Picture books, paper goods & pretty things.
You can only just see the start of my sketch in this photograph but there is nothing quite like a quiet hour of drawing or painting to start a Sunday. My 'studio' is actually my coffee table in my lounge but it doesn't matter, I get as absorbed there as I would in a real art studio. With toast and Mary Anne Hobbs on the radio for company it's the perfect way to wake up.
Taryn Knight is well-known on Twitter for being a huge Harry Potter fan and her many drawings of Harry and his friends are wonderful. She has such a whimsical style and I love the texture she achieves in her drawings using Kyle T Webster brushes. This video of Lucy from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe is a really lovely example.
Sometimes when you've got a long to-do list and know the day is going to be full of juggling tasks, it's nice to get a little time out before you start. So I got up a little bit early today to give myself 20 minutes to paint. I've been drawing digitally a lot lately and felt the need to see paint on a page again. I had the radio for company and a good coffee from the cafe down the road and just 20 minutes made me feel as relaxed as if it was a Sunday : )
Happy Halloween to all little pumpkins!
I can't remember how I first stumbled across Holly Exley's YouTube videos but I'm so glad I did. Holly gives a lovely, gentle insight into her life as a freelance illustrator with beautifully made videos. If you haven't seen her channel before, have a little look, it's a lovely way to while away an hour or so.
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.
Welcome to The Quiet Life. I wanted to create a quiet place to counterbalance the busy nature of life today. This blog will slowly fill up with little things I find that make me happy, pretty things, interviews with creatives, writing, photographs, newly discovered music, films to help you switch off and a glimpse into creative projects. I hope that you find it a calm, relaxing place to enjoy a little bit of the quiet life too.
