After more than a decade at the top of professional rugby, former England international Courtney Lawes has embarked on a very different challenge away from the pitch — building a career in art.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport, Lawes revealed how life with four children brought an end to his days as a dedicated gamer and pushed him towards a new creative outlet.
“I was a big gamer, played a lot of games, Call of Duty. Now my wife and I have got four kids and essentially, I had no time to game. I wanted to do something with my little spare time.”
“I’d always wanted to be able to put on to paper what’s in my head, if that makes sense. I just thought drawing was always really cool.”
He admitted he had no artistic background growing up. “I didn’t do any real art in school. Didn’t do anything until I decided I was going to start three years ago now.”
According to The Sun, Lawes decided to take the plunge and teach himself, relying largely on online courses rather than formal tuition.
“One day, I thought I’d give it a go. I’m basically just doing online courses. To be honest, it’s quite difficult without a tutor or mentor but that’s fine, I find my own path. I just want to draw for myself, really. I’m a pretty quick learner.”
What began as a hobby has turned into a serious commitment. Lawes now spends around ten hours a week practising at his easel — although he remains humble about his progress.
“I just committed pretty hard and I’ve been doing it for about three years. Still going. It’s a really long road. I quite like that.
“It’s really difficult, but that’s actually what I enjoy about it: the more difficult I find something normally the more I want to do it. I like things that are not easy to achieve.
“I think 99 per cent of people who start an art or drawing end up quitting at some point. I like to think I’m the 1 per cent that can see it through.”
Despite his dedication, the 35-year-old still describes himself as “very much a beginner, an art baby” — proof that even elite athletes are willing to start again from scratch when pursuing a new passion.
For Lawes, trading tackles for sketchbooks is not about fame or financial gain, but about mastering something difficult — and seeing it through.
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