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

Post Snail Press

Eeek!

Let's just say, receiving a professionally printed illustration in the post on an average cloudy Tuesday would brighten up anyone's day. But when that illustration is YOUR OWN? Well that just about made my week. On this lovely little postcard, is an illustration I painted as a test for my new Acryla Gouache paints, so suddenly seeing it printed and part of an amazing collection is the just the best!

I’m so pleased with the way it turned out!

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Dreamt up by Nicola of Fernandes Makes and Laura of Loaf & Bear, the Post Snail Press project encourages people to stay connected during challenging times, as well as supporting a community of local artists and small businesses. Best of all 10% of all profits are donated to the Samaritans charity, who provide a helpline for those struggling to cope.

A huge thank you again to Laura and Nicola for allowing my critters and I to be a part of this brilliant community project. Make sure you check out my design, as well as the whole collection at Post Snail Press and help support our local creatives.

Have a safe and cheerful week,

Catherine

SUMMER 2020

Hello!

And welcome to my very first blog post! I’ve had the idea of a blog swimming in my head for some time now, but since lockdown has provided me with an excessive amount of free time I thought, why not start sharing my everyday doings and creative snippets on here, with you? And now I’m finally committing! So keep an eye out for behind the scenes of projects, sketchbook scribbles and whatever other rambles I can think of!

Since this whole pandemic situation has forced me to dribble out of university life quite pathetically, I haven’t had a chance to share my documenting process with anyone – something that was drilled into me persistently for the past four years. Instead, all I have is a jumble of sheets packed into portfolios that don’t fit anywhere in my house. Ah, the joys of being an art student. So, I thought, why not post them here? Hopefully some of you out there will find it interesting.

At the moment I’m knee deep in a children’s book project, which I aim to have completed by the autumn. So keep your eyes peeled, I promise to share some process ditties with you very soon.

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In the meantime, I’ll be at my make-shift desk, listening to the rain and wondering where the heck summer went. And if there’s anything you’d like to see on here let me know, I’m open to ideas.

All the best,

Catherine