Just a little Christmas robin to say Happy Christmas and New Year to all who follow my work and to those who happen to stumble upon it!

The picture is a pencil study of the Bwlch mountain. I have really tried to capture the curve of the cauldron - a result of glacial erosion many thousands of years ago. This is a really wonderful view that I now want to convert into a wood engraving.

I believe this to be a common rose swallowtail butterfly - once again courtesy of Ayub (www.aminart.co.uk). The beauty of this specimen is not simply in its colour, but also in the shape of its wings and its death pose.

This is my second study of a swallowtail butterly specimen using coloured pencils. This beautiful specimen (once again, courtesy of Ayub - www.aminart.co.uk) died with its wings outstretched, which has enabled me to study all the underside of the four wings. So that I could see it properly, I supported its wings with two small wooden blocks - which I also included in my sketch.

One limitation I have found with using pencils is the difficulty in picking out the fine flecking on the wings. So I think for my next study of a swallowtail I will use oils.

This is the first of several studies of swallowtail butterflies that I will be posting. I received a collection of butterfly specimens as a very kind gift from Ayub (www.aminart.co.uk) - a natural history photographer.

For this study, I have used Karismacolor pencils which have a wonderful consistency, allowing for a certain amount of mixing and blending. For such beautiful creatures, this medium is ideal.

I also used the same medium for an earlier study of an owl butterfly from the same collection.

This month I am taking part in a month of drawing, posting images every day. In today's sketch, I have tried to capture St Paul's in pastel. I drew this from the opposite side of the Thames by the Founders Arms (near the Tate Modern Gallery). The evening light is always amazing on this part of the Thames.

This month I am taking part in a month of drawing, posting images every day. For today's image I was down on the Thames foreshore at low tide, looking up at St Paul's cathedral and trying to depict an interesting composition of the Millennium Bridge. At this angle this wonderful bridge looks as though it's leading straight into the domed cathedral of St Paul's. I drew this sketch on site using sepia ink for speed (as the tide was on the turn) and I picked out details using black ink.

I drew this second sketch sitting under Blackfriars Bridge. I tried to capture the wonderful old disused pillars of the old bridge before the tide came in.

This month I am taking part in a month of drawing, posting images every day. I found this spiny horse chestnut case this afternoon, and I thought it would be wonderful subject to sketch. The dark interior really reminded me of the nearby Bwlch cauldron, which I've also been trying to sketch recently. I love the contrast between the hollow inside - with its fleshy base - and the hard, spiny outer shell. I have drawn this using sepia and black ink, with white Conte pencil.