Bronwyn Royce’s floral miniatures

Today Bronwyn aka @pigmentsart , one of our favorite floral watercolor illustrators is here and she will answer some questions! So exciting!

Bronwyn Royce and her workstation

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How long have you been drawing Bron?

I actually started relatively late in life…I didn’t think I had any artistic ability! I went to my first watercolour painting class in 1999 and I was hooked.  I then opened my art school in 2004 teaching watercolours to adults and children.  When I moved to the UK in 2007, I closed my school and set painting aside to take up full time employment in order to qualify for my British Citizenship. I started painting again in 2018.

What’s your process?

Intuitive? Chaotic? Once I have chosen a subject matter, I decide the shape I’d like to paint it in.  I use a stencil to lightly pencil the shape onto the paper and I begin to sketch.  I find that I can get much more detail with my paintbrush so I draw only rough shapes with my pencil as a guideline for painting.  The fun part is when it comes to adding the watercolour paint.

Digital vs traditional?

Art changes constantly and digital has revolutionised the way art is produced. I’m open minded but I have a feeling that it will always be traditional for me.

How long does it take to create it?

Without distractions (Coffee, gym, work avoidance…) miniatures can take me anything between one and five hours to complete.

Is it a hobby or your career?

I took the bold step of registering my business a year ago so it has gone from hobby to career.

I have my own website pigmentsart.co.uk where most of my miniatures are available as originals and prints.  My larger works are available only as originals.

I am contactable via email pigmentsart@hotmail.com or directly through my website and I am very happy to discuss commissions.

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Why do you draw?

It’s my way of expressing myself and I love to see the joy it brings others.

What is the proudest moment that you have achieved?

That’s a difficult one, partly because I hate talking about myself, but perhaps one moment (quite a long moment!) stands out. When my boys were very young and we still lived in South Africa, we had no money to pay their school fees so I put on an overall, grabbed a long stepladder (even though I hate heights) and spent 6 weeks painting the entire exterior of the 1600 pupil school to cover the fees.

What is the biggest obstacle that you have faced?

There’s no avoiding this one although it is very difficult for me to talk about. My oldest son deployed to Afghanistan with the British Military in 2012.  He was very seriously injured when he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device on May 2.  Both of his legs were amputated above the knee, as well as most of his left hand, his face was blown apart, his neck was broken in three places, his lungs burst and his heart was bruised.  He spent 48 days in hospital in an induced coma.  Eighteen months after injury, he was in the Canary Islands preparing to row the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.  He has gone on to participate in adventures all over the world, has been awarded an MBE, and he continues to motivate and inspire others.  I am currently writing a book about how our lives were changed in that instant.

You have one day to live, how do you spend it?

Well, the bond between my sons and myself has always been strong but this incident made us stronger.  If I had just one day, I would love to spend it doing some crazy adventure with my boys.

Bronwyn with her favourite recipe which is quinoa, avocado and feta salad and Dartmouth – the town where she lives in Devon, UK