Books or blogs

Day 30 #MarchMeetTheMaker is #books or blogs

Here are some of my favourite books. Danny Gregory's Everyday Matters inspired my drawing a day originally.

Beatrix Potter is a huge inspiration, as is Quentin Blake and I love the drawing style of Ptolemy Dean.

I like blogs too but it's hard to beat curling up with an inspiring book.

Organised

Day 28 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is organised

Inspired by @janeheinrichs I made my own diary/ planner this year from the loveliest Rhodia notebook.

At the back I've done a month to view and each week has the dates on the left and a to do page on the right. Each month also has a few pages for extra lists and ideas.

The pages are super silky and were lovely for the dip pen pen to glide over

Routine

Day 27 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is Routine

Everyday is a little but different in terms of routine. It varies with the day of the week and time of the year.

My day 16 picture of my cup of tea would have been more suitable to use today really as I love a cup of tea first thing. Sometimes I start drawing with that first cup of tea, or soon after and then realise a couple of hours have past. At that point I'm so hungry that I go in search of food. This is exactly what happened on Thursday this week. I had a Marmalade on toast break and made a coffee and then I carried on. 

The most consistent part is that I love to get out for a walk- to stretch my legs and have a some fresh air, usually in the afternoon. I don't feel good if I'm inside all day.

(this could have been a colour and texture pic too with my springtime coloured nails!) 

Colour and Texture

Day 26 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is colour and texture...

Recent pictures have shown lots of my work and the colours used. The texture mainly comes from the paper and so is very subtle.

So today is a photo, not of my work but the inspiration.

While thinking about this yesterday and tree gazing (as I do) I was struck by the colour and texture found on the same larch twig. The old and the new, side by side.

I have a twig in a jar of water awaiting drawing...

Packaging

Day 25 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is packaging.

I've been using cardboard to prevent bending (safety ruler and stanley knife from art college leaping back into use after years of dormancy!), then making an envelope (scissors and tape) around this and then employing the dip pen for a spot of hand lettering for the address...

Playlist

Day 23 | of #MarchMeetTheMaker is #Playlist

This is a mixture of a tiny bit of my Spotify playlist, the 6 music morning schedule and my 'favourites' from the iPlayer radio app.

My favourite radio shows to listen to as I draw are hands down Jo Whiley (Mon-Thurs evenings 8-10pm Radio 2...regularly giving a shout out to the evening makers... including me recently!) and I love Dermot O'Leary on Saturday from 3-6pm on Radio 2. I often catch up on both these shows while working if I've missed them.

Desert Island Discs I love ... I am always trying to work out what my discs would be. I love hearing about people's lives and the story behind each piece of music.

And the Archers, well, I may have started listening to that too...

Best Seller

Day 22 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is #Bestseller

 

Having not planned ahead well enough I actually featured my all time best seller as Day 17- my Twist and Sprout Christmas Card.

 

So that I don't put the same pic up again today I've chosen this week's best seller for which is this collection of 3 handdrawn cards. Bunting and hand lettering both done with my trusty dip pen.

 

These can be personalised with the addition of a name, can be all of the same design or the selection shown. Additional option of these being small or larger cards.

More details in the shop!

 

 

Work Clothes

Day 21 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is Work Clothes

 

Really I can draw wearing anything.

 

However if I'm doing any printing or anything particularly messy (-am hoping to get my oils out again sometime soonish) then I'm likely to look like this.

 

My sewing machine and I created this apron -that used to be a pair of jeans until they got a hole. It's perfect for the job and has pleasing ink all over the skirt (much better than on my clothes!). 

 

Sketchbook

Day 20 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is #Sketchbook (See also Day 5- my 'can't live without'!).

 

I do a drawing a day ...everyday. Mostly these are directly observed.

 

Here are some of the archives. As today is also the first day of spring I've opened a couple of books to pages featuring daffodils or sheep / lambs.

 

Drawing everyday means I am 'Sketching The Seasons', something I plan to focus even more heavily on in the future. These are in effect diaries- I sketch where I go, or what I see, and always have a sketchbook with me.

 

People seen here are people walking down my road, a band at a bluegrass festival and a quick sketch from Good Life Experience last year. Eagle eyed will also spot the food and drink...

 

This is my comfort zone (rather than technology), moving these to the product and the shop is my next focus.

 

Helper

Day 19 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is #Helper

As it's such early stages for me I don't yet have the need for an official helper.

However many of my friends and family have been helping by providing encouragement in my illustration adventure...

...and patience as I stop to look at yet another tree !

You can see the dip pen in action on the Facebook page ...just click here!

Shelfie

Day 18 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is #shelfie

This is the top of my bookcase that I use as a holding bay for things to draw (pretty much a nature table really) but also as a display space for new ideas/designs. They lurk the where I can see them regularly until I've made up my mind about what to do with them /if I like them /how to tweak them!

Photography

Day 17 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is #photography

My fab friend Louise Mary Designs helped me photograph my first few items in my etsy shop.

Pictures were taken with her lovely camera in her equally lovely studio. Since then however I've been attempting to recreate the feel using my kitchen table and mobile phone camera... got to start somewhere! 

Time to relax

Day 16 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is #TimeToRelax

I find drawing relaxing but this month has had a lot of shots of that so here is something different.

I've started seeing my alarm an hour earlier than I used to. I now wake at 6 and have created a secret early hour that I didn't have before. I make a big cup of tea and enjoy it thinking about the day ahead and what I want to get done. Sometimes I manage drawing then or address an envelope for an order if letter to a friend (gives the ink enough time to dry before I venture out to the post box). This week though I've been mainly sitting on the bed with the curtains open enjoying the fact it's light outside!

Inspiration

Day 15 | #MarchMeetTheMaker is #Inspiration 

There are lots of pictures I could post for this. It was almost this picture of the sycamore I took yesterday...

It could be of artists, friends and family that inspire me. Words and humour are also up there as sources of inspiration.

However I settled on this, a fairly ordinary subject- brambles and their friends on a woodland floor.

The woods, nature and the predictable yet awe inspiring seasonal changes that happen all around us inspire me. I notice something new each year and am regularly fascinated by the often overlooked detail in the 'ordinary' subjects.

Post Run

Day 11 #MarchMeetTheMaker is #PostRun 

As regular followers will know, it's very early days for me so I don't have a regular post run yet. 

However, I adore post and posting things to others and always have, which is part of the appeal of designing greetings cards. 

One of my favourite things is addressing envelopes- sadly many can't be photographed as they are private addresses. 

Here however is a card sent to a very lovely fine stationery shop & pen emporium that people can only benefit from knowing the address of! Have a look here... Bartrums Stationery and Fine Pens