A ROAD designer who draws donkeys, dogs and orang-utans in his spare time is hoping to give up the day job after landing a £10,000 art prize.

Richard Childs was presented with a certificate and cheque by TV celebrity Alan Titchmarsh after being crowned Wildlife Artist of the Year by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

The amateur artist, of Lyncroft Close, Ripley, impressed judges with The Hope of Sepilok, his portrait of an orang-utan saved after his habitat in Borneo was destroyed.

He beat entries from other amateurs and even some professionals.

The 40-year-old, who is married to Linda and has a step-daughter, Kelly, 25, said: “My work caused a lot of commotion because I used coloured pencils, which aren't perceived by many as a fine art medium. People just think they are crayons.

“I just can't stop smiling. I'm hoping this will open a few doors for me and may allow me to give up the day job. I am just a civil engineer and design roads for a living, so this is why it is so special.

“It's always been my dream to become a professional artist. Now I've got some tough decisions to make.”

Mr Childs created the portrait – which, he says, “captures the solitary expression of an adult male who is just trying to survive into the next decade” – to raise money to help orang-utans threatened by rainforest clearance.

He donates copies of each print sold to the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Foundation UK, having visited south-east Asia last November to see the mammal in the wild.

The drawing features an orphaned orangutan rescued from a logging site and taken to the Sepilok animal sanctuary, where he was trained to survive in the wild again and eventually released.

The engineer is also handing some of his prize money back to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, which works to save endangered mammals from extinction.

Mr Childs, who works for Nottingham City Council, said: “I am an amateur artist who beat professional artists from around the world. I was also the category winner for the endangered wildlife group.

“It was great to meet David Shepherd and all the celebrities too, like David Gower, Alan Titchmarsh and Rula Lenska.”

His work also won the 2007 Founder's Prize for Best UK Entry in the Coloured Pencil Society's 6th Annual Open International Exhibition.