Dotty was born and grew up on the Wirral and was attracted to drawing and painting from a young age, leading her to study art at Wirral Metropolitan College before attaining a degree in Film and Animation at the University of Humberside. She then spent many years working as a digital artist/animator in the computer games industry before moving on to a freelance role and, although still working in games, illustrated several novels and designed artwork for clothing lines.

It was during this time that she began creating more of the art she'd always wanted to do, bringing bright and colourful characters to life to, hopefully, make people smile.

She uses a range of mixed media - from chalk and pastel over watercolour to create a soft and whimsical quality, to acrylic paint on canvas board for a heavy textured feel.

Dotty now lives in a small Yorkshire village, where her love of painting has continued to grow.