Kelley is an actress and TV stunt woman.  She is also trained in the use of medieval weapons and owns her own long sword.  (She's not as scary as that makes her sound.)

Ahead of the session, Rob was great at chatting through what I wanted to do.  On the day, he made me feel really comfortable.  ...It just felt easy and natural.

Time flew by.  It was surprising how quick the poses were... By the time we finished the session we had plenty to choose from.  With lots of different styles.

I wanted to recreate a classic painting with a mirror.  Rob absolutely nailed it and that is the picture I have framed on the wall at home.

I also interested in something special for my partner as a surprise ...I brought along lingerie to model. My partner was absolutely thrilled with the result and was so impressed that I did this.

It was a brilliant experience, I'd recommend it to anyone.  Actually, I can't wait to do it again.

Debora is an NHS nurse and works long hours helping others. She never thought she might pose for an artist, but was recommended to try by a friend and decided to give it a go.

It was an amazing experience. Rob encouraged me to be myself... the drawings that came out of the session really felt like ME.

I was surprised how easy it was. Very calm and natural.  And fun!  We shared a vision of portraying me as independant and strong.  Many of the best poses came directly from trying to communicate that.

I finished the session feeling really proud of what we had achieved and absolutely delighted with the results.

Sometimes I am not comfortable with my body... I often wear loose clothes to cover my shape.  Since doing this, I am much more confident about who I am and how I look... I am at home in my body a lot more.

Jools has a grown up daughter who modelled for me.  She was going through a difficult menopause and wanted to do something that reinstated her feminity.

When I saw the pictures of my daughter and heard how much she enjoyed it, I really wanted to give this a go.  It wasn't something I expected to do at my age... it was a brilliant experience.  I wish I had done it earlier!

I had a few ideas and Rob was great at talking about how to make them work and adding other thoughts. We did loads of different things.  He works very fast.

There was some gear I wanted to try for some pictures but mostly we just did natural simple poses.  It is wonderful how different aspects of me come across in the pictures.

I showed the paintings to friends and they didn't realise it was me to start with.  They were amazed when they realised who it was.

I have my favourite one hanging over my bed at home now.

Fran is a teacher in Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA).  Her friend had already posed for me and suggested she should try too.  I love the feminine side of women, but I am also keen to show how strong they can be.  Fran revealed both qualities in abundance.

It took me a while to get the courage, but I am really glad I did.  I loved it.

Rob was able to show different aspects of who I am.  He was great at getting me to relax and be myself.  Some of the poses were tough, because they are genuine fencing positions, but it was worth it.  They are uniquely me.

It was fascinating seeing myself through someone else's eyes.  Rob brought out things about me in the pictures I don't think about.

I felt good about myself afterwards.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone lacking body confidence.  (Which is most of us, right?) It changes the way you view yourself.  You realise how the details you focus on in the mirror are not what others see at all.

Emmie is a health worker who helps isolated people.  Her boyfriend put her up to doing this because he thought she would love it.

My boyfriend suggested I do this... I'm not that confident in myself and I wasn't sure.  But I saw the other pictures Rob had done and thought I would try it... I've never posed for an artist before.

I absolutely loved it from beginning to end.  It was just so much fun... Rob helped suggest poses that were dynamic but comfortable to hold.  I felt so relaxed during one pose I even fell asleep.

We produced a lovely collection of pictures.  In fact, Rob sold one in an exhibition.  Apparently, I'm hanging on someone's wall in South Africa right now. Which is a weird and wonderful thought.

On the way home, I was so excited and pleased with myself... I couldn't stop talking about it for days.  Of course, my boyfriend loved the pictures!  I'd definitely do it again.

Stéphane is a high achieving creative professional.

I have always hated my photo being taken but,  with Rob's way of working, I knew no one would ever realise who was in the pictures unless I told them, so it could remain anonymous... I just thought, 'why not?'

