Born and growing up on the Wirral, Dotty was drawn to art from a young age — partly inspired by her father, who decorated the ceilings of old cinemas and dance halls. She went on to study at Wirral Metropolitan College before earning a degree in Film and Animation at the University of Humberside.
She spent many years as a digital artist and animator in the computer games industry — working on titles including the Broken Sword series and a number of Disney games — before moving into a freelance role, illustrating novels and designing artwork for clothing lines along the way.
Dotty now lives in a small Yorkshire village, where she creates the art she always wanted to make: bright, colourful characters brought to life to make people smile. She works in mixed media — watercolour with pastel and coloured pencil, with a smidge of charcoal and ink pen thrown in — giving her work a soft, whimsical quality that is entirely her own. She calls it The Twirly World of Dotty Earl.
Her work spans two distinct series. Tall Stories are painterly, atmospheric pieces with richly detailed backgrounds — northern backyards, canal scenes and everyday moments observed with warmth and wit. Dotty Doodles are lighter and sketchier, with clean white backgrounds and a cast of everyday characters — couples, lone figures, dogs — caught in small, quietly funny moments.
The Braithwaite Gallery is proud to be one of Dotty's exhibiting galleries — we hope you enjoy her Twirly World as much as we do.
