New Work: Creature Collection - The Beginning

 So...it's been a minute since my last post! Been a very bust few weeks working, finalising files for new digital illustrations and also a few weekends away in Wales, my happy place!

So as promised, over the next few posts I'll be talking about a new collection of illustrations I've been working away at for 2026, how they came about, and the thought and work processes behind them. Equally the highs and lows throughout - understanding where my art knowledge gaps are - but also celebrating the wins! So join me on a little journey that began at the very start of 2026...

Above: One of the very first sketches I did at the beginning of 2026, as a means to improve my drawing skills and develop my style, imagination and technique.

For the longest time I've wanted to work with portrait based illustrations and develop my own style,  and one of my goals is to be able to adapt it to my favourite mediums: pencil/pen, digital and canvas! Over the past few years I've been so busy working with shops and products, I'd really found certain skills had gone rather rusty, and really wanted to get back into what I love most which is the actual drawing! Although I love how my style has developed over the past 10 years - I felt I hadn't made the time to draw or stretch my imagination much, and I was lacking many skills.  

I wanted to find the magic again, to start working from my heart and inner voice - and to rather find a balance between doing what I absolutely love - which then in turn lends itself to some super exciting prints etc! You often find as an artist and business owner that you get so caught up in the day to day running of things that you forget what's important to you - and the things that light you up inside - and what got you into art in the first place. And for me that was drawing a character or a portrait - and simply enjoying the process of creating !

Above: The series of quick pen and alcohol marker sketches I did early 2026, continued. 

Inspired by old retro and modern otherworldly creatures

 

For over a year I had been watching lots of my favourite artists, such as Gret Lusky and Lorkelle - and looking at how they used colour and line. I really wanted to start using alcohol markers, and I'd tried a few times but not had much luck - and wasn't happy with the results. I didn't know how to layer colour properly or combine complimentary colours - or even get the weight of my lines right!

Some of my favourite artists and illustrators include Marguerite Sauvage, Gina Schiapacasse, Lorna Keller (@lorkelle) and Gret Lusky

In trying to improve my drawing I had previously done some quick sketches of some retro/alternative creature character portraits in pencil - just because it was an easy subject matter - and they didn't have to look like anyone! Rather than ruin these sketches I scanned and printed them onto some mixed media art paper. I cut and pasted a few copies of each on a page - so if I messed up one of them, I had another to try again - with the the original pencil sketch still intact! At this point I discovered that when you know its ok and safe to mess something up - you find your work actually turns our much better and you gain confidence as you go along. And this is exactly what happened - because I could simply print some more and have another go! There was zero pressure of losing anything!

Two copies of each character - Which became part of the work I exhibited at the Wolverhampton Arts Centre, April 2026

Eventually, I was having so much fun developing these pen sketches - I ended up with pages of colourful portrait characters. I found that both sketches on each page were somewhat successful - as I let myself draw over the top of the printed sketches and then add colours with alcohol markers and paint pens. None of them were perfect - but they had provided an fun and easy way to gain confidence in both drawing, practicing complimentary colours and using pens!  

It was a real breakthrough in terms of enjoying drawing again, and learning something new.  So to celebrate I ended up turning some of these colourful pen portraits into the paintings that were exhibited at the Wolverhampton Arts Centre in the Watch This Space Exhibition, 11-23 April, 2026. 

If you haven't already - pop back to my previous two posts to read all about this exhibition! 

Join me on the next post where I will be delving back into digital work, as I then re-created these characters digitally (and encountered all the pitfalls whilst also learning more digital skills!) for a new art collection!

Thanks for reading!

WATCH THIS SPACE EXHIBITION APRIL 2026 - Part 2 'I Did It!'

 

Above: the Watch This Space exhibition opening night, Wolverhampton Arts Centre

So welcome to Part 2 of my blog on the Watch This Space exhibition I took part in earlier this year. I've wanted to write about this for a while - and just didn't have time during the exhibition or after - you can however find lots of reels and posts I made at the time if you pop over to my instagram @becbroomhall !

I haven't taken part in many events or fairs for a good few years. This is mostly due to not usually having any work to exhibit - as its usually in shops or other places!  My time is mostly taken with packing more prints, badges and other giftware for indie shop stockists and I absolutely love doing this! And I also work part time. But I would love to have a better work/event balance and this is one of my goals. So I signed up to this exhibition on the spur of the moment just to see what I could do in the time I had - and push myself out of my comfort zone - and gain some valuable experience. 

