A self-taught artist, Melissa's passion for Realistic Pencil Drawing started at a young age with being influenced by Canada’s well-known artist, Robert Bateman. She was also inspired by wildlife artist, Carl Brenders. Melissa uses graphite and coloured pencil as her medium of choice with her subjects ranging from wildlife, children, pets and nature. She achieves high realism in each of her drawings and pays close attention to detail in capturing the essence of her subjects. Melissa also enjoys working with chalk pastel and oils.

Melissa started teaching children how to draw realistic subjects in pencil at Loyalist College in 1999. In 2003, she designed and created Canada's first online drawing class in pencil and coloured pencils. These online classes are offered presently through thirteen Ontario community colleges. Since then she has taught several adult evening classes and offers private children's lessons in her home. Melissa has participated in many juried exhibitions, studio tours, festivals and group exhibitions to showcase her work.

http://www.realisticdrawing.com