Time away in the countryside and a shop update :)

Hello, I thought I’d do some updates as it’s been a while.  Also because I had a little break away for the first time since the beginning of the year which was really needed and lovely.  Normally I would have had a break by now but with all that’s happened….well, need I say more!

Firstly, I’ve updated my Etsy shop with new products since I was last here, including custom house portraits in a variety of sizes.  I’m offering black and white portraits as I think they make lovely personal gifts.  I’m hoping people will like them especially with Christmas coming up.  We have all spent a lot more time at home this year after all.  I’ve also added some pick and mix print selection bundles and a postcard set, so some bargains are available.  I’ve got some new products coming soon which I’m very excited about and when they come I will post about that, promise!  Also, if you’re really organised I’ve added my Christmas tree ornaments.  These are hand painted with various patterns and each one is totally unique!  So, if you’re a really early decorator or you’d like a gift for a friend in advance of decorating time a little bit of Christmas awaits.

I’m also going to share some photos of my time away.  I went to Norfolk/Suffolk and spent my time going out for lovely long walks every day I was there.  It was so good to see my family again and spend a good chunk of time with them.  I really feel refreshed and I definitely needed to get away.  I was so lucky with the weather too.  It was really sunny and warm so it meant every time I got to the coast I got to spend a long time paddling in the sea which for me is a total joy :).

Brandon Park

Wells-Next-the-Sea

Cromer

Flatford

Southwold

Southwold happy feet :)

Dunwich Heath

I had such a lovely time.  I've really missed taking long nature walks so this trip has really revitalised me in so many ways.  I hope everyone is doing well and managing ok during this time.  It will end!  Take care and I'll be back soon x

Coastal walking

Hello,

So now the first week of January is well and truly over, Christmas and even New Year feel like a lifetime ago!  I've been getting back to work and life, (as has the body,) and so far I'm enjoying 2019, and I've been making lots of plans for the year ahead.
Today I am looking back though to my time post Christmas when I went for another very lovely walk at one of my favourite places, Wells-Next-the-Sea (it has the best name).  I have a lot of lovely childhood memories from there, and I love to visit.  I've drawn lots of illustrations inspired by Wells in the past and I'm sure I will continue to do so.  I especially loved drawing the bark and the seaweed.

I have taken so many photos of beach huts over the years, but it can't hurt to have a few more.  I love the pop of colour they bring no matter the weather.  

I hope you've been having a good start to 2019, and have a lovely cosy weekend :).

Autumn time in the country

Hello,

I've just come back from a little break in Norfolk/Suffolk visiting my family.  Very nice it was too.  I was lucky to have some lovely sunny days (along with one rainy one but luckily I was inside for that).  I love those crisp autumn days and I really enjoy having a good stomp around in the fresh air.  I've come back full of ideas from my trip.
Before I went I finished this illustration of a blackberry and apple crumble, something which is definitely missing in my life, I can't remember when I last ate one :(.  It's one of those perfect colder day puddings, yum.

A few pictures from my days away.  I always like to go and visit the sea.

I love the light at this time of year in the late afternoon and the long shadows it casts.

I do have a berry obsession, I don't know what ones these are but they have the most gorgeous colour.

 This was the late afternoon sunshine, perfect.

Autumn, :).  I hope you have a lovely weekend (and get to eat some crumble!) 

Ice cream? I think so

Hello,

I hope you've had a great week.  I'm loving having bright late evenings, it really seems to lengthen the days, and it's so nice to have the doors and windows open and feel the fresh air :).
On a summery theme, I'm sharing the illustration I completed below following a coastal visit.  I really loved working on this and I'm very happy with how it turned out.  I'm pretty addicted to inks at the moment, both those that are water soluble and those that are not.  They create such wonderful colours and textures and I think they work really well with the more detailed line work.  To be honest I just love combining all different mediums, I really get stuck into the textures.

I must admit, I did have a few ice creams that looked a bit like this one the week I was away (not all on the same day I will add!)  There's nothing like an ice cream when it's a hot day at the seaside and in the UK if you are lucky enough to have a lovely warm day at the coast ice cream is essential, because lets face it those days need to be grabbed!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I have a lot of drawing/painting I'm hoping to get done, hooray!  I'll be back soon :)

A little break

Hello,

I've had a lovely week.  I finally took a proper few days off and incredibly picked the week with the best weather so far :D!  I went to visit my family back in Norfolk and spent time in the countryside, and by the coast, in what was permanent sunshine, I really could not believe my luck.  As the weather was so good it was also the perfect excuse to try several varieties of delicious ice cream, yum.  Below are some pictures of my time there.

I really enjoyed getting away, I've come back full of new ideas, and got to work on some new illustrations inspired by my travels.  I love creating work in this way.
In honour of the sun (which is not with me today :(, it has been a day of rain) here's a recent sunny Illustration I created all about bees.  I wanted a really limited sunny warm toned palette for this one.

I hope you've had a great week and enjoyed the sunshine if it was around where you were :). 

New Year, home and away

Hello,

Happy New Year!  I hope 2018 will be a great one for all of us, personally I'm pretty excited to see what it will bring.  I hope if you had a break over Christmas and New Year it was a lovely one and you're all feeling well fed and happy! (I was sent back with a food parcel and I still have some left!)

I had a lovely break, I went to see my family and it was good to have a few days off, I think I needed to wind down a bit.  I got back before New Year and have been working hard since then.  When I do have a break, I find I always come back full of energy and ready to get on.  I also find a change of scene really helps my work and gives me inspiration for some new creations.  I was particularly looking forward to walking out in the countryside and by the coast.  Living in London I really appreciate being able to do this whenever I go home.  I often visit places I went to when I was a child so they feel very familiar.  This time I went walking near Cromer and then went onto the beach (I am sea obsessed, I always need to get close to it).  When I got back here I created some work inspired by the famous Cromer crab.

Here's a couple of photos from the beach, it's quite rocky but the colours of the stones are so pretty and there was some beautifully coloured seaweed.  Nature has such amazing colours.  It was pretty cold by the way, but I am a weed in the cold!

I hope you had a lovely start to the year and here's hoping 2018 will be a great one for us all! :)

A day at the beach

Hello,

A few weeks back I took a little trip back to Norfolk and visited what is possibly my favourite beach there.  As a child I used to go regularly to Wells-next-the-sea so I have a lot of happy memories from that time.  It's great to go when the it's a lovely hot day and you can paddle.  The tide goes out a long way but leaves little pools behind so you have warmish water to swim and paddle in, I love it!  The beach is huge so even if it's busy you can walk and walk and get away from it all.  There's a pine forest behind the beach huts which you can also wander through.  I've been when it's hot, when it's cold and windy too, it's just a lovely place to go to whatever the weather.
So after that little visit I made a piece of work based on it.  I spent ages working on the colours for the huts.  In reality they're all a variety of colours but I wanted them all to relate to each other and share the colouring.
Here's the finished piece

Here's some of the work in progress colour sketches.  I tend to make a lot so I can really sort colours and have all sorts of scraps with marks and textures which I then keep as they are so helpful for future work.  Then I piece it all together before working on the final.

Here's some photos of the beach, ahh it's a lovely hot day today and it would be great to be there!

I hope you're having a lovely weekend, I'm gazing out at a lovely blue sky and looking forward to another sunny day tomorrow :)