A failed art A-Level was the spur for Philip Lawson Johnston to wield a dentist’s drill. Practising on milk bottles, he taught himself by trial and error to become one of the best hand-engravers of glass in the country.

He now has an international reputation, selling his glass work for hundreds, or even thousands of pounds.

From his small workshop in Oxford he has earned a Royal Warrant, and this year has helped to create mementos for the Diamond Jubilee worth £6m.

Using the same drill motor that he started with 41 years ago (but with a new diamond tip), he engraved images of wildlife from the royal estates of Sandringham and Balmoral on 120 tumblers as part of 60 exclusive Scotch whisky sets, with the spirits finished in a cask of English oak from Sandringham.

Most glass engraving is done with a sand-blasting machine, but he said: “You do not get the same feel as you do with the hand. But I use relatively modern methods. I use a dentist’s laboratory drill with a diamond tip — that gives fine detail to execute the shapes I am planning.”

He says an ordinary handicraft drill would be too crude, but dentists need the same precision as high-quality engraving.

“I use the sort of drill that dentists use for making false teeth. In fact, my dentist very often keeps a collection of bits in her drawer so that I can use them afterwards.”

The Jubilee commission took 18 months and he completed the tumblers in batches, managing six at a time during a morning’s work.

“For me it is a unique experience. I am very used to working on my own just with the customer but on this occasion it was a case of collaborating with a whole team of people —craftspeople at the top of their field."

He depicted wildlife from Balmoral such as stags, grouse, highland cattle and golden eagles, plus falcons, harriers, pheasants and otters from Sandringham.

He said: “I draw the scenes on first with a felt-tip pen, just a very rough outline, and the rest of the detail is added freehand using the little dentist’s drill with diamond and stone tips.”

The sets for the Queen will cost £100,000 each, with at least £1m going to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), which offers grants for education in modern and traditional crafts and trades.

Mr Lawson Johnston, 61, is particularly pleased at the choice of charity, having been self-taught himself.

“When I started, I did not have any qualifications. I did not go to university or an art school and my mother suggested I take up glass engraving.

“At first I ignored the suggestion, but after two or three months I went and saw someone who did glass engraving.

“I had always assumed I would do something in the field of art, but having failed art A-Level I was at a loss. That was 41 years ago."

He worked at various studios in London, including Living Art in Earls Court, Andrew Glass Engraving in Belgravia and The Plazzotta Sculpture Showroom in Chelsea, before moving to Oxford in 1988.

Mr Lawson Johnston works mostly to commission, engraving decanters, vases and bowls for company presentations, trophies, retirement anniversary and wedding presents.

His subject matter ranges from heraldry — including a Coat of Arms at Jesus College — inscriptions, company logos, houses, buildings and portraits of people, horses and dogs. He particularly enjoys wildlife and floral designs inspired by his love of the natural world.

“Each glass is totally unique and individual. Some of the subjects may be repeated, but each time the result is different."”

Another favourite subject is biblical scenes.

As well as being a glass engraver, he composes and sings religious music. He is the author of songs such as We Will Magnify, Jesus Is King and Give Me A Hearing Heart, and regularly leads the music at his church, St Andrew’s, in Oxford’s Linton Road.

He said: “It is something I have been involved with for as long as I have engraved glass, first at Holy Trinity, Brompton, in London — I also led a worship singing group called Cloud during my time in London — then at St Aldate’s Church in Oxford.”

He says the two occupations are complementary.

“My intention is to create on glass designs that not only are pleasing to the eye and accurate in what they portray, but also reflect in some way the care and attention to detail of the Creator, as observed in the world around us.”

He sees himself as an artist/craftsman in the tradition of William Morris, with glass the 'canvas' for his creative ideas.

One of the Jubilee sets will be presented to the Queen, with two kept in the John Walker & Sons archive. He is now preoccupied with his next commission — designs for a glass door at St Birinus Church in Dorchester.