Picture books, paper goods & pretty things.
I'll be writing a blog post about mindfulness soon as it's something I practice and think about every day. For today, I wanted to share a little ink creation of mine. Mindfulness doesn't have to be about sitting quietly with your eyes closed. I find some of my most mindful moments are when I am creating. Drawing a pattern like this is so calming. I find myself totally absorbed in the moment and as my mind stills it starts to create things that I didn't even know existed in me.
I first discovered Frannerd via a Comic Book Day hashtag on Twitter. It was early in my illustration journey and I feel like her style really opened my eyes to a way of drawing I hadn't realised existed before. Telling stories with pictures but in a more grown up way. Fran is from Chile but has been living in Berlin, London and Hastings for the last few years. She creates absolutely beautiful YouTube videos following her journey, talking about what it's like to be freelance and giving an insight into her illustration and processes.
Make yourself a cuppa and enjoy her latest video. It may send you on a journey of your own.
"I think the thing is really just to do it... If you can draw... Have fun with it..."
Every November, Mary Anne Hobbs on 6 Music has a special theme for her weekend breakfast shows called #6MusicMakeArt. Listeners make art as they listen and share it on Twitter. There are also interviews with artists. Last year, Mary Anne spoke with the magical Judith Kerr who is one of my heroes. Now in her nineties, Judith is still creating beautiful picture books. The story goes that she enjoys a walk in the fresh air and a little tipple each day. I can only hope to be like her in my old age.
I come back to this interview time and time again. It's a lovely listen.
I started drawing because I was going through a difficult time and was finding it impossible to write. I just needed to feel my hand moving on the page. I am strangely grateful for that difficult time. Illustration has become my meditation, my passion, my entertainment.
I can lose myself in trying to get a drawing right for hours, sometimes days and often ideas change as I draw. This girl started as a sophisticated Audrey Hepburn type and somehow ended up as a hungover shambles. That's what's so brilliant about creating, you never know quite where you'll end up.
A couple of months ago I took myself along to a watercolour class organised by the lovely Emily Quinton from Makelight at her wonderful studio. The class was led by Emma Block whose work I have admired on Instagram for a while (see below for an example of her lovely posts). Emma taught us about how to mix colours, which pigments work well with others and why. We also learnt about different techniques to achieve different effects, such as putting water on the page first or using a dry brush.
Since trying the class I've applied the techniques I learnt every time I paint. It's made me feel more confident and I've experimented more with new ideas. And I had a lovely day meeting some fellow creatives and eating cake : )
For information about Emma's classes, click here. For information about Emily's classes, click here. I'd really recommend both.
When I was starting on my own illustration path, Marloes De Vries was one of the first illustrators who inspired me on social media. Her style showed me a new little creative world that I didn't know existed. I knew I wanted to draw and paint but hadn't thought about how light and fun illustration could be.
Marloes journals her own life through drawings and paints with a beautiful palette. This morning she posted a sweet little video on Instagram, showing her process for painting a flourishing greenhouse. Below is my attempt at something similar.
