A MELTHAM artist known for his portrait of the Queen has unveiled his latest work – a unique portrait of her granddaughter.

Darren Baker was chosen to create a portrait of Olympic medallist Zara Phillips using only a mobile phone.

It was a step away from his typical paintings, but a challenge he was keen to embrace.

Darren met Zara, 31, the Queen’s eldest granddaughter, at Home House in London, a private members club, last month where he created the portrait of her on a Samsung Galaxy Note II.

Darren said: "They sent me one of the phones the weekend before so I could have a go and then I had about one hour sitting with Zara and then I spent about 45 hours working on it in a studio.

"To get it to the level we did it’s as intensive as an actual painting.

"I enjoyed it and think it’s good for quick sketches, but I think I’ll stick to what I’m best at."

Darren said Zara was a "great girl" and added: "She was very down to earth, very chatty and was talking to me about the Olympics.

"I think she knew I’d done a portrait of her grandmother so knew I’d do a good job."

Darren’s portrait of the Queen was unveiled in 2011 during a celebration of the Royal British Legion’s 90th anniversary.

He had two sittings with the Queen for the paint-based image.

Now he’s light years ahead in capturing horsewoman Zara for a very untypical royal portrait.

The artist created the portrait using "pen-input technology" on a hand-held tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note II tablet, which Miss Phillips is a brand ambassador for.

And his work has been well received, with Zara, who won a team eventing silver at the Olympics this summer, saying: "To give the traditional portrait a modern twist was really appealing.

"It was incredible to watch it take shape and to see just how intricate the artist could be."

Darren’s next job is yet another move away from his traditional paintings but one he’s loving working on.

He and wife Abigail, an English teacher, are working together on a children’s book about the tales of a pug dog called Albert, who is the couple’s dog.

Darren added: "Abigail has written it and I’m doing the illustrations.

"We call Albert a handy dog because when we moved into our house he was helpful in his own way, so the stories are based round that."

The couple hope the book will be ready in the new year.