"When I get up I make yerba mate tea from Argentina. I prepare it with the gourd and bombilla before getting down to some serious work. If it's a Saturday, I'll put the radio on to listen to the football, but that's about the extent of the structure to my days.

I've just moved into a new house with two flatmates and it's amazing. You could fit four families into the space we have. It feels like we're on holiday at the moment and we still need to get things out of boxes. I've set up my desk in the living room because there are really big windows, which means loads of natural light for drawing. When I get in the zone, I can work for hours without stopping, and days can go by without me leaving the house. Other times, things just don't work, it doesn't feel right, so I'll occupy myself for a couple of hours then come back to it.

I do figurative drawings and portraits, mostly in pencil. The important thing is to get the eyes right because everything seems to follow from that. People have been very pleasantly surprised when they see the finished product, and those reactions inspire me to keep going.

I work on a drawing board, but if I'm doing a really big piece I'll set up and draw it on the wall. If I don't think the finished work is good enough, then no one will see it, not even my pals. The criticism would be that I'm a perfectionist, but I think every artist should be that way.

People often compare my work to photographs, but I don't really like that. I think my drawings have a deeper quality. That said, I always work from photos because I need time to zoom in on what I'm doing. One of the largest pieces I've drawn is called The Groom - it's two metres square. It's a portrait of my flatmate Dave and it's quite personal to him and to me. It's about his insecurities and idiosyncrasies, which is the inspiration for many of my pictures.

I moved to Glasgow a year ago and really like the city. I'm from Kinghorn in Fife originally, a small village where caravans go to die. I studied art in Dundee, where I did illustration and printmaking. Looking back now, I should have studied fine art. That's one of my biggest regrets. When I was considering fine art as an option, someone told me that you had to be very good, and I thought that meant that I wasn't. Also, I thought it would be easier to get a job if I chose illustration. Of course, there's no guarantee of a job when you go to art school, no matter what you choose to do.

During my studies, I went to New York as part of an arranged trip. I liked the vibe and just fell in love with the city. When I graduated, I saved up money to go there for three months and got my own place in Brooklyn. The people were very friendly, and I think the fact I was Scottish really helped. I can see myself moving there permanently. At the moment, I feel like I should be somewhere other than here.

I'm aware that art isn't a secure career and that there will be times when I'm not going to be making any money. But that fear is part of what motivates me to be the best I can be. I have to improve with every drawing and exhibition to make sure my career doesn't fizzle out.

I'm happy to stay inside for days on end working, but sometimes I get cabin fever. When I get a bit tetchy, I go out for a walk along the Clyde or to the pub with my flatmates for a wee dram. I read a lot in my breaks, and I'm a fan of Kinky Friedman, a singer and gumshoe mystery writer. I like that his stories are set in New York. In my spare time I play the guitar and the banjo. It's not the sexiest instrument in the world, but it makes one of the best sounds ever.

When I stay up all night, it's usually because I've got a deadline for an exhibition or a commission. If I finish working by 10pm, I just hang about with my flatmates and cook dinner. I'm one of those people that just makes big pots of pasta or stew. It's very communal, which I enjoy, and it's cheap to eat that way.

For my upcoming exhibition, each piece will focus on a particular facial expression. My work is very layered and I like to think that if you look at it 10 times, you will see something different each time. I don't want to produce drawings that exclude anyone and I can't stand pseudo-intellectual art. Sometimes it's fine, but often that kind of thing can leave you pretty cold. I want everyone to see my work and take something special away from it."

Russell Dempster will be exhibiting at ArtDeCaf, Brunswick Street, Glasgow, from June 7 until July 7; www.artdecaf.com