Meet Cherry Watson | Coloured Pencil Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cherry Watson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cherry, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my own business was a really daunting prospect, there were so many what-ifs and a lot of Googling – there still is! I’d always loved drawing as a kid and in my early twenties I could still feel a pull towards drawing, I was constantly buying sketchbooks and doodling whenever and wherever I could.

After completing my foundation degree in Illustration, I went on to pick up a brand new medium in coloured pencils. It was an absolute joy, from my first drawing (which was awful now I look back on it so many years later) – I was hooked. I have been an avid dog lover all my life, even with my allergy to cats I could never resist cuddling them. My first coloured pencil pet portraits were of my beautiful German/Belgian Shepherd Ruby, my boy Hunter – a Lurcher/Husky cross and then our rescue cat, Teeny.

I was fascinated with achieving realism right from the start and after posting some of my drawings on Instagram and Facebook I started getting requests to draw my friends and family’s pets.

It was then when I began to believe I could build something really amazing, I couldn’t think of anything better than spending my days being sent adorable photos of dogs, cats, horses and all of the other beautiful animals and then getting to create artwork that would mean so much to their family.

They say you never work a day in your life if you do something you love – and that was reason enough to start my animal art business.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is all about the love of animals, from dogs and cat, to rabbits and horses, big or small – I love them ALL.

I want my animal portraits to really jump off the page at you and stop you in your tracks. I adore realism and creating that tangibility – as if you can feel the wetness of that dogs nose or the softness of that cats fur.

I am so so proud of how much my work has evolved since I first started drawing with coloured pencils, practice definitely makes improvement and I love learning something new from each and every piece.

There have been a few challenges along the way, in 2020 I managed to overdo my New Year’s resolution of creating a new illustration series alongside my commission work… and ended up causing myself a hand injury – from drawing! Unfortunately it’s never been the same since and I’ve had to change how often I draw and be vigilant about taking more breaks and taking care of myself – a lesson I’ve had to learn is if you don’t make time for rest then your body will make you!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oooh, so I live in beautiful Hertfordshire, a county just north of London, England. I’m not too great a tour guide being such a home body but a week long visit with me would entail many long dog walks around the gorgeous Hertfordshire countryside, lots of wildlife sightings and – depending on the time of year – a paddle in the river that flows around our house!

I’m lucky to be a stones throw away from both Cambridge and London, where there’s always plenty to do and plenty to see! As well as endless places to eat and drink – I’m very a much a play-it-by-ear girl and would choose somewhere on a whim and hope for the best!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my partner in crime, Joe Thomas – who has not only encouraged me in every aspect of my life for the past decade, but has always been the sounding board for my art endeavours. Joe has sacrificed so many of his weekends to help and support me at craft fairs, with setting up and transporting me and all my gear, and never once complained.
He has the amazing ability to take my scribbled doodles for my dream desk set-ups and paper storage units and bring them to life so perfectly – as well as having built my entire market stand displays!
His unshakeable belief in me is incredible and I truly couldn’t have done any of it without him.

Thank you Joseph – for everything you do!

You can check out his amazing woodworking talent on instagram – @therustictreecompany

Website: www.cherrywatson.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verycherryamber

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/verycherryamber

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verycherryamber

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTF_0H4Zoh7RlYj-exOjLg

Image Credits
Cherry Watson