My name is Sue Smith. I was born and brought up in the wilds of Surrey before training as a graphic designer and illustrator before embarking on a career in the advertising industry. During this time I moved with my husband to the wilds of East Anglia. The long and irregular hours of advertising did not fit well with raising a family and staying sane, so I juggled part time work and childcare with drawing whenever I could find the time. Since then we have moved to the outskirts of Cambridge where we live with three teenagers and two  cats.

Since arriving in Cambridge I have attended several courses in botanical painting, in watercolor and coloured pencil at  the University Botanic Gardens. My interest in coloured pencil was sparked by a chance find in a second hand bookshop, and since then I have been collecting every coloured pencil book I could find. I probably have too many coloured pencils (my family think so).

I love the versatility of coloured pencil. It is possible to produce many different textures and I find it particularly suited to representing fur as I enjoy the challenge of capturing the individuality of each animal portrait.

I also enjoy sketching wherever I happen to be and I am never without a sketchbook and pen and usually a small watercolour box.

I am a member of the United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society (UKCPS) and the Society Of Feline Artists (SOFA).