Tag: Derwent sketching pencils

‘Robyn and Matty’ amateur couple portrait

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Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of an amateur couple portrait.. Hope you like!

First of all, I used my light box to outline the two subjects (such a cheat! 🤣). I shaded using Derwent professional sketching pencils. The background I incorporated red love hearts ❤️❤️ to fit with the romantic theme, and used a professional colour marker pen to turn the whole background dark purple. I also outlined Robyn and Matty and the love hearts with a black promarker pen. I am a big fan of pop art, and love this sort of style.. and here is the finished piece:

Matty and Robyn are a new couple, and great friends of mine. They paid me £20 to do this portrait of them, to put towards my fundraising for Alzheimer’s Research (I am doing a 5K tough mudder in July in loving memory of my beautiful mum)

Although admittedly I am only amateur and not professional, and I made this clear to them, they were both chuffed with the drawing, and are planning to photocopy it so they both have a copy each. I believe also they are going to get them framed 😁😁

For my next UnicornPostbox blog post, I have started an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ themed diamond art and the Easter pub painting is a bright colourful Easter bunny 🐰 So that will be fun! We also have theatre shows coming up in the next few months 💕💕

Thank you as ever for reading/ viewing. Kind regards, Lauren xx

© 2025 Lauren Parr / https://unicornpostbox.com

Valentine’s Day amateur couple portrait

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Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of an amateur portrait of me and my boyfriend Aaron, as a surprise gift to him for Valentine’s Day.. hope you like! ❤️❤️

I used a light box (cheat lol) to outline me and Aaron. I drew with Derwent professional sketching pencils, mainly HB and 2B. To keep with the Valentines theme, I incorporated red love hearts, made bold with a black promarker pen, I also drew a black line around me and Aaron, to make the images ‘pop’ (I’m a big fan of pop art). To finish, a professional blue colour marker pen coloured the entire background. I also purchased a lovely red frame to display…And here is the end result:

I took me a few days to complete, which isn’t too bad to be fair ❤️❤️

I am advertising if anyone else would like an amateur couple portrait, to put towards my fundraising for Alzheimer’s Research (I am doing a Tough Mudder in the summer in memory of my beautiful mum who sadly lost her long battle with this awful disease) 😢

My next blog post is a travel blog of mine and Aaron’s first Valentine’s weekend in Sheffield 💕💕

There is a new Easter bunny themed pub painting in March, and no doubt I’ll soon be on with another diamond art 💎🎨

Thank you as ever for viewing/reading. Much love, Lauren xx

© 2025 Lauren Parr/ https://unicornpostbox.com

Amateur Amy Winehouse portrait drawing

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Hi everyone! My latest UnicornPostbox blog post is progression photos of an amateur Amy Winehouse portrait drawing – drew as a gift for my lovely sister 💕💕 Hope you like! 😊

I started with famous lyrics of Amy Winehouse’s popular song ‘Back to black’ placed around where the portrait of her would be. I focused on the darker shading first, and spent quite a while trying to perfect her iconic beehive hair. I am quite proud of the likeness of the face I have managed to achieve of the wonderful late singer. I cut up some flower and butterfly 🦋 outlines from an art therapy book, using my light box to transfer onto paper. I used multiple promarker pen different colours to colour the butterflies and flower. I then used a black marker to draw around and intensify the subjects. I am a big fan of pop art 🎨 and I definitely feel this is of the style 💕 To make it ‘pop’ I contrasted the grey shading with bright pink lips 💋 And here is the finished piece:

I am really happy with the end result. I am trying to get back to the standard I was capable of years ago at school. I definitely think that practice is improving my art 🎨

My sister absolutely loves it! ❤️ Having watched the new biopic at the cinema 🎥 she has practically become obsessed with the late songstress 🎵 Watching loads of documentaries of Amy’s up and down lifestyle, the joys along with the addiction battles, and the tragic love affair with Blake. Amy, a musical icon, part of the cursed ’27 club’, authentic, relatable, and a beautiful troubled soul.

My next pub painting class ‘sun-kissed river’ is next month, and I have a ‘sunset’ diamond art 💎 🎨 to start… I may draw some more celebrities I like/admire – Keane Reeves maybe (what an incredible person), the late Robin Williams, Muhammad Ali, Simon Pegg, Joan Jett, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Norton? Any suggestions??

Thank you as always for taking the time to read/view, all the best, Lauren xx

© 2024 Lauren Parr/ https://unicornpostbox.com

Muhammad Ali drawing – progression photos

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I recently drew a portrait of Muhammad Ali (the greatest) for my Dad, as he is my dad’s all time hero. Please see below progression photos of the drawing and a description. Many thanks…

I sketched using Derwent pencils, and coloured the background blue with a promarker pen. To me, blue is the colour of God and I believe Muhammad Ali was a prophet.

He was an incredible human being, with morals and principles, who stood up for what he believed in, such as refusing to go to war in Vietnam; losing his heavyweight boxing titles in the process.

I have surrounded the portrait drawing with inspirational quotes, of a great social activist and amazing, charismatic wonderful man. Here is the finished piece…

I’m not the best artist in the world anymore lol but I’m pleased to give my dad, my hero, a piece of art for his hero 🙂

Thank you for taking the time to read / view!

Best wishes, Lauren xx

© 2021 Lauren Parr / https://unicornpostbox.com