• I’m very busy finishing my Olympia series at the moment and haven’t got much time to prepare drawing lessons so this is just a bit of fun for you.

  • While I was Twittering like mad during the NextUp Competition voting process, I saw a link to Jack Draws Anything and was amazed by what Jack had achieved with a simple idea. He did drawing requests on the internet in return for donations to the Sick Kids Friends Foundation. He started out with quite a modest goal, but the whole thing grew and grew. He made so much money and did so many drawing, he’s stopped taking requests, but you can still donate on his web page. Go and have a look now.

    I asked Jack if I could draw something for him and he asked for a hedgehog, so here it is.

  • Thanks to everyone who voted for me. Yes, I won the competition and I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled! here is my celebratory video and most of my press release is below.

    Press Release – for immediate publication

    Shoo Rayner wins YouTube NextUp competition

    Children’s author and illustrator Shoo Rayner, from the Royal Forest of Dean, has been chosen as one of eight winners from the UK in the YouTube NextUp Europe Competition to find the best new channels on YouTube. See more at http://www.youtube.com/youtubenextup

    Shoo’s YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/shooraynerdrawing – has had over a million views of his 240 videos, and well over three thousand subscribers from all around the world. “It’s amazing,” says Shoo. “I have built up relationships all over the world, including Sweden, Brazil, Egypt, Singapore, India and the USA!”

    All winners receive €20,000 to spend developing their YouTube channels and a week at Creator Camp in London, for intensive training and mentoring to make their channels even better.

    Shoo made his first video on YouTube in September 2008, showing how to draw his popular book characters. A year later he committed himself to his drawing channel, after receiving encouraging comments and requests from viewers. Shoo increasingly interacts with his audience, who now span all ages, and whose comments and suggestions have shaped the channel ever since.

    “It’s been a bit like an apprenticeship,” says Shoo. “I’m learning all the time. Winning this competition is a validation of all the hundreds, if not thousands of hours I’ve spent working on my channel.”

    Shoo’s videos teach viewers how to draw all manner of things, in a step by step fashion, while he chats about his day to day life as an artist and author.

    “I also make videos with advice for artists, in answer to questions I receive. My mail from those videos is amazing. There are a lot of shy, frustrated and lonely artists out there who are thrilled to find out that someone else thinks the same way they do.”

    “This prize will give me the opportunity to set up an online school with more structured courses for all ages and experience. I love doing this – if I can make a website so that I can earn a living from teaching people how to draw, I will be a very happy man!”

    Again, a million thanks and bless you all who have voted for me and believed in this project and have encouraged me to continue through the difficult bits. I hope I can continue and make it even better.