Sunset on the second day of advent 2021
The sky was ablaze yesterday when I was picking my daughter up from school.
Advent 2021 daily drawings
I decided to do daily drawings for this advent, to record the special moments. Christmas feels strange again (with new covid variants emerging). And I want to focus on as much joy as possible.
This sketch was done in ink in a pocket moleskine sketchbook.
Follow along to see how advent unfolds for us!
Reading is Everything
I have taken a long break from all social media and immersed myself in books. Reading them. Writing them. Dreaming about them.
Now that I’ve finished the draft of a big project, I’m back to playing in my studio. I’m ripping up pages of an old Shakespeare study book and painting over them… whatever emerges from my imagination. It is soul restoring.
I haven’t sent out an inspiration newsletter for a while, but I feel one brewing… make sure you sign up!
My Week In Drawings #32
Drawings and paintings from my sketchbook. A sketchbook tour. Watercolour of the sunrise and pen and ink drawings. Daily drawings. Sketchbook ideas. Illustration.
Water Colour Sketch of the London Sunrise
It has been half-term week here in London, and we are enjoying a week at home without rushing to umpteen online school meetings every day. Our living room is covered in doll clothes, and I have been alternating doing a bit of work with mending doll clothes and setting up tiny furniture.
The weather has been cold and and windy, with blustery rain in squalls. But each morning we are treated to glorious sunrises. The sky is covered in brushstrokes of pink, amber, gold and violet.
Part of being housebound by lockdown means that we sometimes laugh hilariously for no reason. The other day, while eating tomato noodle soup, my daughter jumped up and started hopping, kicking her heels high and punching her fists down. She declared it was her new dance move, and since I had nothing better to do, I joined in. Soon we were hopping and giggling!
In a routine that is fairly featureless (each day is the same), anything is fun. Even going to the dentist.
A lockdown sketchbook
Time shrinks and expands in lockdown. Some days fly by quickly. Some days languish forever, and by mid-afternoon I’m asking my family, “is it still Tuesday?” Yes, yes, it is, and tomorrow will still be Wednesday.
I have been forgetting to do daily drawings, simply because each day is so much the same that I don’t know what to draw! Monotony does not inspire creativity.
Here are a few of the drawings I managed to do in the past few months. Enjoy!
Seeing them collected on one blog post inspires me to do more!
My Week in Drawings #31
For some reason, during lockdown, I switched from drinking decaf coffee to herbal tea.
I think this pandemic has transformed us all in deep and meaningful ways, and also in more superficial ways. Becoming a tea drinker was one of those more insignificant changes.
Why did I change? Does it even matter? I don’t really have the answer.
But there you go... now I drink herbal tea.
Have you noticed small changes as well?
What are they?
My Week in Drawings #30
Quiet moments in the morning; hugs and cuddles before the rush of the day starts.
I’m making lists and envisioning new projects. Sometimes this time at the beginning of a project doesn’t feel productive. But all that foundation building pays off when the momentum picks up.
I just love watching my daughter dance: her moves are so energetic and joyful.
I just love seeing my daughter’s playful joy in the autumn. She throws leaves like confetti and laughs with abandon. It’s these small moments that make life worthwhile at the moment. The joy in the little things. The fresh air. The turning colours and the early morning mist. My daughter is changing before my eyes and I want to savour each moment.
My week in drawings #29
The past few weeks we have been nestling in our house: cuddling, reading stories, preparing for the start of school; and I’ve been working every other minute towards a big deadline.
Now, my book is submitted, and my daughter has started year one…
I took a week to do nothing; to let the dust motes settle in the beams of sunshine while I readjusted to life without the urgency of deadlines.
And now that I’m ready to return to daily drawings, I am exploring the faces around me. There is so much beauty in every face.
Leonardo da Vinci used to fill sketchbook margins with random faces before he started his “real” work of fine art and scientific research. I often wonder if those faces gave him perspective, if he could see his projects and problems from their perspective, and if it helped him approach ideas from different points of view. Or perhaps it was simply “doing scales” as I call it. I used to play piano regularly, and playing scales kept my fingers limber and ready. Drawing faces is a bit like that as well; each face trains my hand to draw individuality rather than someone more generic.
So here they are… the most recent faces.
Next week I’ll get back to more personal diary drawings.
And if you fancy getting your face drawn, why not get in touch? I need more faces!
My week in drawings #28
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I’m sitting in my studio, surrounded by papers and pens, and working without pause on my next project.
And while I’m sharpening pencils, I’ve been wondering about connection in a fast-paced digital world. I love you all. You are my support, my cheering squad... but sometimes I wish there weren’t pixels between us.
But... what if... what if… I could send you real letters? What if I created illustrated letters about the magic of the everyday and our travels, and sent them to you like a real pen pal?
Would you want that? Would sign up? I would do it for free if I didn’t have to pay for postage. Would you pay for the postage to get monthly letters from me?
This idea makes me feel all glittery inside. It could be SO FUN!
