Cotswold Farm Park with Adam Henson. She will be there until September until she is auctioned for charity. Everything on Fennella grows wild in the Cotswolds and can be eaten. I love to forage so thought this … Continue reading
