Judges Shortlist

Rora - Sketch Competition Results

An open sketchbook displaying artistic drawings lies on a textured dark surface, surrounded by assorted seashells.

#1 AR

I am a 14 year old who loves everything about living by the sea, swimming, snorkelling and sailing

Pencil drawing showing two tarot cards, The Empress and Death, surrounded by swirling green smoke.

#2 AR

~ Paul Nicholls 'Beautiful and thoughtful presentation - I love too the layering of the 'card' images to add meaning and depth.'

A pencil drawing shows a bird with its wings spread, perched atop a wooden post.

#3 LB

~ Paul Nicholls
The white bird could have looked amazing on a very dark graphite background, it would of meant you wouldnt need the strong outline and the form would have been expressed through light alone which is always something i look for in pencil / graphite drawings.

A pencil and sharpener rest next to a sheet of paper displaying a sketch of a bird with wings spread.

#4 LB

Lovely shading and strong compsition too - a great focus and bold use of space.
~Tamsin Rosewell

A pen drawing shows a person lying in bed writing in a notebook, with a lamp and a cat next to them.

#5 VV
Short-listed

This has a magical moment of self-awareness that only a self-portrait made in the mirror can conjure up. All the more unusual because of the full-length landscape (please resolve the legs next time!)
~ Mikey Georgeson

I enjoy the economy of line - a direct interpretation, confident and intentional.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

An open notebook displays faint notes on the left page and vibrant, colorful sketches of two people on the right page.

#6 VV

Poet, Artist and an advocate for the keeping of Notebooks”.
Attended Art Schools in Asturias, and London, but mainly self-taught and continuing…

A black and white pen drawing shows a leafless tree with intricate branches displayed on a wooden surface.

#7 CC

Great energy in this and confidence in the permanent nature of the pen. You can feel the decision in every branch.
~ Paul Nicholls

A wonderful sketch - really intense detail and you can almost feel the observation going on. I can 'feel' that tree!

Pencil sketch showing a raised drawbridge over a canal, a fishing boat docked nearby, and buildings alongside the water.

#8 AC

Great use of negative space and shadow work on this piece. Almost wish the bridge handrail had the same treamtment by the subtle shading of the sky around it to make it feel more consistent.
~ Paul Nicholls

Beautiful pencil work - a great sense of distance and the bold space in the foreground leads us in.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch shows a rock climber with ropes and gear from behind, placed on a wooden desk surrounded by art supplies.

#9 PT
Missing Ro

I really like the swirling shapes of the rope, the rocks - and would have loved these to be more bold within the composition.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch shows a rock climber sitting on rocks with climbing ropes and gear, viewed from behind.

#10 PT
Ro at the Roaches

I worked as a design draftsman. I started climbing with Roland in 2006 & started drawing climbers in 2013. Drawn from a photo taken by Patrick Manuel.

A smiling goat is painted in watercolor on white paper, surrounded by a teal border with star and moon decorations.

#11 JM

Lovely use of contrast and off white on white to make the figure stand out but with subtle depth.
~ Paul Nicholls

Beautiful focused observational drawing - and a great sense of wooliness to the face too.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

Black ink drawing shows three trees on a grassy hill with a winding path and loosely sketched clouds overhead.

#12 TN

The undervalued biro! I'm pleased to see biro work here - id love you to work into this and really meditate within it.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A sketchbook lies open to pages with handwritten notes beside a watercolor painting of a grassy coastal path by the blue sea.

#13 JM
Short-listed

Wonderfully rich tones and layering of shapes confidently executed.
~ Paul Nicholls

Really enjoyed this - beautoful sense of colour and light - and the line breaking up the diagonals of the compsition.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A sketchbook open to watercolor art and handwritten notes sits on a table, surrounded by paint tubes and brushes.

#14 JM

Again, I like the confident line running through the piece, its meandering shape leading us on.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

Two hands gently hold each other in a pencil sketch, with a wristwatch visible on one of the wrists.

