Welcome to my site.I am Joan Batty, a 'spare time' pencil artist, living in a Yorkshire village called Queensbury set high on a hill between Halifax and Bradford.
I have lived here for over forty years. Although I have never had any formal training, drawing has been a major interest of mine since I was a child.
Buildings and stone feature quite a lot in my work. I find the colours and textures fascinating.
One of my other interests is in maps and their creation. I have devised two local, pictorial maps. One featuring Queensbury, its many pubs and snippets of history, the other - a similar one of Halifax.
I use a variety of grades of pencil to get my results, none of them expensive, indeed Rexel 'Office Pencils' are ideal for certain tones. I generally draw on to white mountboard but occasionally use a smooth cartridge paper.
People often ask me how long it takes to complete a picture. The answer is, I don't know. A lot depends on the amount of detail involved, the colour blends required and, most important of all, my enthusiasm! Only once or twice have I struggled to summon up the excitement of creating a new picture when commissioned. I try to remember at such times that the particular view or building asked for, means something special to my client. Normally, though, when I embark on a new project, I am eager to get started.Feel free to browse my pages andplease use the box below to get in touch and send me your comments. I would love to hear from you .
