Watercolour workshop Derbyshire - Winter Robin

 My December Watercolour Workshop is officially SOLD OUT!

I’m so excited to teach this cosy Winter Robin perched on a snow-dusted pine branch, complete with glowing winter sky and falling snow.

Thank you so much to everyone who booked — I can’t wait to paint with you on the 17th at the wonderful @artintheparkderby🎨❤️

If you missed out, don’t worry…

👉 My next watercolour workshop will be in February!

I’ll be announcing the theme + date very soon

Stay tuned — and enjoy this little time-lapse of the artwork we’ll be creating together.

Hand painted watercolour artwork for a garden themed product

Some of the hand-painted watercolours for Relish’s beautiful new Aquapaints range. I can reveal that this one is garden themed, and an absolute pleasure to work on. 🥰

I can’t show you any of the finished images yet, but will post some more behind the scenes content of how the range comes together, so stay tuned ☺️ 

Winter Rose Hip watercolour illustration

 A winter moment inspired by the UK hedgerows. A seasonal switch up?

Every walk i have done lately has been full of these bright little beauties! I think they make a good seasonal alternative to the usual holly and red berries, what do you think?

Hand painted nature art for a new Aquapaints range

A little peek behind the scenes of my new commission for the fantastic Relish. We are creating a new Aquapaint theme. Can you guess what it might be? I will be posting more about this project over the next couple of weeks, stay tuned ☺️

Autumn Watercolour workshop magic

What a wonderful day teaching my Red Squirrel in Autumn Leaves class in the beautiful studio in Markeaton Park, Derby, thank you @artintheparkderby  

We spent the afternoon layering colours, learning textures, and celebrating the beautiful warm tones of the season.

I’m so proud of everyone’s amazing squirrel paintings — such talent and creativity all around! 💛

🎨 Thank you to all my lovely students who joined me yesterday – you made it such a joyful day!

If you’d love to paint with us next time, keep an eye out for my next workshop announcement coming soon 👀 on my Instagram 

Autumnal Watercolour Class

 🍂 Autumn Watercolour Workshop – Paint a Red Squirrel! 🐿️

Join me at @Artintheparkderby, Markeaton Park Art Studio, on Wednesday 29th October for a relaxing, step-by-step watercolour session inspired by the colours of autumn.

We’ll paint a beautiful red squirrel surrounded by glowing autumn leaves, exploring techniques for fur texture, layering washes, and capturing seasonal warmth.

🖌️ Suitable for all abilities – from total beginners to confident painters

🎨 All materials provided

☕ Friendly, creative atmosphere

📅 Date: Wednesday 29th October

📍 Venue: Art in the Park, Markeaton Craft Village, Markeaton Park, Derby, DE22 3BG

🕓 Time: 9:30am - 12:30pm

💷 Price: £35 (all materials provided + Free Parking)

🎟️ Book your place: On the Art in the Park website www.artintheparkderby.co.uk/adults-art-classes

🍁 Let’s celebrate autumn in watercolour together!

Art for wellbeing - Aquapaints

 “It never stops feeling magical!”☺️✨

Every brush stroke reveals a little more magic 🥰

I was commissioned by @relishjoy to illustrate the five colourful and vibrant scenes in the Magnificent Birds Aquapaints collection. 

They are designed to spark joy and connection and offer a soothing, creative experience for people living with Dementia. 

Hearing how much people enjoy using the Aquapaints is always one of the best part of the process 🥰

Art Therapy

There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing how the artwork I create is used to bring joy, calm, and creativity into someone’s day.

I was commissioned by @Relishjoy to illustrate the Magnificent Birds Aquapaint set — a creative activity designed especially for people living with dementia. 

Just add water and watch the scene reveal itself, brushstroke by brushstroke. Hearing how much people enjoy using these boards is always one of the best part of the process.

There’s something so special about seeing how the artwork I create is used to spark joy and connection. I illustrated the five vibrant scenes in Magnificent Birds Aquapaint set especially designed to offer a soothing, creative experience for people living with dementia.