The exhibition ran for two weeks, 11th-23rd April 2026 - and being part of it also involved invigilating during the day to day when it was open. This was mostly greeting people, keeping an eye on everything - and generally just being there to talk about the work.

Above: the exhibition from the side view of the Gallery Hall @ WAC

I did around 2 and a half days invigilating, as each artist had a few shifts. I met a lot of lovely people, many came over to talk to me when I was there working at my table - and although nervous - I explained to people my journey with my new paintings - and the story of how they had developed. I was also very pleased to sell quite a few of my bookmarks, cards, badges and stickers from my other illustration work. I met many other wonderful artists such as Ralph Aldhous, Jo Aldhous, Caris Jackson (beautiful collages, in love with her work!), Marie Roberts and saw many university friends! 

Above: Some of my favourite pieces from the show including Kotti Brewin, Caris Jackson and Sue Brisco

I had some amazing conversations about making art and the thought processes we go through - I remember Jo Aldhous explaining how she arrived at her current printing process that she enjoys purely through experimentation and trial and error. One conversation that stuck with me especially - was a conversation with artist David Irish where he talked about how your mind can be an enemy and a trickster, like when you talk yourself out of doing things. I think this is so true - and made me think about what I had been talking myself out of recently - or putting off because of fear etc. It was really lovely to have some very open and honest conversations with other artists - and it was one of the amazing and unexpected things I took with me from this exhibition.

Overall, this exhibition was a wonderful experience, and I came out of it appreciating all different kinds of art, and different perspectives on creating. There isn't one way of making art - it's all very organic and comes from you, which is what makes it unique. I feel it's very important to remember this, letting what you love naturally flow out of you.  And this is something you can't force, you have to let yourself learn and let your practice and style unfold naturally. Although I feel I've got a way to go in terms of getting my portraits and illustrations how I want them - I came out of this exhibition appreciating the point at where I'm at with my own work. I also know more than ever which direction I want to go and where I think I belong - and the things I need to practice and learn. 

So there it is - a quick review of a really amazing experience exhibiting at the WAC Wolverhampton !

Join me on my next posts where I'll be talking more about how this new work began - and the sketches and journey that inspired the paintings!

Thankyou for reading! :)

WATCH THIS SPACE EXHIBITION APRIL 2026 - Part 1 - 'Why Not?'

 

So we are in June 2026 already - and I honestly can't believe how quick the year has flown so far! The next few posts are going to be dedicated to an exhibition I took part in April 2026, and I have been wanting to write about this for a while! 

One of my goals for 2026 is to be more authentic and to not be embarrassed to learn and explore the things I'm really interested in, with accepting that I will be rubbish to begin with! I'm really interested in comic book style art and illustrations - and as I've said previously - the people that inspire me most are artists such as Miss Led (Joanna Henly), and comic artists like Jen Bartel, Marguerite Sauvage and Gret Lusky. I really want to improve my drawing skills this year and have also been learning how to use mediums such as alcohol markers and acrylic paint pens. 

In January this year, I began to draw a set of character portraits, loosely inspired by vintage creature feature horror films.  I gathered many references and set out to draw better, learn how to use pens and to enjoy drawing more, without pressure. What I ended up with was a set of characters that I hadn't intended to do anything more with - but to continue learning! However, at the end of February/beginning of March - a friend told me about an exhibition she was organising with Wolverhampton artist Ralph Aldhous at Wolverhampton Arts Centre 11-23rd April - and I found myself really wanting to take part.

Above: The illustrations I made in alcohol markers and paint pens at the start of 2026.

The Wolverhampton Arts Centre is also my studio home and such a beautiful building - it makes me feel inspired every time I walk in - and I love working there. However I literally had nothing new to hang, only older work. 2026 is very much a new chapter for me - I didn't want to enter old work that was no longer aligned with what I was now working towards.  

Recently I'd also been very much inspired by the work of Birmingham artists @ginger_dan and @mixup.jpeg and love their portraits and characters - and also their large scale paintings, competitions and wall art - they're both different artists but they just go all out and go for it!! So I just thought 'why not?' - I'm at the beginning of a new journey - just go for it and see where it leads. So I set about painting 4 of the character portraits I'd recently drawn in pen, and realised I only had about 5 weeks....!

