Merry & Bright

Happy December Friends! ❄️

We’re entering the last slow days of the year and to be honest, it felt like we’d never make it to 2021. But here we are! I hope this month has been a joyful one for you, however you celebrated it.

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It’s a tradition of mine to read a festive book throughout the month of December, and this year that book was Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. As I worked my way through the pages I soon felt the urge to do a little painting of the three Fossil Sisters celebrating Christmas on a crisp December night. The book is so sweet and nostalgic, I thought it would be a perfect illustration to capture the cosiness of the winter season. I began with this rough sketch which I scanned and resized in Photoshop (the original sketch is tiny!) then traced it onto smooth white paper.

I intuitively tinkered with the composition until I was happy with how the sisters looked, pulled out some deep green and red shades and set to work on adding colour. As you can see I decided to use a mixture of pencil crayon and gouache, as I wanted the colours to be rich, but still keep some of the line work visible. I usually try to make most of my decisions at this point, but somehow the images still manage to change between this stage and final piece. For example, I didn’t include a background in the draft, but in the end decided that it would be better to include the tiled floor for context and perspective. I also changed the bunting to paper chains, and tweaked the patterns on Pauline and Posy’s dress.

In the end, I’m pleased with how the final illustration turned out. Although I painted it just for fun, I still had bouts of low self-esteem whilst working on it, questioning whether it represents my style or if it’s even ‘good enough’ to share. As this was to be the final illustration I’d make in 2020, I had hoped it would be an easier ride! But I have a feeling that will probably never happen. Letting go of expectations has been a major theme of 2020, and it was only when I let go of expecting this painting to be anything less than perfect that I finished it with ease and was proud of how it looked.

So what do you think of it? I hope it does the book and the characters justice, and evokes the smell of hot ginger and fir pine on a wintery December night. Magical.

And that’s it for 2020! I wish you all a warm and joyful New Year,

Catherine x

New month, new challenges

It’s been another whirlwind of a month and while I’ve tried to keep you updated on Instagram, It’s definitely been a struggle to keep my head above water. On one side I’m so grateful to have my Etsy shop up and running, and have filled my days with October goodness. I baked brownies and apple crumble, covered my desk in fairy lights and watched Hocus Pocus for the first time. Verdict? A bit weird and VERY 90s. But I appreciated the pumpkins.

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I also went on an Autumnal walk which honestly filled my heart to the brim. I spent the day collecting conkers and drinking hot chocolate, I mean what more to life could there be? My family and I do this walk every year and this time I made sure to take some deliciously autumnal shots just for you.

On the flip side I’ve felt slightly in limbo with my other projects. I received a wave of portrait commissions at the start of the month which I’m SO THANKFUL for, but balancing those with my illustration work AND a daily drawing practise has been…yanno. Having said that if you’re interested in having a portrait done (especially before Christmas!) I’m officially accepting orders on my shop. And this year I think supporting small businesses is the best thing we could all do!

For these last two months of the year though, I want to prioritise building my portfolio up, and experiment with projects that I want to make, rather than focusing on what I should be making for other people. We can get so paranoid about making work that’s different to what we’ve made in the past, but what’s the purpose of illustration if it’s not to create something new? To tell old stories in new ways? So excuse me while I juggle making work for myself, making work for money, all the while staying curious about illustration. I’ll let you know how it goes.

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Until next time, Happy November peeps.

Catherine

Prints, Pain and Pumpkins

Well, it's officially Autumn, that sweet, golden time of year and as always I have a bundle of projects on the go.

I have a few updates to share: Firstly the bad. I hurt my right wrist a couple of weeks ago which means my days have been filled with lots of resting and not a whole lot of drawing. But thankfully it's nothing serious and I should be back to full drawing glory for October.

Secondly, I have uploaded an article here that celebrates the work of the Sketchbook Collective, a team which I was proud to be a part of this year, as well as an interview we did with Cass Art which you can read here.

