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I like to think my art work has a very rustic and real feel to it. It breathes life in to old wood and creates a talking point for people who enjoy such things. It celebrates New Zealand’s native birds in their many guises and characters.

About Us

I was one of those kids who would happily sit for hours and hours drawing or painting. I'd create cool characters or paint nice pictures for my Mum. Art and creativity was a huge part of my life, and I had a very supportive family. My artistic flare was often attributed to my Nana who could make all sorts of wonderful things, and she had all the gear to do it as well!

My creative mind was well fed right through school and college, and then something happened. I got busy... adult life busy. I no longer had the time to create like I used to, there were more important priorities. This continued for a number of years until it just became normal. I wasn't a creative person anymore.

At the time my wife and I lived on a lovely rural property that needed heaps of work, but it had a glen of old kanuka trees and other mixed natives that had become a special place for me to hang out. The birdlife was abundant and I liked nothing more than sitting next to the tiny stream that ran through and watching and listening to the birds.

One day I visited a Christmas market with my wife and I saw all the wonderful things that people were creating to share with others. These were all local people managing to find the time to be creative and being brave enough to try and make a living from it. My mind was blown, I felt a spark ignite within me. I had to get home as quickly as possible and just make something!



When I arrived home I realised that I didn't have any materials to create with. No paper, no paint and no pens. But life has taught me to make the most of all the materials around me. What others may see as rubbish I will quite often see as something that could be reused or upcycled into another form. This is why I grabbed a scrappy old pallet, a sharpie and a piece of chalk and set to work. I drew a small fantail, and then a tui and it felt really good. They even looked pretty good, or at least good enough to share with my friends and family on Facebook.

By allowing myself that bit of time to create I had inadvertently awakened a bit of a creative monster. I kept drawing birds on pieces of timber. My friends wanted to buy them from me and I was having fun fueling my creativity. Then one day I made a discovery that would set me on a path that there would be no turning back from.

My wife and I were both at home one day, and I sat with her while I drew and she did some colouring in one of those lovely colouring books for grown ups. I was using chalk and charcoal by this stage, but then I saw my wife's colouring pencils and asked if I might try using them. I first tried the black and white thinking it might be easier and might smudge less than the chalk and charcoal. I was right, they worked well. So then I tried some of the blue and green tones, and I was amazed at how nicely they worked on the timber. The next day I went out and bought myself a tray of Derwent's finest colouring pencils. And I've been refining the use of coloured pencils on timber as an art form ever since.

I love the softness you can create with colored pencils on timber. You get a great level of opacity where you can enjoy the beautiful grain and features of the timber shining through the art while still being able to enjoy the imagery I've created.



The wood comes from a number of sources. Some of the wood is left over from old apple bins that are past it, some of it is from old floorboards that have cracked, and other pieces even come from old farm fences that some beast or other has leant on too many times!

I like to think my art work has a very rustic and real feel to it. It breathes life in to old wood and creates a talking point for people who enjoy such things. It celebrates New Zealand’s native birds in their many guises and characters.

Our Policies

Terms & Conditions

Taxes & Duties All international deliveries are handled by NZ Post. Any duties and taxes incurred on international deliveries are your responsibility. Please be aware that doodlewear does not have any control over duties, customs and taxes applied by the country your order is being shipped to. Please contact your local customs office to find out more information if you are unsure of the charges. If you are shipping an item back to us, make sure the parcel is secure (we suggest an insured shipping or posting method, as well as lots of tape) as you are responsible for it until it reaches us. doodlewear does not accept responsibility for packages we do not ship ourselves.

Privacy Policy

Shipping Policy

SHIPPING INFO All items are sent through NZ Post. In most cases your order will be dispatched within 4-7 working days. However if is there going to be a delay we will get in touch with you. Our warehouse is a Monday to Friday operation, subject to Public Holidays. Please note shipping times below are additional to these time frames, and may vary from city to city. Within New Zealand Standard, $8.50: Your item will be tracked and you will be sent the tracking number via email once sent. Expect to receive your package 1-3 working days from dispatch.* Rural, $12.50: Select this option if your address is rural. You can check if your address is rural via NZ Post's site. Your item will be tracked and you will be sent the tracking number via email once sent. Expect to receive your package 3-6 working days from dispatch.* *Major towns and cities. These delivery targets are a guide only and we do not guarantee your item will reach its destination within the delivery target. Delivery to rural or remote areas may take longer. Once your order is shipped, it is out of our hands. Australia $16.50: International shipping is not tracked but if you would like to arrange this please email [email protected]. Expect to receive your package 6-10 working days from dispatch.* Rest of the World $40: International shipping is not tracked but if you would like to arrange this please email [email protected]. Expect to receive your package 3-10 working days from dispatch.* We currently ship around the world to: Canada, United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

Return Policy

We stand by the products we make, and we believe in quality. If our products have failed you in any way, please contact us and we will endeavour to help you. As we print your items individually on order, we are unable to accept returns due to a change in customer preference, so please take a look at our size guide and choose your sizes carefully. Returns of faulty items will only be accepted if the goods were faulty when delivered to you; doodlewear takes special care to check your purchase thoroughly for any faults before delivering them to you. All items returned as faulty will be inspected on receipt and any items deemed subject to general wear and tear will be not accepted as faulty. If you do receive a faulty item, simply pop it in a parcel back to us, including the receipt or proof of purchase. To be eligible for a return or exchange, items must be returned in their original condition (new, unused, unworn, unaltered, unwashed). All garment tags must be still attached to the item. For all return/exchange requests of faulty items, contact us at [email protected] within 48 hours of receiving your order, providing us with your order number and brief reason for return/exchange. All items need to be returned within 7 days from date of your parcel delivery. Once the item has been received they will undergo a quality review. Once cleared, we will replace a faulty item if a replacement is in stock and available. If we do not have a replacement available, we will offer you either a doodlewear credit or a refund to the value of the item at the time of purchase and any shipping costs incurred. We will contact you to confirm this. If there are signs that the item has been worn or damaged, we reserve the right to refuse the return and the return shipping costs will be at the expense of the customer. Send your item to: doodlewear. ATTN: Online Returns PO Box 56-586 Dominion Road Auckland 1446 Late or missing refunds: If you haven't received a refund yet, first check your bank account again. Then contact your credit card company, it may take some time before your refund is officially posted. Next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before a refund is posted. If you've done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at [email protected] with the subject 'REFUND MISSING'.
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