#15 MB

Simple, elegant and full of a warmth of intention. A lovely sketch!
~ Tamsin Rosewell

An open sketchbook displays a red pencil alongside rough sketches of masks, faces, and scattered handwritten notes.

#16 DE
Queen of the May

Fascinating! I really enjoyed the surreal form, and the way you've focused on the curling shape of the object
~ Tamsin Rosewell

Two eyes drawn in pencil appear above cloud-like, sketchy shapes that cover the lower part of a face.

#17 RK

Beautifully realised - your intention in the different eyes, and hair, all within the same, moving sky is lovely.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch shows a person looking out a window, with handwritten text on the right describing feathers appearing and drifting down.

#18 JS

This is a beautiful, peaceful and pensive image - a lovely thing. I'd love you to add in a sense of the light falling too.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A heart split by a door and a feather is sketched on one page, with a handwritten story on the opposite page in a spiral notebook.

#19 JS

I also love your combining of word and image - and your handwriting is full of a positive energy and love too.

A pencil sketch shows a leopard lying down with its body relaxed, detailed spots visible, and its head turned to the left.

#20 RE

#20 and #21 - really lovely work. A great focus on the spirit of the animal in its movement and in its rest.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch shows a jaguar walking forward through tall grass, viewed directly from the front.

#21 RE

I'm a mum of two boys, aged 10yrs and 16yrs, I'm currently a dispenser for Boots Pharmacy and training to be a technician. I've always enjoyed drawing

Four black-ink sketched hands display different gestures against a white background in a simple line drawing.

#22 JG

I love the focus on hands - so expressive! Hands are hard, and you've got their sense of movement wonderfully!
~ Tamsin Rosewell

Charcoal drawing depicts swirling smoke and abstract figures, capturing dynamic movement and chaotic energy in the scene.

#23 MJ
Short-listed

I really like this image - It is hugely powerful and intentional - and I feel drawn in. Wonderful stuff.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

Figures stand by brick structures with a curved gate, under a large sun, with mountains and trees in this charcoal drawing.

#24 MJ

Mysterious and very Blakean! Dreamlike and fascinating.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

The Mad Hatter sits at a tea table in a black and white drawing, gesturing with surprise, with several tea cups before him.

#25 DS

Very accomplished and confident - I'd love to see your own mind's images too
~ Tamsin Rosewell

Mad Hatter: Confident and fun expression with a talent for identifying the 'less is more' aproach to shadowing with pen.
~ Paul Nicholls

Alice sits at a mad tea party with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter in a black-and-white sketch.

#26 DS

Im 16 years old and I’m going to college to study fine art and design since it’s always been my passion.. i love to do art in my free time!

A pencil sketch of an iguana’s head appears on white paper next to a pen and eraser resting on a wooden desk.

#27 SH

Really great observational drawing! You've got the character of the beareded dragon perfectly! Lovely scales too.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

I would have loved to see this realised with more confidence in the contrast. Definately worth finishing. Perhaps try on a negative, either with black paper with white pencil or by shading dark around the lizard and popping it out off the page.
~ Paul Nicholls

Pencil sketch showing a short-haired character with an intense expression and the roman numeral VI tattooed on their face.

#28 BH

Great focus - and use of the space too. Focussing right in on the character's face is always powerful. Keep drawing!
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A charcoal drawing shows a fantasy creature with antlers, a long tail, and fur standing in a forest.

#29 DN

I love your sense of light and dark - it brings the character of your creature right towards us.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch depicts a tabby cat glancing over its shoulder in a notebook labeled with the date 25th July.

#30 HJ

Beautiful work - the texture of the fur and the sense of catlike movement is superb.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pen sketch on paper shows a church steeple and trees beside a black ink pen.

#31 HJ

Lovely sense of line here!
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A partially finished realistic pencil drawing of a man's face is surrounded by various pencils and art supplies.

#32 JS
Short-listed

Very interesting combinmation of techniques and patterns. I'd love to see this finished. The awareness of the eye socket is impressive.
~ Paul Nicholls

Wonderful work - imaginative, bold and full of interest!
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A sketchbook page features a realistic drawing of a hand holding string, surrounded by pencils and charcoal sticks.

