Hi my name is Veronika Deans and I am the artist behind Pipkin Art.
This is a wee insight to my story.
When I was at school the only thing I was any good at was art and I wanted to be an art teacher.
But, unfortunately for me, I had learning difficulties in the form of dyscalculia which meant I was unable to calculate numbers and I was also later diagnosed as dyslexic. It was in the 1970s when I went to school so there was no chance that my problems would have been recognised.
So, no chance of achieving the qualifications I needed to become an art teacher.
I left school at 16 with the words of my teacher ringing in my ear, ’’there’s lots of shop jobs out there for young girls, you won’t have a problem finding a job ‘.
My life was over, I cried my eyes out because I couldn’t be an art teacher.
My teacher was right though, I did find a job and I quickly fell in to aimless jobs with no future…my own personal hell with no way out. However, one of the rubbish jobs needed an instore signwriter, my chance to do something arty!
Yes, I got the job, went to college and got qualified as a signwriter and, by chance, I met another signwriter who offered me PAID work ! This just lasted only a short while but I enjoyed it .
Life changed, and I moved to England for a while, still worked in shops, but now in fashion, and took myself off to college and studied management, design and display and did merchandising which was useful as I managed shops and concessions. But my health was for some reason letting me down and in 1996 I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.
I came back to Scotland and got married in the millennium year, still managing shops which was fine, but another life changing event was just round the corner. In 2006 I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, so not one for giving in, I worked part time but unfortunately my body had enough. I worked till I could no longer work and 2 years later I gave up work all together .
It wasn’t easy; the realisation of being told by the rheumatologist that I will never get any better and what all that meant was crushing.
So me and a few other people started up a help group for people with the same condition and this is the twist in the tale, I met a lovely lady who just happened to be an amazing artist, we became friends and she helped me get back in to drawing again, she will forever have my gratitude.
I had all this time on my hands so I could start up my art again, and since then I have joined art groups on line, and met fantastic artists who were very gracious with their advice and support for which I will be forever grateful.
So now I am in a position where I feel I can do something with my art… Hopefully sell it!
I’ve been drawing for 5 years and have done a few commissions but really just for family, friends and people I knew.
But now I am hoping to take my art work further and start up my own business.
My interests lie in mostly animal portraits, peoples pets, British wildlife. I use photographs to take from and all drawings are created using high quality material and supports. I work in paste ls, colour pencils and graphite pencils, each drawing will take up to about 2 to 4 weeks to complete, though this is flexible depending on how much work needs to be done and what size the drawing is to be. I am happy to keep the client updated on the progress of their commission, just to make sure that they are happy with everything, make any changes that are requested. I don’t frame any portrait as I feel it is a personal choice which I leave up to the client.
If you are looking for a unique gift that will last forever, having a portrait of your beloved pet could just be what you are looking for, anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas presents, any special occasion.
A portrait is such a personal gift tailored to your requirements that you will treasure forever.
PRICING:
A4 …colour pencil / pastels…£90.00
A3…colour pencil / pastels…£115.00
11x14 inches…colour pencil / pastels…£120.00
£15.00 Extra subject / £10.00 extra if client requests background work
A4…graphite pencil…£80.00
A3…graphite pencil…£100.00
11x14 inches... graphite pencil…£110.0
Please be aware that these prices can vary depending on the size and amount of work needed.
50% deposit is required when ordering which is non returnable, the remainder on completion.
I post to all of the UK and ship worldwide, prices do not include postage.
Thank you for taking an interest in my work.
Veronika Deans
