Hello! I am Melissa! I am a self-taught pencil realist artist. My passion for Realistic Pencil Drawing started at a young age when I was influenced by Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman and Belgium’s wildlife artist Carl Brenders. While I mainly use graphite as my medium of choice, I also enjoy working with coloured pencils, pastels, charcoal pencils and oils.
I am also an avid photographer who enjoys photos of nature and wildlife animals.
I have taught realistic drawing lessons and tutorials in online classes for nearly 25 years. This began in 1999 when I began teaching realistic pencil drawing classes through Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario. Then, in 2003, I designed Canada’s first online pencil drawing classes offered in Community Colleges which are now offered through thirteen Ontario Community Colleges.
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My realistic pencil drawings have been published in a high school textbook through McGraw-Hill Ryerson as well as an international promotional brochure through Sakura Products of America for my earlier work in pointillism. A coloured pencil piece had been on the front cover of Ann Kullberg’s magazine, From My Perspective, and I was recently featured in a CBC Arts series. I have commissioned wildlife and children’s portraits throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe. I have also participated in many group exhibitions, juried exhibitions, studio tours, festivals and solo exhibitions showcasing my work. I have dedicated my time to teaching online drawing tutorial courses for the past few years.