 

 

Bespoke art for products

 🎨 Just add water… and watch the magic unfold. ✨

I was commissioned by @Relishjoy to create the artwork for Magnificent Birds — a set of Aquapaints designed to enrich the lives of people living with dementia. As water touches the art board, my original illustrations are revealed, creating a calming and creative experience that brings joy and connection. 💛

Vibrant scenes are revealed brushstroke by brushstroke, helping spark joy and a real sense of accomplishment. I will be sharing more of the magnificent birds and other themes we have worked on together,  showcasing this magical product and how we develop them from ideas to finished products.

Art Licensing for Jigsaw Puzzles

Ever wondered how a jigsaw puzzle illustration comes to life?

Here’s a little peek behind the scenes of my Jungle Life puzzle for @Relishjoy where every element you see on the finished puzzle started as a hand-painted watercolour. 🐒🦜🌿

I paint each piece larger than it’s final size to capture every tiny detail — then they’re carefully scaled down and woven into the final jungle scene.

It’s one of my favourite parts of the process: watching a painting transform into something people can hold, touch, and enjoy. 💛

Jigsaw puzzle illustration

I’m excited to share that I’m once again teaming up with the wonderful @relishjoy on a brand new art commission, this time creating a new theme for their amazing Aquapaints collection. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a peek behind the scenes as the new theme comes to life. 

But before diving into this latest project, I wanted to celebrate one of our previous collaborations: the vibrant “Jungle Life” jigsaw puzzle. A vibrant, nature-filed scene I had the joy of illustrating.

Relish are a truly special company with a meaningful mission: they create thoughtfully designed products to support people living with dementia, helping to spark moments of joy, connection and shared experiences. 

Projects like these are a reminder of why i love what i do, using art to make a difference, to bring colour, joy, creativity and connection into people’s lives.

Stay tuned, Can’t wait to share more about what Aquapaints are and the artwork that created them.

Hand painted watercolour bees

A little close-up of my watercolour bees! 🐝 

I loved getting lost in the tiny detail of their wings and stripes

Zooming in you can see how much detail goes into each tiny brushstroke.

I am creating new work for my portfolio at the moment and would love to know what other wildlife you would like to see me paint next? 

Timelapse video of watercolour painting moths

 Timelapse video of watercolour painting moths

Timelapse of my watercolour Goldfinch painting

From pencil sketch to finished Goldfinch, watch the process unfold in seconds 🎨☺️

Homecoming is Shortlisted for the Wainwright prize for illustrated nature books!

I am absolutely thrilled that Homecoming is shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Illustrated nature books alongside so many inspiring voices. ☺️

Homecoming, written by the wonderful Melissa Harrison is more than a book - it’s a gentle invitation to reconnect with our natural world. 

I had the joy of illustrating over 80 hand-painted elements, plus a wraparound cover and patterned endpapers - all created mindfully, with deep reverence for the seasons and natural rhythms of nature. 

I hope you enjoy this post, showing some of my process. If you’re an Art Director, Editor, Author or Publisher working on nature writing, slow living, sustainability or seasonal storytelling - I’d love to hear from you.

Hand-painted watercolour illustration for Homecoming nature journal

Hope you enjoy a little peek at some of the research, sketching and painting behind the August introduction in Homecoming ☺️

There is plenty to enjoy in nature this month. Ripening fruits & vegetables, harvest season for many farms, allotments and veggie gardeners. 

I will definitely be out picking some blackberries on my next foraging adventure 

The Big Butterfly Count

The big Butterfly count is a nationwide citizen science survey. Simply count butterflies for 15 minutes during bright (preferably sunny) weather, which if you live in the UK you know is easier said than done! 😂 Then submit your sightings to bigbutterflycount.org

Butterflies and moths are vital parts of the ecosystems both pollinators and components of the food chain. Butterfly declines are also an early warning for other wildlife losses. Butterflies are key biodiversity indicators for scientists as they react very quickly to changes in their environment. Therefore, if their numbers are falling, then nature is in trouble. So tracking numbers of butterflies is crucial in the fight to conserve our natural world. That’s why taking part in this massive citizen science enterprise is of great importance not just for our butterflies but for the wider environment and biodiversity in general.