#33 JS
Short-listed

Lovely use of hard contrast. I'd love this on black. Definitely finish this and see if you have the courage to shade the entire page black so the hand pops out of the shadow.
~ Paul Nicholls

Such good observational drawing here - you've chosen a complex subject, in hands and tangled string, but managed it perfectly.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A person is shown crouching with hands placed on the ground, leaning forward and looking straight ahead.

#34 HJ

#34 & #35
I love these two drawings - they convey emotion and physical weight as well as the human form
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch depicts a nude figure kneeling with head bowed and arms extended forward, resting on the floor.

#35 HJ
Short-listed

Figure: Lovely pose and understanding of human anatomy.
~ Paul Nicholls

A pencil sketch shows an angel beside a gothic door, surrounded by gravestones and a rose, with handwritten poetry nearby.

#36 E-J L

This image has such a lovely atmosphere to it - it is both peaceful and full of intention and expectation in the angel's expression.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A set of colored pencils and loose pencils next to a hand-drawn gate, an angel illustration, and a handwritten poem on paper.

#37 E-J L

I am a parent carer of two boys, an artist, poet, and a fan of William Blake, as well as an advocate for families with disabled children.

A red lobster is depicted in a watercolor painting with loose, abstract brushstrokes on a plain white background.

#38 MC

I love this - allowing the washes of colour to build the form of the lobster. Great work! What a lovely present.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A tree is sketched in pencil on white paper, with various art supplies spread out around it on a cluttered desk.

# 39 DT

I’m an artist and gardener, living in Bognor Regis, greatly influenced by my love of nature.

A sketchpad displays a pencil drawing of a tree, surrounded by pencils and erasers scattered on a messy table.

#40 DT
Short-listed

I love both these images, but 40 has a particular reaching, streching quality to the tree. Like a dryad! Lovely.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch depicts an hourglass, a human skull, a skeleton hand, and text from William Blake’s poem about eternity.

#41 EN
Short-listed

Great variety and rhythm of probing line. Captures the sense that drawing is material thought.
~ Mikey Georgeson

Great combination of word and image here - I like the way you've woven them into the same space.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

Dynamic abstract pencil sketch featuring swirling lines, organic shapes, and textured shading throughout the composition.

#42 RG

Huge sense of movement and energy - I love these images. I enjoy the way figures form in your mind as you look
~ Tamsin Rosewell

An abstract drawing in pencil and charcoal features swirling organic shapes and textured patterns filling the entire composition.

#43 RG
Short-listed

Huge sense of movement and energy - I love these images. I enjoy the way figures form in your mind as you look
~ Tamsin Rosewell

Bare tree branches drawn in pencil are shown with a pale yellow sun softly glowing in the background.

#44 LM
Short-listed

Love the specificity and engagement in this delicately observed drawing. I can smell the woodland.
~ Mikey Georgeson

Lovely presentation - and sense of upward growth too, the way you've angled our sight here is clever.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A sketchbook featuring a tree drawing and two green leaves lies on top of yellow-green foliage.

#45 LM

Having discovered my neurodivergence in adulthood, I embrace the different perspective this brings. Nature delivers peace, intrigue and inspiration.

Hand-drawn Valentine's card featuring mythical creatures and the handwritten message All ma heart love Steve x.

# 46 SM

I love the use of shaped, elongated card to realise your sketch.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch shows a person wearing glasses and a scarf, with handwritten notes visible along the right side of the page.

#47 HE

A really successful sketch capturing a moment at speed. The proportions are captured well and the energy I enjoy.
~ Paul Nicholls

A really nice sketch, with a lovely quietness to it. I'd love to see you weave snatches of the words into the images too.
~ Tamsin Rosewell

A pencil sketch shows a vase holding flowers with detailed blooms and leaves, drawn on plain paper.

#48 NF

A lovely image, there's a gentleness to the forms of the flowers and they bend and seem to reach toward us. Beautiful work.
~ Tamsin Rosewell