December: A Year of Drawing

I can’t quite believe that it’s nearly January. This time of year always makes me reflect on the past twelve months, the things I would like to carry forward in my work, and some of the new things I would like to explore in 2024. To do this I’ve done a deep dive back through my camera roll to refresh my brain and to try and remember some of the things that have happened this year.

January - February

In January and February I spent most of my time travelling to Cambridge for my MA in Children’s Book Illustration, drawing outside and researching for a project that was about a circus. I knew I wanted to work on tone and value in my drawing and painting so did quite a lot of night time drawings. I remember packing my cup of tea in my flask and sitting in my car to draw. I became fascinated by lights and how they shone in the dark so went to Bristol Festival of light and drew in the crowds there. I learnt a lot about the way I work by doing this - I think I was a bit scared of making my work too dark, but learnt that it’s the darkness that allows the lights to feel really bright.

March - April

In March and April, I was heading towards the final stretches of my second MA module. I went drawing at Giffords Circus, which was the most magical experience. Will, George and I also went on an adventure to Studland where I drew Brownsea Island Castle, and I think this is where my castle obsession began. I remember drawing one full colour version and not feeling happy, so I chose to just draw using one pencil and ended up with a wobbly castle that has featured in lots of my drawings since. This year, I also realised how important things like reading and the theatre are for feeding my imagination. I find reading a physical book the most relaxing because I don’t feel like I have to find a job for my hands - but I have loved Audible for when I’m out (or in) drawing and painting.

May

I had found the jump from drawing from observation in my sketchbook to drawing from imagination really tricky in my previous module. So I set myself a summer challenge of going out and drawing on location and then using what I’d learnt to create imagined images. I wrote a blog post about this here. I found that I really wanted to be out drawing, all the time so it was around this time that I put myself together a little pack that I could just pick up and take with me - I always had my sketchbook and pencil case in my bag and it meant that I could squeeze in a drawing whilst I was doing other things.

June

In June we went to Cornwall and spent a week by the Helford River and a day in St. Ives. I remember just not being able to stop drawing. I just felt like I wanted to capture everything. It was the first time that I started thinking that maybe I could make zines through using some of my sketchbook drawings, and I’ve so loved sharing these with you. I remember packing all of my paints and all of my brushes, imagining that I would be doing lots of painting - but I loved the immediacy of having a pencil case that I could just grab and go with. I wrote a bit about my experience of drawing on location in Cornwall in this blog post here.

July - August

In July, I went back to Cambridge to stay with my lovely friend Frances. We went to the print room at the school of art and I experimented with making some prints using the Riso machine. I remember wishing that I didn’t have such a long commute as I do really want to learn more about the process of printmaking. I think this year, I would love to learn a little bit more about printmaking at home. It was around this time that I started to experiment with combining paper cut and paper fold techniques within my work. I can see how this paper cut castle is connected to the castle I painted back in March. In August, we went to stay on the Isle of Bute. It was here where I started to learn about the 3rd Marquess of Bute, who painted an enormous constellation that still changes with the seasons on his ceiling, and I became obsessed with rock pools, shells, seaweed and sea glass.

September - October

In September I married my favourite person and we celebrated with our closest family. I also started selling prints and zines. I’d wanted to open a shop but it felt really scary. It took a big of a leap of faith, but I’m so, so happy that I can share my work with you like this now. I honestly don’t have words to describe how thankful I am for your support. In October I went to Paris with my friends Emma and Harriet. We drew a lot, ate a lot of delicious food, went to lots of book shops and art shops, and I just felt so inspired by the buildings and the shop windows. It was the best time and I’m so pleased I’ve gone back through my camera roll because I’ve just found lots of photos of shop window displays and cafes that I had forgotten about!

November - December

In November, I spent quite a bit of time drawing apples and apple trees at The Newt in Somerset for my most recent MA project. I remember seeing this enormous dragon that was being prepped for Bonfire Night and thinking how magical it looked. There was even someone on a ladder fixing the last twigs to it’s nose. I also had a go at linocutting at home and loved it. That’s another thing I would like to make time to explore a bit more of to! I took part in my first ever Folktale Week this November, which is something that I wrote about in this blog post here. Most of December has been spent in the dark at my desk painting apples, apple trees and apple crumble. I loved this project, but I found making the final artwork so challenging! It was like I got the fear every time I sat down to paint. I think when you have a deadline for something that you really, really, really care about it can be so hard to get into that flow that can come when you’re making personal work. I would love to know if anyone has any tips for tricking their brains out of this!

Next Year

I think that next year, I really want to focus on filling up my creative cup. I know in The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron talks about taking yourself on artist dates and I think it can be really easy to forget how having a bit of on explore can feed the imagination. I think this is also true of making sure you get proper rest, for me this looks like reading, getting outside and doing things aside from drawing that I know I love, like cooking. I would love to keep challenging myself to do little things that scare me. At the time, opening a shop and joining Folktale week felt really scary, but I’m so pleased that I did them and have learnt so much from the process.

If you’ve read this far, thank you! Thank you for being here, it honestly means more than I can say. I would love to know what you’re intentions, goals, things you’re keeping in mind are for next year.

Happy New Year, and see you in 2024.

L xx