News and Art Tips from Seren Wen Art

It’s one of the most common questions I’m asked — and the honest answer is longer than most people expect. Creating a realistic, hand-drawn pet portrait isn’t about speed; it’s about patience, observation, and building layers slowly to capture not just what a pet looks like, but who they are. In this post, I’ll explain what goes into creating a custom pet portrait, what affects the timeline, and why taking time is essential for achieving a truly lifelike result.

Creating Coloured Pencil Art from a Bad Photo I’m often told that my drawings look like photographs. While I take this as a compliment, it isn’t my goal. I strive for realism in my art because that’s what I enjoy, but I don’t aim to copy my reference photos exactly. I often work from multiple images, adjust the crop to improve composition, or tweak colours to better suit the final artwork. Sometimes, that process even involves turning a less than ideal photo into a finished d

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I love drawing animals — both wildlife and pets. Most of us have a phone full of photos of our furry companions, which is why creating realistic pet portraits from photos works so well. It means I can capture a pet’s personality using images their owners already have and love.

Zaza is the first Sumatran tiger cub to be born in Wales, arriving at Manor Wildlife Park in Pembrokeshire. I created this realistic graphite drawing as my entry for the Sketch for Survival competition, inspired by her playful character and the importance of conserving critically endangered species. Drawn slowly in graphite, the piece focuses on capturing the softness of a tiger cub’s fur and the expression in her eyes. The drawing was Highly Commended.

How are we nearly halfway through 2025 already? Although it currently feels like summer’s already been and gone here in South Wales! I...

I’ve always loved photography, ever since I borrowed my Dad’s Canon film SLR as a teenager! Back in those days it was a slow process as...

I was delighted when Queen Street Gallery, a lovely galley in Neath, South Wales, announced an open exhibition with the theme “Folklore,...

Coloured Pencils are a fantastic medium to use if you want to create realistic looking art. As with any detailed style of art it takes time, practice and probably post importantly of all bucket loads of patience! Here’s a few key tips that help me with my work, but as always these are only what works for me, experiment, try different methods and find what works for you!

Even though I usually use coloured pencils in my drawing, I do sometimes like to mix it up and use graphite pencils instead. You would...

It might not be obvious, but there is sometimes a story behind my drawings. I often draw a picture because I like it, on other occasions...

Working in coloured pencil is not a quick way to create realistic art and can lead to frustration in new artists.

In this blog post I discuss how I designed my coloured pencil and mixed media tutorial where I demonstrate a tonal study of a little bird

It sometimes seems like sketchbook art and coloured pencil drawing are very different art practices and many artists do like to stick to one

Early last year I was visiting Queen Street Gallery in Neath, South Wales, to pick up my artwork from their Open24 exhibition. They...

Brighten up your January with some of my most vibrant mixed media and coloured pencil art!

A reflection on my art goals for 2024 and to what extent I achieved them!