Bonny Snowdon is an amazing artist who works with coloured pencil (so she's already someone I'm envious of haha!) and I just love the realism and textures she manages to create on the paper. She captures something about each subject she draws and brings them to life from the page. Not only that but she's a great mentor and teacher - during the lockdown here in the UK she's been sharing live videos of her working for people to join in and learn how to use coloured pencils themselves too.
How are you spending lockdown and what are you most looking forward to once it's lifted?
Ooh - well nothing has changed really for me - I spend most of my time in my studio anyway, I'm doing loads of live streams, zoom workshops, I'm using zoom to connect with my family which is always lovely, and I'm spending loads more time with my three children - it's hard for them, but I love that they are all at home with me :). What am I looking forward to most? Well we go out for breakfast a lot, so as well as actually seeing my family in person and popping round for tea, I'm really looking forward to visiting either my sister's farm shop for a big full english breakfast, or Betty's in Harrogate again for a big full english breakfast and one of their amazing fat rascals :)
What/who would you dress up as for a fancy dress party? I'm what you call an extroverted introvert, so love people, and meeting people, but kind of on my terms, so a fancy dress party would be something I wouldn't be very comfortable with lol! Saying that I'd put my brave pants on, 'switch hats' and become the life and soul, and I'd probably dress up as Hagrid - that way I wouldn't have to make much effort
I know you got started by finding colouring books, but other than that, what's been your biggest inspiration? I think for starting to draw horses, the person I followed all the time, and still do, and found his attitude so refreshing was Tony O'Connor. His work is just incredible, he's a really nice chap, always answers questions, and is a good role model for any artist :)
What piece are you most proud of? And what's your favourite animal to draw? And the most random/funny thing you've been asked to draw!
Ooh well, piece I'm most proud of - I love the ram I just created, and the little mouse with the backdrop of daisies, but I think the turning point for me was a piece I drew at the beginning of 2018, two labradors and a spaniel, on a full sheet of pastelmat - it's not my best work to date, as I keep developing, but I think i was so proud of that one, plus it was accepted into a couple of exhibitions too :) Random funny thing - hmm - well I get quite a few random messages, one was from a chap who asked if I'd draw him and me in a sexy pose suffice to say I refused that one!
Who would your 3 dream dinner guests be? Hugh Dennis - I just love his sense of humour, Lillian Bellamy from the Archers - again she has a wicked sense of humour and I think she'd be incredibly interesting person to spend some time with, and my big sister - she's a big fan of the Archers too and we're always cackling away about something :)
How did you get started teaching/mentoring other artists? I loved seeing all the live videos you've been doing recently! And what's the best part? And out of the "tours" you've done, which has been the most exciting?
I used to be a business coach, I took my degree qualification in 2014 and worked for a coaching organisation from 2014 to 2016 coaching senior managers in large telecoms companies out in the Middle East, so coaching artists was a natural progression once I became full time. Helping and sharing is a huge part of who I am so that kind of comes very easily. I'm so enjoying the live streams, particularly at the moment as it means some people who are in isolation get to feel part of something, however small, the tours I've done, I think my USA trip last year was just amazing, meeting two artists I really admire and working with them in the most amazing surroundings, but all of the workshops I've done have been fantastic as you get to meet so many lovely people :)
Question for you: You've picked up your pencils again and are drawing some amazing pieces - what is your favourite medium and is there a medium you would love to try?
I wish I could understand working with colour! I can see the various colours in animals coats and the colours they reflect back from their surroundings etc, that's something I'm very aware of but I just never seem to be able to put it in to practise when it comes to using paint or pencils, so for now I'm sticking to plain old graphite pencil. My teachers at school were always trying to get me to use coloured pencil but I just couldn't work them out at all!