August: A summer of drawing
Hi Everyone, I don’t know about you but I can’t believe that it is nearly September already. For me, this summer has felt slow and fast all at once - I’ve been quietly squeezing in all of the juicy drawing opportunities, but I’ve also stayed very local and have been doing things like quietly taking my sketchbook with me on dog walks, and going to the park in the evening. I’ve also been spending quite a lot of time at my desk sitting with ideas and exploring how they might work. For this month’s post, I’ve gone back through my camera roll and thought I could share what I’ve been up to drawing wise over the last three months.
June
I can remember trying to push through a massive creative block at the start of June, I wrote a bit more about how it felt in this blog post here. At the time it felt that I couldn’t really see a way out, a bit like I’d fallen into some post-dissertation void where drawing felt at worst impossible and at best very, very hard. I can remember feeling as though I had no idea how colours worked together and picking up a pencil in public had started to feel a bit scary. Looking back through my photos was really interesting because I can see that I’m looking back through last summer’s sketchbooks to try and work out how I used colour in drawings that I had felt happy with. This was really helpful and helped me to remind myself of some of the ways that I like to work. I also went to Cardiff to visit my cousin. She took me to the BA Illustration exhibition and it was so inspiring to see the work there, especially when I’d been feeling a bit funny about my own drawing. The artwork in picture 2 was made by an illustrator called Ella Waters, you can find more of their work here. Whilst I was there I went to see Cari Thomas talk about her book Shadow Stitch and I can remember feeling nervous to draw but so happy that I did! I found listening to Cari talk about her writing and storymaking process so inspiring and I remembered how much I love making notes in my sketchbook. We also went to the Talouse La Trec exhibition in Bath. I think looking back at these photos is a great reminder of how helpful stepping out and looking around can be when you’re feeling a bit stuck.
I spent quite a lot of time staying close to home and found huge joy in taking my sketchbook out with me when I took George out for his walks. there was something about committing my ‘every day views’ to a sketchbook that felt really satisfying and I loved experimenting with taking the drawings back to my desk and using paints and inks to recreate the drawing. I made sure I had my sketchbook with me at all times and spent a lot of time with friends and family, making zero-pressure drawings. I think taking the pressure off really helped me to feel better about drawing, and I’ve definitely learnt a lot about how these low-stakes drawings helped me to climb out of the creative block I was feeling.
Since uni has been taking a break for the summer, I’ve loved going to Wednesday life drawing classes with Draw Brighton. Although I love going to in-person life drawing sessions, there is definitely something about being sat at your desk, making quick drawings in the quiet that invites happy accidents. By the end of June, my brain had started to whir into action a little bit more and I felt tiny glimmers of imaginative ideas begin to form from the depths of somewhere or other. I know I’ve said it before but there is a lot to be said for taking time to rest, taking time to just draw for the sake of it, and taking the pressure off.
July
Looking back through my photos from the past three months, I can see my confidence growing as time passes, and I can see how in July I started taking my sketchbook out drawing a bit more. I met friends for specific drawing purposes and began to feel that excitement about drawing trickle back in too. I also found a new favourite spot in the Botanic Gardens where the sun made the most delicious shadows on the ground.
I took my sketchbook with me to meet friends and I can remember thinking about how this time two years ago, I probably wouldn’t have drawn in front of anyone, let alone friends who didn’t carry sketchbooks and a big bag of pencils with them everywhere they go. I definitely think that I love a chat and a draw. There’s something about moving the pencil about on the page that makes me feel so happy and I have definitely noticed that I feel like something is missing if I haven’t got my sketchbook with me. In my mind, there is nothing more soothing than a hot coffee, something tasty to eat and a long draw.
This year I dipped my toe into the Three Materials Challenge which I had thought about joining last year but it somehow managed to pass me by. This year though something clicked. After all of the colour-angst I had felt in June, I knew I wanted to get back to feeling a bit more comfortable with colour again and I loved the limitation of three colours. Although I only dipped my toe in this year, I found making and experimenting with the colour palates invaluable. It was so interesting to see how switching up just one colour could change the whole mood of a palate completely.
August
I’ve loved drawing through August and I feel as though my mood and outlook has shifted completely. One of the things that I have loved doing this month is drawing whilst I’m relaxing. Sometimes I want to sit and watch a film and do nothing, and that’s totally OK, but I’ve realised how much I love drawing along when I’m watching films, documentaries and TV series. It feels like a small step towards my drawing goals but also very indulgent in some way. I’ve really loved drawing from Youtube, and I’ve been searching for videos of animals in slow-motion, and then slowing the slow-motion videos down again. I have so loved feeling like I can still get the character of the animals that I might get from drawing from life, BUT I’m doing it from the sofa.
I spent a lot of time in my sketchbook throughout August. In picture 1, I took my sketchbook (and my lovely Patreons) out with me drawing in the dark. It felt like the most magical experience drawing in that dusky time just before the sun started to set. In Picture 2, I went drawing with my friend in Bath and we had long chats and spread all of our materials all over the tables at Cafe Lucca. In Picture 3, I met a friend for brunch and we caught up on all of the things whilst I drew. Picture 4 shows two of the animals that my friend Harriet and I have been drawing when we go to Oxford to draw at the University Natural History Museum.
This month, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting about my work, and sharing this process on Patreon has been so lovely. I started looking back through my sketchbooks to hunt for where my ideas came from before I’ve made a ‘final-ish’ piece of artwork. When I started to look back at how the ideas for my Castle Concertina had grown, it felt like a treasure hunt where things I hadn’t even thought about started to link together. I’ve also filmed a look back through my first ever MA sketchbooks ready to share next week. It was so interesting to look back and see how things have developed, as well as how I’m still interested in some of the same things. If you haven’t spent a bit of time looking back through your sketchbooks and noticing themes and colours and things that you’re interested in - this is your reminder to do it. I know it’s something I have done as part of my MA, but being able to talk it through and reflect on my ideas on Patreon has been invaluable to my own process and practice.
Thank you so much for being here and looking back through my summer of drawing with me! I love sharing my thoughts with you here every month and can really see how much has shifted (particularly in my mindset) over the past three months. I know that the next three months are going to be super busy with the end of our MA around the corner, but I feel excited and full of anticipation for what’s to come.
As I’m writing this, I can hear the rain against the window and the air temperature has definitely dropped in the South West of the UK. I know the weather forecast says it will be warm again at the end of the week, but I’m starting to feel ready for those crisp, glowy, golden September days.
I’ll see you at the end of September,
Lxx