Verity Thompson (Sketchy)

Website:

www.sketchy.org.uk

N/A

@Verity Thompson - Illustration

Sea Horse

Pig

Blue hares

Biography

My aim is for my illustrations to raise a smile and brighten up people’s day. I try to draw characters that are quirky and slightly edgy, rather than cute - characters with a bit of... character!

I also use my work to support and raise awareness of sustainability issues. I do this through creating illustrations for environmental organisations, and through posting illustrations on social media to highlight dates such as UN Environment Day or World Oceans Day, environmental news stories, and observations of the natural world.

inspiration

My main inspiration is my love of nature and wanting to share this with others as a way to encourage a greater compassion, care, environmental responsibility… and happiness.

I try to live as sustainably as I can, and over the last few years have helped to set up and run a community woodland and a horticultural therapy project; I’m also a volunteer leader for Plastic Free Communities. In addition, I’m a qualified yoga teacher, leading weekly classes, as well as workshops and retreats. These areas of my life feed into and influence my artwork.

medium

Most often I use watercolour and ink, sometimes with a scribble of pencil or pastel too. To capture a sense of movement I try to allow the paint to make its own way across the paper, rather than keeping too tightly inside the lines.

For my cartoon animals I like to use vibrant colours, in keeping with their light-hearted feel. For my more sensible pictures (such as wildlife illustrations for educational resources) I take a more accurate approach, whilst still trying to keep a sense of fun and lightness.