My Art Studio and Materials
- Nicola Bird
- Sep 10, 2025
- 2 min read
Hello there!
September has arrived, and with it comes that lovely, cosy feeling that makes me want to settle into my studio. I thought I’d share a glimpse of my workspace so you can see where your four-legged family members are brought to life on paper.
It looks reasonably tidy in these photos, but the reality is quite different when I’m in the middle of a portrait! My desk quickly becomes a sea of coloured pencils. I usually select a palette of 20–30 pencils for each drawing, and I’m constantly switching between them. At any given moment, I’ll have half a dozen nestled in my left hand while I work with one in my right. I’ve yet to find the perfect way to keep them organised mid-project, but perhaps that’s just part of the creative chaos.
This week, I reviewed my collection and was astonished to realise I now own more than 400 pencils. My favourite brands are Faber-Castell Polychromos, Caran d’Ache Luminance and Pablo, and Derwent Lightfast. Each has its own wonderful qualities, though I find myself returning to a core set of colours for most portraits.
That said, I’m particularly excited about the new portrait on my drawing board—it features a gorgeous backdrop of grass and sea. It promises to be a tricky one, but I can’t wait to dive in.
The eagle-eyed among you might have spotted my Harry Potter collection! When the days get shorter and colder, I very often have a Harry Potter audiobook playing in the background while I work. There's something about those familiar stories that makes my workspace feel extra cosy and helps me slip into that creative flow.
I hope you are enjoying these early autumn days.
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