The third exciting and much more important update is that I on Wednesday I OPENED MY ETSY SHOP!! It's still in the early stages so I'm happy to receive any feedback about what is working and what isn't. If you do kindly order something and have a spare moment please leave a little review on the shop's page to help it grow, and if you share anything on social media please tag me so I can see it!

Aside from that I plan to celebrate October with many rainy walks in the countryside, homemade soup and spiced apple pie, knitting a cranberry-coloured scarf, and reading a big old historical novel.

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On the 22nd I shared this sketch over on Instagram of Kathleen Kelly's sweet bookshop from You've got Mail - one of my fave films for this time of year - to welcome in the new season.

A6 illustration in pencil crayon on cream paper

I will also be doing a little daily drawing challenge this month, so to keep up with my progress you can follow me here where I will post daily updates!

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And that's all for now! Happy Autumn my lovelies,

Catherine

CASS ART | Sketchbook Collection Interview

For the last seven months I was a member of the Sketchbook Collective team at Manchester School of Art, in charge of organising the 2020 Sketchbook Prize (this year called the Sketchbook Collection).

To mark the end of our journey together we chatted to Cass Art about our experience in working as a Collective, as well the challenges we faced as creatives during lockdown. I have included my personal responses to the questions below, and I hope my answers will provide some comfort to those of you who have felt isolated during this time. So get comfy and enjoy!

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Q: The artist in Collective is not a new notion, artists have always supported one another – creatively or even monetarily. Through ideas generation, studio sharing and kindred ideological goals. How have you found being part of the collective, what do you think it brings to your creativity that would be harder to self-generate?

I originally wanted to be part of the Collective to help boost my confidence working in a group, but with lockdown halting all of our final year plans, the idea of a virtual Collective didn’t just challenge my beliefs about being a student illustrator at home, but also provided me with a consistent and supportive group of creatives who were working through the same struggles as I was. Achieving this virtual collection seems to me to be proof that whatever obstacles this year has thrown up, with a determined and supportive group, anything is still possible.

Q: As a collective you’re able to support one another – do you have any advice for creatives that might still be feeling isolated at the moment?

I don’t think any of us have gone through lockdown without feeling lonely or isolated at some point. I’ve definitely had my fair share. I think the first thing to remember is that you’re definitely not alone. My advice would be to limit time on social media - as much as staying connected is important right now, if you’re feeling down to begin with you don’t want to be feeding that comparison monster. Talk to friends or family about your worries. Write a big old list of things you’ve been wanting to get done but haven’t had the time and just pick one. Get enough rest, drink water and most importantly, be kind to yourself. It’s okay not to feel okay.

Q: It’s been an extraordinary time for the arts and art education. Away from our galleries, our studios, tutors and peers, art lovers and artists have had to find new avenues to share our practices and ideas with the world. How have you all adapted and found this period of art making?

I missed my studio space so much at the start of lockdown. I made a make-shift desk out of my dining room table and worked there for five months. It wasn’t ideal, but I made do with what I had. Some people had more space at home, some a lot less. I think however limiting your resources are, you just have to push through and find innovative ways to work with what you have. I think creatives are amazing at thinking outside the box!

I have to say I’ve missed galleries and museums so much during this time! Thankfully I have illustrator friends who love the same sort of things as I do, and we organised several virtual art days which prove that art in isolation is still possible! We did a themed life drawing session over Zoom, went on a virtual tour of the V&A, as well as film & sketch evenings, on days when we could only manage a few doodles. The idea is just to be creative; once you see past the virtual barrier, you’ll find that a lot of the things you miss are still quite possible!

Q: What is it that you think makes the art of sketchbook keeping so integral to the creative process?

As a children’s book illustrator all of my planning process and research material is stored in my sketchbook. I wouldn’t dream of starting a project without one! Sketchbooks are the places that no one else has to see. You can do your worst drawings in there and never have to show the world! They contain a raw visual language that only you understand, and dictate the narrative of your project. There’s no pressure in a sketchbook - it’s the place where you can really be yourself.

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To read the full interview, head over to the Cass Art blog. Thank you to Cass Art and Alana for making this interview possible and highlighting our achievements as a Collective!

Until next time folks,

Catherine