Comment below. Or pop to the link below to sign up. The first letter will be about our day trip to the seaside!
My Week in Drawings #27 (A catch up)
I have gone a bit quiet in the last few weeks, as I have been sprinting to finish a large illustration project. I’m trying to get as much of it done as I can before my daughter finishes school on Friday. We are looking forward to summer holidays: leisurely days, reading books, going for nature walks, eating ice cream, making crafts… but in the midst of all that, I’m not sure how much work I will be able to get done. (Though my daughter has promised, “I won’t interruct you, Mommy!” Her word for “interrupt.”)
These are the “daily” drawings I’ve done in the past month. Mostly of my daughter, because she is such a willing and inspiring subject. :-)
Ice cream treats for a stellar report card!
Lounging after a hot afternoon running through the sprinkler!
Climbing the ancient olive tree in the courtyard of the church across the street.
Going back to school after lockdown with excitement and nerves!
Quarantine style!
I have transitioned from doing my daily drawings in Moleskine sketchbooks to doing them on pre-cut pieces of drawing or watercolour paper. This allows me more flexibility. Right now I am keeping them in an old sunglasses box, which is the perfect size for the small drawings. I think I might need to invest in a system of archival art storage soon!
My Week in Drawings #26
The evening view from our new attic room is always breath taking in the evening. It gives me so much joy to snuggle under my duvet with a book and this sky.
It has been a good week. We spent most of our time outside, enjoying the roses and peonies in our garden.
Our daughter returns to school on Monday, in a modified classroom and with smaller “bubbles” instead of classes. She is so excited… and I am excited to have some uninterrupted time to work on my projects. But I will also miss her! I’ve gotten used to having her around permanently over the past 12 weeks.
How are you? Tell me in the comments!
A moment of serenity in Richmond Park.
My 5-year-old daughter hopping on her inflatable cow/dinosaur/dragon creature. She can literally fly on that thing. I imagine that she feels that way I do when I have those dreams where I can jump and glide for miles at a time… almost flying, but touching down every so often for another push of momentum.
My Week in Drawings #25
She lives in her imagination; she really is a fairy in the garden, flitting from flower to flower. I believe her.
My Week In Drawings #24
Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Max Ehrmann "Desiderata" 1927
I am sitting by the open windows of my studio, looking out of the Victorian roofs and treetops of suburban London. All around there is the sound of birdsong and workmen. Normally the sound of a whining circular saw might have annoyed me, but this morning it is giving me so much joy. Our lockdown is easing ever so slowly. People are allowed to work outside. We are all crawling out of our safe burrows and blinking in the bright summer sunshine. Despite the uncertainty, the world is still beautiful: the roses are blooming and the birds are warbling, and we’re all smiling.
At the beginning of this period of isolation I couldn’t figure out why I felt so stymied. I am normally very motivated and organized. But for the first few weeks all I could manage was to eat, sleep and breathe (and look after the homeschooling needs of my highly-driven 5-year-old daughter).
Instead of feeling frustrated, I allowed myself to relax into a new routine without putting too much pressure on myself.
Gradually, as the “new normal” began to feel more comfortable, I was able to include more depth in my day… more drawing, more dreaming, more writing.
What I realized, as I observed my reaction to these changes, is that we all exist on three levels.
Layer one is the necessities: breathing, eating, sleeping. These are the basic building blocks that enable us to live. Most likely, when life is ticking along at a good pace, these are things you do every day without thinking. Unless, that is, you are interrupted by a factor out of your control (like a pandemic), and then level one is the only thing you can manage.
Layer two is the routine everyday chores and actions you do repeatedly. It is all thing things you fill your to-do list with… (and isn’t it funny that your to-do list fills up whether there are 10 lines on your page or 20? I have a theory that any list expands to fit its space, no matter how large or small, which is why I often pick a small piece of paper to write my lists on! But that was a tangent…) Sometimes it is difficult to pull oneself off the treadmill of loads of washing, grocery shopping, random appointments, and general life maintenance.
And then there is my favourite layer… three. This is where the magic lives. This is where we get a few moments each day to focus on those actions that enrich our lives; inspire us. This is taking the perfect photo, piecing together the “just right” patches of fabric into a quilt, putting one word together with another so that they sing, or playing that difficult piece on the piano for the first time through without mistakes.
When something like the coronavirus pandemic flips our lives upside down, we shake down through the layers of existence. We quickly slide out of layer three, we skid through layer two, and land in layer one with a bump and a plume of dust. We look around, surprised, wondering how our lives could have been so precariously balanced in the first place. We breathe. We sleep. We eat. And we stare up through the canyon of existence wondering how we’ll reascend to layer three near the daydreaming clouds.
What I have discovered is that the only way is patience.
It has taken 10 weeks of lockdown for me float up, almost effortlessly, from level one to level three. I had to get comfortable with eating, breathing and sleeping in our new existence. Then I had to figure out how to get laundry soap, groceries, and basic necessities without putting myself or my family in danger (a whole new interpretation of level two). And then, once I felt secure in how to sustain “normal” life, I could rise on an updraft of confidence to level three.
