First thoughts on 2025...

When I first started my blog, it was a way to get back to drawing from life. A challenge to draw something every day for a year. My online sketchbook was another way I thought of it. It was September 2011. At that time I just posted whatever I had done, there was no quality control, it was all about putting in the reps. As time went on I continued, adding photos and anything else that inspired and helped with my creativity.

Things changed when a few years in, I had a review of my illustration portfolio. The reviewer was quite disparaging about how I used my blog, calling it an ‘image dump’ and encouraged me to use it more as a way to show my expertise by writing articles which would support my illustration business. I took this advice on board and started but as each article required more time, I posted less frequently. Slowly the posts became fewer and fewer. And the last few years here have been tumbleweed to be quite honest.

But the blog played such an important part in my ‘creative recovery’ that I just can’t let it go. So this year, I’ve decided to use it as my online scrapbook and will put things here that I want to remember or that inspire me. It will go back to being primarily for me (although I hope you will enjoy it too!) becoming my own source of inspiration not a way to get customers or showcase my work. After all, I have a website for the ‘professional’ side of things.

January was about unravelling my year and reflecting on 2024, using the prompts from the generous Susannah Conway  I wanted to take the process slowly this year and went to a myriad of coffee shops to work through the exercises. I practised getting back to basics, making some small, short sketches before opening my phone too. So this first blog post of 2025 is just coffee shops reviews and quick sketches.

My creative bank account needs replenishing and this is where it starts!

Grind, 213 Old Street, EC1V 9NR

The Yurt Cafe, St.Katherine’s Precinct, 2 Butchers Row, E14 8DS

Bija Coffee, 2a St.James’s Market, SW1Y 4AH

The Standard, 10 Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG

Ozone Coffee, Emma Street, E2 9AP

Barbican Kitchen, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, City of London, EC2Y 8DS

A photo from Florence

Hello and welcome here if you have come from YouTube!

This is the photograph I used for the direct watercolour painting demo.

You are welcome to use it to draw from.

 

Free lunchtime sketching session!

 

I am delighted to say that I will be doing a free lunchtime sketching session on Zoom with the fabulous Ohn Mar Win in January! We will be drawing from my photos taken in Portugal and it would be great if you are able to join us.

Click here for the link to sign up for the session. 

These are the selection of the photos that we will be working from:

It's been a while...

 

Well, it has been a while since I posted here. Apologies.

Apart from working on illustrations commissions and giving drawing workshops, my attention has been drawn to other places, mainly YouTube. I have been trying to develop my video skills and learn about how the platform works. 

I've also been sending out a regular short newsletter via Pencilbooth. I did think about copying them over to here too? Maybe I should try that, let me know.

My Instagram account celebrated ten years and then I realised that this blog is now more than thirteen years old. A teenager! And I suppose things always change then. The zine I mentioned in the last post is now ready to be published and I am heading off to Clermont-Ferrand next month to exhibit it there.

I'll put some images below a few of my sketches from this year and hopefully I'll show up here a bit more in the future. 

Making a new zine - the process so far...

My first thumbnail layout for the new zine

I am in the process of making a new zine based on my travels in 2023. As I drew in a variety of different sized sketchbooks there are quite a few edits and adjustments to make. I am using Photoshop and InDesign to put the zine together as I used for a previous zine. You can read about previous attempts here and here.

The settings I used to scan the images

I started by making a layout, with thumbnail of each of the spreads. This gave me an idea for the flow of the zine. Then I scanned the sketchbook pages and cleaned them up in Photoshop.

The template for the zine spread

I made a master template for the double page spread size, including an area of bleed for the printing  process.

Once I was happy with the layout, I placed the spread into InDesign. Here are some examples of how they look. I need to add handwritten text too but I felt that the images should be the focus first. The writing will be based on notes I made at the time of the trips and also something about the colours I used on location. 

The places featured are Toulouse, Barcelona, Locarno, Leicester and Santiago de Compostela.

The plan is to have it ready by the end of February so it is available in early Spring in my Etsy shop. 

Videos on YouTube

I have started adding more videos to my YouTube Channel. Here are titles of the latest ones, I hope to make a lot more. Please let me know if there is anything particular that you would like me to make a video about.

Click here to link to the Channel.

A snapshot of 2023

January

Worked on: Map and watercolour illustration for client

Sketched: At the V&A and the Wallace Collection

Inspired by: Curtis Holder exhibition at the National Theatre

February 

Worked on: Admin and promoting illustration work

Sketched: In Tonbridge, Kew Gardens, Chelsea Harbour and Kings Stairs Gardens

Started mentoring sessions from Adé Bolaji at the studio

March 

Worked on: Maps and watercolour illustrations for client

Sketched: In Cambridge

Took part in a photo shoot at Jackson’s Art for upcoming article

April

Worked on: B&W line illustrations for client, started UK Export Webinar Series

Sketched: At the Barbican, Shoreditch and Broadgate

Inspired by: Workshop with Rob Ryan at House of Hackney

May

Worked on: UK Export Webinar Series

Sketched: In Toulouse

Took part in a Zoom call to sketchers in China with Jenny from Chicago

Applied for the RA Renee Gailhoustet Residency

June

Worked on: Watercolour illustrations for client, B&W line illustrations for client

Sketched: In Barcelona and London

Inspired by: Workshops with Maru Godas and Marina Grenchanik

July 

Worked on: B&W illustrations for client, roughs for watercolour map illustrations for client

Sketched: In Crystal Palace Park, Intragna and Locarno

Inspired by: Artists workshops in Switzerland

August

Worked on: Map watercolour illustrations for client, house portrait for client, watercolour travel illustrations for client, B&W line plus digital colour illustrations for client

Sketched: In Brussels and Leicester

Inspired by: Jean Julien exhibition at MIMA Brussels

Started to send regular ‘Pencilbooth’ notes to email list

September

Worked on: Maps and watercolour illustrations for client, changes to where I share and sell online

Sketched: In Stratford-upon-Avon

Gave workshops to students at the London Metropolitan University

October 

Worked on: Maps and watercolour illustrations for client, travel illustrations for client, started making videos at the studio

Sketched: At Farringdon and the Barbican

Gave workshops to students at the London Metropolitan University

November

Worked on: Watercolour illustration for client

Sketched: In Santiago de Compostela

Talked to Lana Lé on her Instagram series‘Artist Chats’

Went to ‘What is drawing research?’ symposium at Birmingham Art College

Put an entry in for the V&A Illustration Awards

December

Worked on: Maps and watercolour illustrations for client, B&W rough for client

Inspired by: Victoria Semykina and signed up to her Patreon

Business Away Day reviewing the year and planning for 2024

Received copies of 'Draw' and 'The Beginner's Guide to Urban Sketching' both of which contain some of my sketches