Taking commissions for 2025 - LIMITED AVAILABILITY!
My aim has always been to specialise in miniatures. There are a lot of artists out there, many many wonderful artists, but precious few specialising in ‘mantelpiece art’.
Meet Chesca
My name is Chesca Burrows, and I am a neurodivergent artist living in Hampshire (UK) with my husband and 11yo daughter. We have four ponies at a local DIY yard, and three cats at home. Life is… busy!
I am a self-taught hobby artist, for many years painting horses in acrylic on wood: you can see examples of my work in that medium at handpaintedmagic
During the second Covid lockdown, in January 2021, my husband pointed out to me a free online Zoom course ‘Drawing and Painting Animals’. With no idea what to expect, but having little else to do on the dark winter nights, I signed up! The 6 week course covered many basics of sketching and drawing, and culminated in each of us working on our own piece in a medium of our choice.
I am a self-taught hobby artist, for many years painting horses in acrylic on wood: you can see examples of my work in that medium at handpaintedmagic
During the second Covid lockdown, in January 2021, my husband pointed out to me a free online Zoom course ‘Drawing and Painting Animals’. With no idea what to expect, but having little else to do on the dark winter nights, I signed up! The 6 week course covered many basics of sketching and drawing, and culminated in each of us working on our own piece in a medium of our choice.
Rather than ‘playing safe’ and drawing a horse, I chose to draw my cat, Squeaky. He can often be found on my lap, or lying across my shoulders (less helpful!) while I ‘art’, and it is from him that my page ‘Four Paws and a Pencil’ got it’s name…
Of course it turns out you actually need far more tools than one single pencil to create the piece on the left – my first pencil drawing since my school days, and my first ever artwork of a cat. I chose to do his eyes in coloured pencil because it was a style I had seen once and the small use of colour against the monochrome of graphite fascinated me – much in the way an animal’s eyes fascinate me as the window to their character! Squeaky has particularly big, intense eyes as you can see!
Of course it turns out you actually need far more tools than one single pencil to create the piece on the left – my first pencil drawing since my school days, and my first ever artwork of a cat. I chose to do his eyes in coloured pencil because it was a style I had seen once and the small use of colour against the monochrome of graphite fascinated me – much in the way an animal’s eyes fascinate me as the window to their character! Squeaky has particularly big, intense eyes as you can see!
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
Thomas Merton
My Art
I created my Facebook page to journal my lockdown experimentation with new mediums – not just graphite pencil drawing, but some watercolour, ‘line and wash’ being a style I particularly enjoyed having a dabble in, pastels, and finally that complex but beautiful medium, coloured pencil.
As is often the way with art, I fell into taking commissions a little accidentally. It had ultimately been my aim, to run alongside handpaintedmagic (due to an old soft tissue injury, RSI and arthritis in my painting hand, I was looking to move some of my commission base to pencils which are less physically demanding for me to grip) – but it was a loose ‘in the future’, ‘maybe one day’, ‘when I’m good enough’ type aim…
I unexpectedly started to get asked by friends for commissions fairly early in 2022, and enjoyed being challenged by some different subjects (dogs and cats) as well as horses. Alongside these, in the background, I was quietly practising my work in coloured pencil.
As is often the way with art, I fell into taking commissions a little accidentally. It had ultimately been my aim, to run alongside handpaintedmagic (due to an old soft tissue injury, RSI and arthritis in my painting hand, I was looking to move some of my commission base to pencils which are less physically demanding for me to grip) – but it was a loose ‘in the future’, ‘maybe one day’, ‘when I’m good enough’ type aim…
I unexpectedly started to get asked by friends for commissions fairly early in 2022, and enjoyed being challenged by some different subjects (dogs and cats) as well as horses. Alongside these, in the background, I was quietly practising my work in coloured pencil.
Things took an unexpected turn when at the beginning of 2023, I had a fall off my horse resulting in a traumatic brain injury and a subsequent sad decision to quit riding. Drawing suddenly became not just a side-line hobby that I would pick up and put down as ‘life’ allowed, but *the hobby* that now had to take over from my lifelong passion of horses and riding.
Somewhat fortuitously, we had already made plans for some home improvements, and throughout February, my new little art room being built gave me a goal for my recovery. I had some January handpaintedmagic commissions that I struggled through before making the decision to give up painting while I healed. I had a break from drawing too, due to vision and concentration problems, but slowly started to pick up the pencils again, and art became – as it is for so many – my therapy.
Two years on, I continue to have difficulties following my brain injury, but in April 2023 I joined the community that is the Bonny Snowdon Academy – not so much for the art tutorials but for the amazing support and community that spurred me on through some dark times! My space in the world is no longer quite in equestrianism, but so much of my life and friendships were centred around riders and riding – it was time to find a new place, and the coloured pencil community has given me that.
Somewhat fortuitously, we had already made plans for some home improvements, and throughout February, my new little art room being built gave me a goal for my recovery. I had some January handpaintedmagic commissions that I struggled through before making the decision to give up painting while I healed. I had a break from drawing too, due to vision and concentration problems, but slowly started to pick up the pencils again, and art became – as it is for so many – my therapy.
Two years on, I continue to have difficulties following my brain injury, but in April 2023 I joined the community that is the Bonny Snowdon Academy – not so much for the art tutorials but for the amazing support and community that spurred me on through some dark times! My space in the world is no longer quite in equestrianism, but so much of my life and friendships were centred around riders and riding – it was time to find a new place, and the coloured pencil community has given me that.
Miniatures have always fascinated me, perhaps because of how I got into art through handpaintedmagic, and I strive to add as much detail as possible into a small piece, meaning each piece of artwork takes many hours to complete. Despite this, I have tried to pitch my prices affordably, whilst also taking into account the time and quality materials that go in to each drawing.
I pride myself on my attention to detail, and everything I use is professional artist grade; the paper and pencils, even the acid-free mounts and display bags I use to protect my pieces before they get framed.
I am a member of the Association of Animal Artists, and The Hilliard Society of Miniature Art.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little about me and my background, and maybe will enjoy following my continuing journey as an artist through either this site, or via my Facebook page!
I pride myself on my attention to detail, and everything I use is professional artist grade; the paper and pencils, even the acid-free mounts and display bags I use to protect my pieces before they get framed.
I am a member of the Association of Animal Artists, and The Hilliard Society of Miniature Art.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little about me and my background, and maybe will enjoy following my continuing journey as an artist through either this site, or via my Facebook page!