I turned proudly sixty at about the same time and this felt a liberating way to celebrate that.  It was exactly that!  A totally relaxed and fun experience.

Rob put one of my pictures in an exhibition and it was a thrill to see myself up on the wall.  I was there when someone started talking about how they loved my picture.  They had no idea it I was standing right next to them!

I'd recommend anyone to take the leap and have a portrait done - it's really fun and life affirming.

Katie was pregnant when she came into the gallery and wondered if I could draw her.  We waited until she was properly showing before we did the session. It was a delight help create a record of this incredible thing a woman's body can do.

I did a some photos for my previous pregnancy but I wanted something different this time... Rob has a unique style that I love.

Given my condition, I was a bit worried about long poses, but most of them were only a few minutes... he's really quick. Even the standing ones were surprisingly easy.

Rob always checked I was okay and we talked about the results as we went along... we produced a whole pile of lovely drawings.

I was delighted with the results! I had two of the pictures framed.  They are on the wall in our upstairs landing.  I love the comments when people see who it is in the pictures. It's a great souvenier of a very special time and something to show my son when he grows up!

Julie is a three-times grandmother and a public service worker.  She wanted to do something special to mark her sixtieth birthday.

My husband thought I was crazy wanting to do this... I just loved the idea of doing something a bit crazy.  He soon changed his mind when he saw the results.

It was just fun from start to finish.  Rob encouraged me to try natural poses, like I was sunbathing. Actually, the sun was shining through the windows and that's exactly what I was doing.

I wish I had done something like this when I was younger, but I would probably have been to uptight.  Now I'm older, I don't care what anyone thinks anymore.  I just want to be me.  If people aren't comfortable with that, it is their problem.

I enjoy showing the pictures to unsuspecting friends... then revealing who is in the picture.  One of hubby's workmates almost had heart failure when he realised!

Jo is by no means a typical model. She had never thought of posing until she came into the gallery.  The gallery is on the ground floor but has a tricky step which isn't great for wheelchair access, so it was a big deal she came in at all.  After she decided she wanted to pose (with her husband's full support), we then had to work around Covid regulations and her various impromptu trips to hospital. Jo has battled her illness for all her adult life and she said posing was another way of declaring she wouldn't let it stop her being herself. It was an absolute joy to work with her and we are both so proud that, not only does she have a couple of her pics up at home, but I sold another pic from the gallery and she is actually on the wall in someone else's home who has never met her.

Lucy is also an artist.

‘I have drawn people at life classes so, in part, wanted to experience what it is like from the other side. I also turned sixty recently and came out of a long relationship with someone that had knocked my confidence. I’m not tall or slender and, like many, I’ve had issues about my body. Doing something like this felt a bit crazy, but decided it could be empowering as well. 

Rob and I had only met once before at an exhibition, but I also knew of his art through Instagram and was aware that he often worked with first time models. And I love his pictures!

I was okay until the actual morning when I started to feel some nerves. Rob arranged to come to my home, which made it easier.  When we started, I was surprised how quickly I relaxed right within the first pose. Rob knew I was a bit nervous, but he was so good at making me feel at ease. It just felt natural. 

Conversation was interesting and funny. There was no pressure to do any pose that I felt unconfident with. In fact, as the session went on, I was suggesting poses, which Rob was delighted with. The ideas were discussed together and, as the pictures built up we agreed which kind of poses we should explore more.  Rob is very quick at sketching, so the poses were short and we managed about fifteen set ups during the time.

Posing is a workout. You need to find a position that is comfortable for you so communication is essential with the artist and that was never a problem discussing with Rob. In fact I found the whole experience calm and still. There is something quite Zen about it.

The hours flew by and at the end I found myself feeling very satisfied. Proud of myself and proud of the lovely artwork that we had created together. The experience made me feel positive and confident about my body and more aware, really, of who I am.

I can’t recommend it enough. I would certainly like to model for Rob again.  It was a fabulous afternoon, relaxing, very informative and fun!’