This is the first time that I have ever written a blog. I was thinking "What can I say that might be useful to others?..." Then I suddenly realised how much I had grown as an artist and how much I had learnt from other artists myself, particularly from fellow artists on Instagram. I picked up some amazing tips from fellow artists during lockdown, even joining a zoom portrait painting class, which was excellent. I’ll go into that more in my next blog. So much so, that I was even inspired to join in on "Portrait Artist Of the Week" (the lockdown version of the "Portrait Artist of the Year Show". During the second series, I was absolutely delighted that I was chosen by the judges to be in 2nd place, from over 1400 entries worldwide, on the week that they were painting Jon Snow. In the third series, I had an honourable mention with my portrait of Dannii Minogue and I also came in 3rd place with my portrait of Nicola Coughlan. I was over the moon to have been chosen out of 1700 fellow artists from around the world. It was a wonderful surprise, especially as I am very new to portraiture! I never imagined that I would ever hear the judges talking about my art live on air! It was a huge confidence boast and the experience I have gained from taking part in the show has really enabled me to take my art to another level. What a fantastic opportunity to paint some incredible celebrities and a brilliant introduction to the exciting world of portraiture. I was literally thrown in at the deep end, so to speak, having to suddenly paint a portrait to a high standard, within a few days! Something that I could never have done before. It certainly tested my skills to the limit and it was definitely the turning point for me! Thanks again to the Portrait Artist of the Week show for that wonderful opportunity! Please click on the links below to view the videos: