7th Pencil is the studio moniker of UK-based contemporary artist and muralist Melanie JS. She specialises in large-scale public art and site-specific interventions.
Born in North Devon, Mel fell in love with art at a young age, drawing and painting the fresh flowers on her grandmother’s kitchen table as a way to express emotion and navigate the world. What began as a childhood tool for personal regulation evolved into a lifelong art practice, leading her to paint her first large-scale mural in 2007 before completing her degree in Fine Art.
Over a career spanning nearly two decades, Mel has completed more than 200 public murals across ten countries. Stretching from Kyrgyzstan and mainland Europe to extensive public interventions across the UK.
Blending bold figurative forms with organic motifs, Mel transforms raw architectural surfaces into vibrant, narrative-driven public artworks. Her practice is grounded in the stories of the places and people she paints, finding inspiration in everyday resilience and local heritage. Her artistic world revolves around contemporary human experience, creating spaces that invite viewers to reflect, connect, and pause.
Biography
Photo Credit: Jade Smith - Kappa UK Project x Wom collective London 2022.
Photo Credit - Jake Pursey @purseyproductions - Concrete Canvas Chelmsford Essex UK 2026.
Selected clients: The Mayor of London - TFL - Kappa UK - Heineken - The Body Shop - Chelmsford City Council - Wychavon District Council - Essex Cultural Diversity Project
2026
Crowthorne (U.K) –> Chelmsford (U.K) –> Birmingham (U.K) –> Oxford (U.K) –> Goole (U.K) –> Evesham (U.K) –> Norfolk (U.K) –> Glasgow (SCOTLAND / U.K) –> Chelmsford (U.K) –> Leamington Mural Festival (U.K) –> Manchester (U.K) –> In Progress
2025
London (U.K) –> Droitwich Spa (U.K) –> Evesham (U.K) –> Athens (GREECE) –> Wiesbaden (GERMANY) –> Lisbon (PORTUGAL) –> Southend City (U.K) –> Portsmouth (U.K) –> Southampton (U.K) –> Cewe (U.K) –> Sheffield (U.K)
2024
Stratford-upon-Avon (U.K) –> Lutterworth (U.K) –> Leamington Spa (U.K) –> Wimbledon / London (U.K) –> Bishkek (KYRGYZSTAN) –> Lisbon (PORTUGAL) –> Swindon (U.K) –> Cheltenham (U.K) –> Worcester (U.K)
2023
Clapham / London (U.K) –> Camden / London (U.K) –> Deptford / London (U.K) –> Stratford / London (U.K) –> Portsmouth (U.K) –> Droitwich Spa (U.K) –> Worcester (U.K) –> Bishop's Stortford (U.K)
Projects
2022
Wembley / London (U.K) –> Swindon (U.K) –> Stratford / London (U.K) –> Tower Hamlets / London (U.K) –> Shoreditch / London (U.K) –> Droitwich (U.K)
2021
Hackney / London (U.K) –> Penge / London (U.K) –> Banbury (U.K) –> Crewe (U.K) –> Bideford (U.K) –> Barnstaple (U.K) –> Westward Ho! (U.K)
2020
Cheltenham (U.K) –> Stratford / London (U.K)
2019
Sofia and Bansko (Bulgaria) –> Westward Ho! (U.K) –> Cornwall (U.K)
2018
San Pedro de Alcántara (SPAIN) –> Aberdeen (SCOTLAND / U.K) –> Plymouth (U.K) –> Barnstaple (U.K)