Hello! I’m Vanessa Bentley — an artist, self-taught graphic designer, and colouring book creator based in Johannesburg, South Africa. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Even in school, art was always my favourite subject, and I spent as much time as possible in the art room.

After school, life led me to marriage and motherhood, raising three wonderful children who are now grown with families of their own. During those years, I painted everything from landscapes to portraits, working mostly in watercolours, pastels, and later, acrylics. Creating art has always been my happy place, and these days I find that doodling and sketching — whether with a ballpoint pen, Sharpie, fineliner, or highlighter — is the perfect way to relax and unwind.

Several years ago, I began turning my hand-drawn doodles into colouring pages. What began as pencil sketches evolved into polished vector illustrations, thanks to software like Illustrator and drawing apps on my trusty Android tablet. With support from my family, I compiled and self-published my first Mandala colouring book through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform — and I’ve never looked back.

Now, in addition to my growing collection of colouring books, I also create surface pattern designs and illustrations for digital and print-on-demand platforms like Redbubble and Spoonflower. Most of these designs are created on my iPad using Procreate and Affinity Designer, allowing me to combine hand-drawn texture with clean, scalable vector work. You’ll find a selection of my work on the Portfolio page — from intricate colouring pages to vibrant repeat patterns.

Thank you for visiting!

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