Hope you enjoy watching some of my sightings 🦋

You can take part too! Just pick your spot and watch for 15 minutes, would love to see what species are flying near you.

Finding and painting Feathers

When i find feathers on a walk, I always feel like it’s a little gift from nature. There is definitely something magical about feathers. I’ve started painting some of the ones I’ve gathered on my walks-hoping to capture their soft, fleeting beauty. Just looking at them brings a sense of calm and stillness…anyone else feel that way?

Hope you enjoy this quick time lapse reel showing the start of paining some of my feather collection. There is more detail and finishing to be be so follow me to find out how they look in the end and what they might become? I am thinking they could make a lovely delicate pattern?

Hummingbird Hawk-moth in my garden

So happy to have captured this little beauty on my very own Buddleia! It's called a hummingbird hawk-moth 😍 I had the pleasure of illustrating one for Homecoming, so was super excited to actually see one in my own garden.

Absolutely beautiful! Hope you enjoy watching my little video of it. 😊

Homecoming Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for illustrative books.

It has been an absolute joy to illustrate Homecoming, the nature journal written by the brilliant Melissa Harrison.

Reconnecting with nature is something i care deeply about, so when first read Melissa's manuscript for Homecoming, I knew right away this journal was something special! 💖

Painting Wild Honeysuckle

Capturing some wild honeysuckle from my walk in my sketchbook, with a quick watercolour and coloured pencil study.

Watercolour sketching and painting

There’s something magical about this time of year — wild grasses swaying, butterflies dancing, bees busy at work.

I’ve been taking slow, mindful walks through nature this season — observing the small details, recording the moments that move me, and soaking up inspiration for my artwork.

Today was all about the butterflies!

Let me know what you’ve been noticing on your own walks — or what season inspires you most. 🌿✨

#butterflies #naturelover #slowliving #natureinspiredart #watercolourillustration #butterflyillustration 

Bird Nerds - Hand painted colourful garden birds pattern.

What started as a pile of watercolour sketches on my studio table has taken flight — now available on fabric, wallpaper, tea towels, cushions, bedding + more via my Spoonflower shop!

Each little bird was hand-painted with love, inspired by the cheeky, colourful characters flitting through British gardens. This pattern is my joyful tribute to the birdwatchers, the garden potterers, the nature nerds... and anyone who just loves a splash of colour in their home.

💛 from cosy cushions to cheerful kitchenware.

🛍️ Now available in my Spoonflower shop — click here
Save this post for future DIY or gift ideas 🎁

✨ I'd love to know:
Which bird is your favourite? Or where would you use this pattern — on a cushion, tea towel, or maybe wallpaper? Let me know in the comments!

Sound of the ocean - Seashell headphones T-Shirt

Who remembers holding a seashell to your ear as a child, amazed by the sound of the sea whispering inside? 🐚✨

That wonder stayed with me — and it inspired this painting.

I imagined seashell headphones, carrying the ocean’s magic wherever you go...

Dolphins leaping, fish swimming, waves spilling out in a cascade of life and sound. 

This piece is my tribute to the endless beauty, mystery, and life held within the sea.

You can now buy The Sound of the Ocean on T-Shirts in my Tee Public Shop

For those who still listen to seashells! 😊

https://www.teepublic.com/user/amanda-dilworth

I was also thrilled to learn that Sound of the Ocean had been selected by Pangeaseed as one of the top 10 art submissions for their Sea Wonder: Share wonder campaign!

In celebration of Earth month and world oceans day the Pangeaseed family invited artists from around the world to submit original art that explore wonder, celebrating the emotional and scientific beauty of the ocean. The campaign is to spark curiosity, build connection and inspire care and empathy through the arts.

Cottagecore Herb Garden Pattern

 “From paper to pattern — this is how a herb garden becomes fabric.”

I loved creating this pattern. All the herbs were painted in watercolour, then scanned into Photoshop, where I created my pattern repeat.

You can buy this pattern on fabric and homeware via my Spoonflower shop https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/amanda_dilworth - prefect for kitchens, gifts, or DIY projects.

What would you love to see this herb pattern on? Let me know in the comments.

Want to license this design for your own products? Email me for details enquiries@amandadilworth.co.uk