This month, we are lucky enough to learn more about Deborah Watton, a gifted wildlife and botanical artist currently based in Worcestershire. In this blog, we learn some valuable insights into her creative life, including the influence of Ann Swan on her work, her ideal project (a truly Jurassic piece), and her origins as an artist.
Q. Where have you found inspiration lately?
A. As a botanical and bird artist, my inspiration comes primarily from my own cottage garden, which I have tended for some years now, encouraging it to be a haven for pollinators and birds alike. I try to grow plants that will be interesting to illustrate but at the same time important for the ecosystem. I live in Worcestershire and am surrounded by beautiful public gardens and countryside, which are always a go-to for something a bit different to illustrate. I started drawing when my MS started to interfere with my photography, so I was inspired to really bring the vibrant and colourful world of the outdoors into my artwork so it could be enjoyed indoors too.
Q. Is there a piece of art or a project that you are particularly excited about right now?
A. Right now, I am in my final year of the SBA (Society of Botanical Artists) distance learning course, which has been intense. I have learnt so much in terms of drawing, but botanically too. I am looking forward to graduating next year and growing as an illustrator.
Q. What kinds of tools or references do you like to use when creating artwork?
A. I only work with professional coloured pencils and graphite. I mainly use Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils, which are lightfast, sharpened to a super spiky point, and lovely to lay down colour with. They are buildable, true to colour, and blend well. Each piece of artwork has many layers of colour, which I blend at the end to soften with a clear blender. At the moment I am loving the powder blender to finish with.
Q. What artists or artworks (from your life or art history) do you admire or consider influential to your work & why?
A. When I started drawing for the second time, I was and still am very influenced by the work of Ann Swan. Ann is one of the UK’s leading botanical artists, working in pencil and coloured pencil. Well known for her detailed, vibrant, and strong contemporary style. She has been awarded four gold medals by the Royal Horticultural Society, and her work is represented in the prestigious Shirley Sherwood Collection and the RHS Lindley Library. I love Ann’s use of bold colour and her detail is fabulous. Very inspiring.
Q. What advice do you have for other new or aspiring artists?
A. Just go for it. Never say you can’t paint or you can’t draw. It’s practice. I took a drawing class in 2018, and my efforts were poor, so I decided I was rubbish at drawing and took up photography instead. Back in 2022 I picked up my pencils again and followed a few YouTube videos. The rest is history. Practice, practice, practice. I am still learning now and have a long way to go.
Q. Professionally, what has been your biggest achievement so far?
A. Last year I was delighted to have my work shortlisted and chosen to be displayed at the Broadway Arts Festival competition. The competition is open to all artists in the UK, and the judges are all renowned experts in the field of art. I was really delighted to be part of it.
Q. What is your first memory of creating art?
A. I was always a keen crafter and enjoyed drawing as a child. I remember loving colouring books, especially the ones with patterns like mosaics. If the adult colouring books were around when I was a child, I would have been addicted to those.
Q. How do you spend your time when you’re not creating artwork?
A. In between walking my dog and household chores, you will never see me far from my art room, pencil in hand! Drawing has gotten under my skin; I’m sure I could draw 24 hours a day!
Q. What work do you most enjoy doing?
A. Birds, without a doubt! Before I started drawing, I was a keen photographer, and birds and flowers were my passion. But above all, I love drawing the detail in the birds and can incorporate them with botanicals, putting my two passions together.
Q. What is your dream project?
A. I am currently working on an A2 size piece of hummingbirds and tropical flowers. Really bright and bold and busy with lots of detail. But I would really like to do something much, much bigger… A true illustration of raptors life-size and in their true environment…watch this space!
Thank you, Deborah, for all those valuable insights into your creative life. Be sure to check out her Instagram as well as her beautiful work, which is available to purchase on her website. We'll be back with another talented artist next month!