An artist has come up with a new way to capture sea life scenery – by creating her pieces while she is under water.

Caroline Appleyard believes she is the only artist in the world to don full scuba diving gear as she takes her oil pastels and hardboard on to the seabed with her so that she can sketch the fish and wrecks she encounters.

The illustrator retired in 2006 to take up painting full time and is now doing a booming business in her unusual artwork – which she creates to heavy metal music played through a water-resistant MP3 player.

She has her technique down to a fine art, employing mini weight belts to tie down her oil pastels, drawing on to hardboard, and using her scuba expertise to stay on the seabed for up to an hour so she can paint her subject.

She cuts holes in her gloves to hold the pastels, has spent up to five hours in total on her longest painting and only works on her sea life pieces below the surface.