It was nearly a quarter-century ago that I first picked up a crayon. I vaguely remember a stack of colouring books with meticulously decorated pages. I've always been obsessed with neatness; back then I never strayed beyond that thin black line.

I progressed to coloured pencils as soon as I was old enough to use one without stabbing myself in the eye, then on to felt tips as I left the colouring books behind. Why colour someone else's boring picture when you can draw whatever the heck you like? I drew a lot of dogs and telephones, for reasons psychologists have since struggled to explain.

Later in life, an A level in fine art taught me the value of traditional techniques and a degree in Illustration taught me how to contemporise, research and develop my ideas. I discovered a new world of digital possibilities along the way, and since graduating in 2009 I've found work as a freelance illustrator.