I have always loved drawing and painting. After school I completed an ND in Art & Design at college and then went back in my 20s to do a HNC Design Crafts. I have a small art and craft studio in my garden, however, apart from a few paintings and attending some art workshops, I have not really done anything for many years. This was a partly due to not knowing what to do, how to start and for what purpose, but mostly due to a lack of confidence preventing me from just picking up a pencil and practising!

I intially started the OCA Key Steps in Illustration module and although I enjoyed some of the exloratory exercises (see illustration blog: http://jomarchantillustration.wordpress.com), I felt that what I really wanted to do was concentrate on honing my drawing skills first. I feel that working towards the OCA Drawing Skills 1 module will give me the purpose and direction I need to achieve this.