And now I’m daydreaming again. I’m working on my newest book project. I’m doing daily drawings. The sweet juice of creativity is back.
All it takes is patience, time, and the willingness to rediscover life slowly.
I don't know where you are or how lockdown is treating you. I hope you are doing well. I hope you are discovering that there are moments of richness in this “new normal.” I hope you can enjoy both the moment, and the depth of existence at the same time. Please respond and tell me!
Sending the biggest virtual, social-distancing hug I can…
x
Online assembly… The headteacher lead a prayer in which she prayed for all the everyday heroes, the key workers, and all the mommies and daddies at home with their children. It moved me to tears to see my daughter praying so earnestly and innocently. In this time of uncertainty, there is much to give hope. Like the simple faith of a child that everything will be alright.
I have decided that one of my new challenges for this lockdown is to draw people who are currently inspiring me, giving me hope, and making me feel like the world is a beautiful place.
First up is Jill Barber. She is a Canadian singer-songwriter who I discovered via her 2004 album “Oh Heart”. My best friend who was studying at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) told me that I just HAD to listen to her. My friend knew me so well! And I have enjoyed following Jill’s career as she blossoms in her musical talent. I especially love all her French jazz! (It makes me feel like my awkward schoolgirl french is actually stylish and chic!) I have her albums on repeat as I work on the final illustrations for my graphic novel.
My Week in Drawings #23
Week number… What? I’m not sure. Seven or eight I think.
Here are a few moments from our week.
How was your week?
My week in drawings and paintings #22
We are on 49 days of isolation.
We’re staying at home. We’re playing in our garden. We’re gazing out our windows at the rooftop horizons. We’re doing our part to flatten the curve and make the city safe again.
My daily sketches are focusing on small domestic moments. A cuddle. A cup of tea. An encounter with a neighbourhood cat. A star and the moon as seen from our new loft room.
What I am realizing (and had known before, but had forgotten), is that there is so much beauty around us, wherever you are. You don’t have to travel, or go to museums, or historic monuments. You can watch the steam rising from a much needed cup of tea and be overwhelmed by the perfect beauty in the universe.
So these are a few of our small moments, from our small house in our small corner of London.
How are you doing?
Pop in the comments to tell me where you are in the world, and how you are navigating through this strange time.
My week in drawings and paintings #21
I think most of my paintings and drawings from this time will be views from our windows. This is the view from my studio window looking at our purple plum tree and our neighbours lilac bush. So many shades of purple giving joy.
We have started home school again after the Easter Break, and the mornings are kept busy with phonics, basic sums, and lots of cutting, sticking and writing.
In the midst of the kindergarten classroom that has taken over my studio, I am trying to finish the sketches and edits for my upcoming graphic novel. Never has time-management and the delicate art of juggling multiple projects/tasks at once been more imperative.
I've even switched from my weekly bullet journal planner, to a daily planner page so that I can fit all my various to-dos in one place, and still have white margin for breathing space.
This was my week… how was yours?
P.S. And don’t forget to download some free colouring pages! HERE
My week in drawings and paintings
Every afternoon we have quiet time. It’s a holdover from when Mary napped, and when she transitioned away from napping I decided that we were still going to have an hour or so of “quiet time” to be in our rooms doing peaceful things. She either plays with her dolls and legos, or watches a movie (depending on how much other screen she’s had in the day). And then I curl up in bed with a cup of tea and a book, and enjoy few moments of peace and contentment.
We tried very hard to make Easter special and “different” to all the other days. Each day feels the same with all of us home
The days are busy. I work on my current book project while Mary sits at a table beside me doing school worksheets and colouring pages. We are a good team (most of the time). Then after lunch and quiet-time we go out to play. On of our favourite past-times is hop scotch, which the neighbourhood children have connected down the sidewalk to have more than 300 squares.
It is amazing that in this time of crisis, the children have returned to one of the oldest games in the world for their comfort. It was recorded in Roman times. And the word “scotch” has nothing to do with Scotland, but rather is an old English word for the boxes “scratched” into the ground.
This connection with our past and our legacy gives me so much comfort.
We are staying at home. Here in London we’re allowed one walk per day, and one trip to the grocery store per week. We’re trying to think of exciting, creative ways to fill our time. So that means lots of crafts. Lots of running around in the garden. And lots of sidewalk chalk drawings in front of our house. That neighbourhood children have teamed up and created a hop scotch course that has over 275 squares. Then jump though it, keeping a safe 2m distance between each other. I love seeing their creativity and resilience.
Painting cherry blossoms while my daughter draws pictures of peaseblossom, mustardseed, cobweb, and moth. She is learning a mid summer nights dream (and she’s only in kindergarten/reception!). I tell you, this homeschool job is not for the faint of heart.
Don’t forget that I have free colouring pages to download. They are making our late afternoons such much more zen and peaceful. I’m adding new ones every day.
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