Above: Portraits in progress in my studio

Below: Portraits at my desk at home

I wasn't sure whether I would finish these paintings in time! But I was determined - I really wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to scale up - and I worked on all 4 pieces at the same time, first the outlines, then skin colours, then hair etc. I got them all done and finished on the morning of the exhibition hanging day (the previous 3 days were literally just painting all day straight!) and myself and my partner hung everything in the Gallery Hall at the WAC on the evening. The very next evening was the opening night - which was absolutely packed - and although I was very nervous - it made the whole experience of creating the work and being part of this show so rewarding!

Above: My paintings on display at the Watch This Space Exhibition, 11-23rd April, Wolverhampton Arts Centre. 

Tune into my next post - where I will be talking more about this exhibition, the artists I met - and everything I learned from taking part! Thank you for reading and see you next time!

 So I wasn't kidding when I said I'd see you on the next post! This is me, and the face behind Bec Broomhall!

I am an artist currently living and working in Wolverhampton, and graduated from Fine Art at the University of Wolverhampton in 2013.  Although I started off as an abstract artist way back during my degree, a year or so after graduating I decided to pursue my original love of portraits, aiming for a more illustration based practice. 

Drawn to a love of comic book art and cover art - as well as pop culture, I work with both digital drawing/painting in creating my own character portraits as well as iconic faces. I'm also drawn to the alternative and retro 80s and 90s, cult pop figures, films and music. I enjoy exploring solid lines and bold uplifting colours. My work always begins with small, quick sketches – which are then redrawn and finished into digital illustrations or paintings.  Artists that inspire me massively include Miss Led (Joanna Henly), Marguerite Sauvage, Jen Bartel and Gretel Lusky!

Above: Work on display at recent exhibition Watch This Space, Wolverhampton Arts Centre, 11-23 April 2026

Below: Pages from my Sketchbook

My studio is based at Wolverhampton Arts Centre, where I'm currently developing new work, but you can also find a continuing range of prints, cards and giftware at:

Shop In The Square, Mander Centre, Wolverhampton

Halfpenny Green Retro & Vintage, Halfpenny Green Airport, Stourbridge

Red Brick Market, Digbeth Birmingham

Indie Mart, Fargo Village, Coventry

and follow me at:

@becbroomhall Insta/Threads or on Facebook Bec Broomhall Arts

So, proper introductions done! Hope you enjoyed reading and feel free to comment or if you have any questions about what I do! See you for now and keep an eye out for the next post!!

Welcome To My Blog !

So the blog is back! I'm about to take you back to the 2000s when blogging was the thing...

I'm thinking back to around 2008-2012 when I had a Livejournal (anyone remember Livejournal?) during when I was studying for my Fine Art degree at the University of Wolverhampton - and I would blog my thoughts on the work I was making at the time, and also review various art trips and exhibitions!  

Since graduating in 2013, I tried to keep it going in various formats, on various websites (I think I may have had one on Wordpress, Wix and possibly an old Moonfruit site...) It's been gone for at least 10 years now - I think the last time I blogged was possibly around 2014-15. But for some reason recently I've been feeling the love to write down my thoughts again, and I always find it helps to organise ideas and hopefully will also help you to get to know me better as an artist along the way!

So - what to expect? :) To begin with there will probably be a lot of gadgety/moving around bits that I probably haven't got right, not having blogged for a very long time! So I apologise for anything not loading correctly - or any weird symbols where something hasn't been added to a page, or any other strangeness!  Equally if Blogger doesn't work out in the long run - I may move to another platform.

However for the moment - I cant see ANY that aren't super complicated, I'm just a girl to wants to write after all...:) and at this point I'm not concerned with going viral, I'm not expecting many people to see it or read it - I just want to get my thoughts down as new work develops, or anything new, interesting or exciting happens! I may go off topic on a few occasions also, if it's relevant to my creative journey - and if I feel it may help others out there too. 

But overall, I'm hoping to create a relaxed space to write when I can about artwork I'm currently working on or projects, events, exhibitions happening or any current thoughts! 

Feel free to read, and comment if you'd like (keep it kind, much appreciated :)) and I will see you on the next post!

Thanks for reading <3