Scratching the Surface
Making plans, and making a start
Hello! Two posts in one week, what?!
As I mentioned last time, I am planning to use this space lots more! Don’t worry, I won’t be appearing in your inbox as often as this - I just wanted to follow up again this week to fill you in on my plans and tell you more about this new body of work I’m getting started on (which feels like I’m about to climb a massive mountain).
So, I’m going to aim for posting once week, or every two weeks. The main focus will be on documenting the progress of my work, sharing my sketchbooks and bits & pieces I’ve been experimenting with, and chatting about successes, failures, and what I’m learning from all of the above. I also plan to share other stuff, such as my favourite paintings & illustrations, my favourite materials, a look around my studio, thoughts about creativity, and of course guest appearances from my canine studio-buddy, Jeffers.
Again as I mentioned last time, I’ll be launching paid subscriptions in March. At least one post per month will always be free, then the more in-depth stuff for paid subscribers. I am nervous about doing this because it’s completely new to me! I’ll never know if it’ll work unless I give it a go though, right? Plus, it also gives me a bit of accountability to actually get things done. I definitely need that.
I’d also love for readers to find inspiration in what I’m sharing. Personally I love to see what artists are working on, getting a proper behind the scenes look at things, and when artists also share things that have gone wrong, and the ugly drawings alongside the beautiful ones. I’ll be doing this too, in the hope that others will find it useful! I might share the odd tutorial as well further along the line. We’ll see how things go anyway!
Last year, I got stuck in a huge creative rut - you know the bit in Homeward Bound where Shadow falls down into the ditch and can’t get back out? That’s how I felt creatively… OK maybe I’m being a *bit* dramatic, but it was just really hard to pull myself out of it. So, I’m determined not to let that happen again and to make progress this year! Using Substack to document my practice will really help, giving me something to work towards, and to look back on.
So, that’s an outline of my ideas for what I want to do and why! Now on to chat a bit more about the creative side of things and where I’m at with getting started on this Big New Project.
My biggest inspiration has always been nature; wildlife, plants, trees, seasons, the sky… all of it! When I think about making work, nature is always at the front of my mind. So I’m going back to basics, starting from scratch and letting nature lead the way.
I got thinking about what I might want to actually make this new work all about. Often when I sit down to come up with ideas I find it really difficult, focusing on the final outcome. The results are usually ideas that feel a bit forced, that I’m not invested in, or are a version of something I’ve done before. So instead of thinking of final pieces to make, I thought about what questions I could ask, really considering what I’m interested in and what I’m curious about. This is what I came up with…
What lives in the wild grasses or high up in the trees, or in the depths of a pond? What does their world look like? What makes it ‘home’?
This idea of home has become really interesting to me, and really thinking about what the world of an animal might really look like. This opens up a lot of avenues for creative play, with things like textures, scale, perspective, atmosphere… the list goes on! So this is what I’m going to investigate. I’m not totally sure what the final outcome will be, and I’m OK with that!
Yesterday I ever so slightly scratched the surface. I took Jeffers for a lovely walk up at Cashel Forest by Loch Lomond. It’s a stunning climb through woodland, with views of the Loch from the highest point. I didn’t take a sketchbook (next time!), but kept the above ideas in my mind.
When I got home I thought I’d sit down to do some drawings from memory… but that proved to be a bit more daunting than I thought, having not done any sketchbook work for a couple of months. I opened a new sketchbook and made some scribbly marks, thinking about tone, layers and texture. Soon feeling a bit lost, and needing something for reference, I drew some of the trees outside my window, and then closed my eyes and tried to draw from memory again. The result is really nothing noteworthy (and I’m actually a bit embarrassed to even be sharing these), but it’s a start. It’s something; I like the energy of the mark-making, and it has given me the urge to keep going. There is always something to learn, and from this it was that I really need to get out with my sketchbook and draw from life! Having a visual reference is going to be key at these early stages, so next week’s plan is to get out and do more drawing!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading a bit more about my plans and ideas! Just a wee reminder that I’m sharing all of February’s content for free, before launching paid subscriptions in March. If you have any questions or requests for what you might like to see here, just drop me a message!