100 days of drawing 100 year old Sir David Attenborough-

Hannah Norman, Hannah Norman Portrait Drawings, Porlock Weir, Exmoor, 2025

Sir David Attenborough has inspired me as a busy mum of two, to slow down, by spending a hundred days on a hyper realist portrait leading up to Attenborough's 100th birthday. Working on my peaceful harbour on Exmoor where all I can hear is the birds and the waves. Despite sir David Attenborough's life long career of hard dedication to our planet, his birthday wish would be for bigger change.

Sir David Attenborough Portrait in progress , Mar 2026, Graphite, Hannah Norman Ba Hons

There is a lot behind somebody's eyes, and whenever I draw a portrait, the soul is normally always portrayed though the eyes. So to be able to convey such a powerful portrait with his eyes closed shows what an impact he has had simply by who he is. Pencil work and graphite is such a perfect delicate medium to produce hyper realism, meaning you can softly and respectfully portray such a subject. Sir David Attenborough has worked so hard to portray to the next generation the importance of every living thing for our ecosystem, in drawing so tentitively and paying close attention to every inch of detail it is an excellent form of mindfulness, when we live in such a scary world and unpredictable future.

Portraits in progress, Minehead Drawing Classes, Children with Artist Hannah Norman

Holding after school clubs, and teaching children how to draw realism in pencil, I wanted to show them that I could also challenge myself and do something impactful that takes time.

Laura Gallant, photographer, gave me permission to use her photograph, she had captured him in a powerful sombre pose, every wrinkle or sun damaged mark on his face has made me think about what he's seen and where he's been and how it has affected him. You never get to examine somebody or something as close up as you do when you draw each individual wrinkle, hair or fold. When my 10-14 year old students chose to draw wildlife portraits for their final project and were struggling to perservere through hours of single hair strokes I decided to bring my portrait of Sir David Attenborough. They could see if they dedicate hours and months into one piece and persevere like they needed to throughout weeks of drawing their pieces then the result can pay off with something they are proud of.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/acf3b3_f1cbef4c2ed24294bd357be90911d64d/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Sir David Attenborough portrait in progress by Hannah Norman, as a big walks across his hand

One day while I was drawing him sat on the harbour, a bug walked across his hand and I found it quite emotional. This big impressive portrait and this tiny bug summed up everything for me.

So here he is, Sir David Attenborough 22"x30", in progress. And his 100th birthday happens to be approaching too, so now I am making it my aim to draw him within 100 days. Paying such close attention to his every mark and fold in his mature skin, I can’t help but have in mind everywhere he has been and everything he has seen throughout his incredible career. Thank you Sir David.

The important ones

Blog 27.3.26

It all began in my little art studio open to passers by, situated on Porlock Weir, West Somerset- Exmoor Wildlife, Hannah Norman Drawings. My photo realist style of portraits grew into a series that made the smallest of creatures the main event, trying to accentuate the important ones and how vital they are in the circle of life, aka the eco system. 

Fox & Spider, 2024, Oil based pencil, Hannah Norman Ba Hons

The various dogs and Exmoor wildlife is a successful series that customers and clients have fallen in love with and my prints and originals are now all over the world.

Almighty Snail, 2025, Oil based pencil, Hannah Norman Ba Hons

Then my next level challenge was to blow up the important ones, go big or go home. So I drew a huge slimy snail, and it was my quickest sale to date, having only been on the wall for 3 hours before it sold.

The ecosystem is reliant on the tiniest of creatures, so to elevate their status within my artwork means I am putting them at the forefront and making them the star of the show again. Wildlife portraits of big cats and large status mammals are powerful and sell yes, but the insects need us to appreciate that without them we couldn't breathe, let alone have a colourful planet. As The great Sir David Attenborough states “Every single species, from the smallest microbe to the largest whale, has its place.” Read my next post to see where this journey has led me.

Young Artists Drawing classes

In 2025 I started Drawing classes for children, there is nothing like this in our area in West Somerset, and I was being approached constantly in my art studio about teaching children. They would be visiting on holiday and would return year after year to see what I was working on and tell me how their art work or school projects were going.

So my own children of a similar age at home were of course not wanting any advise from me, or their dad whom has a degree in Animation and Illustration, would always seek to Youtube for a drawing tutorial. Youtube is swamped with step by step tutorials, great, if you want to learn how to draw specific things or some massive cartoon eyes on everything going. But I wanted to teach them in a way I wish I had been taught, then I would have been able to fast track my career and I am sure I would have started 15 years earliar than I did.

Being taught by a 'successful' professional artist shows them they can do it too. But the main thing I teach is that 'your style is the right style' and always draw what excites you, YouTube cant teach that. Confidence, encouragement and few tips and tricks along the way means I am over a year in and have been into schools, colleges, careers days, after school clubs and taken art lessons within schools. I even do the odd sip and paint which is more about the cocktails with the adults, but it has inspired non the less! But I have never lost focus on my own career, producing at least two pieces a week, either commissions or for the studio, and while I have been teaching and having to explain how I do things, it has made me a better artist, win win.