He was educated at Sidcup School, Kent, then studied art at Orpington College.
He worked in the hydrographic service of the Royal Navy and in the cartographic branches of an oil company and of the Department of the Environment, before turning to a career as illustrator.
[1] He has been a botanical illustrator for many years,[2] and, as well as his books, has received commissions from institutions such as the BBC, the Oxford University Press, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the World Wildlife Fund, The Walt Disney Company, and the Irish Electricity Board.
[3] He has also contributed artwork for many other books, magazines and posters, including a design for the Natural History Museum in London,[4] has exhibited works at the St Mawes Art Gallery, Cornwall, and has worked as an art instructor.
[1] He works in pastels for botanical illustrations, and in oils for cityscapes and landscapes.