After a precocious start including, aged 7, a congratulatory telegram from the Queen, on a portrait, and an O-Level in Art aged 12, David Thompson pursued a busy school career selling paintings to teachers and foreign collectors. Aged 17 he got diverted into illustration joining a renowned natural history illustrators’ studio, thus gaining an agent in London and working for prestigious clients such as the Amsterdam Zoo, Hamlin Books, Country Living Magazine and the Catholic Truth Society. Later he worked as an in-house illustrator for several graphic design companies. Recently he has returned to his first love, with an especial interest in figurative painting.