A Little Perspective: Why Life Drawing classes will change your Creative Practice
Happy happy august! How are you all doing? I’m coming to you from a coffee shop overlooking Manchester Cathedral, where I had my stall last week at Craft and Flea Market. If I met any of you on that day, let me just say a big thank you to YOU! It really does mean the world to meet such kind and supportive customers <3
As I sip my vanilla chai, the rustle of leaves outside the window, it almost feels like the edge of autumn is right around the corner…or that may just be wishful thinking! Even so, I’ve made more of an effort recently to get out of the house to work, especially during Summertime, despite my brain reeling off a hundred reasons why it’s easier for me to stay in my nice, warm, comfortable home. Why go out when you have everything you need right here?! But with a little breathing space, new ideas can come from a little perspective, and by allowing ourselves to open up to these sparks of inspiration, they really can do wonders for rejuvenating our creative practice.
And new perspectives is what we’re talking about today! If you follow me on The Gram, you may have seen that I recently got back into life drawing with a friend from uni, and it’s done wonders for unlocking my creativity. We’ve been going to Bee Creative Studio in Manchester, and they do an amazing job at finding a variety of models, and offer timed sessions which really allows you to build momentum with your drawing.
I was a little rusty the first time but I found my rhythm by the end!
I love his little face on this one!
The sessions last around 2 hours, complete with bar and long instrumental sequences from Tchaikovsky and Bach to accompany you while you draw. Match made in heaven if you ask me! We usually begin with1 minute poses, then move onto 5 and 10 minutes, ending the session with 20 minutes. This really helps you build up your line work and get familiar with the model - not to mention you can get all your bad stuff out of the way first! Another thing I like about Bee Creative is that it’s not a tutored session. It doesn’t matter if you get the perspective skewed or that you’d rather draw figuratively than true to life, and to be surrounded by a group of like-minded artists is really refreshing when you’re used to working by yourself.
The best part, I’ve come to realise, is that I get into a real FLOW while I’m there. Flow that comes from not worrying about how true to life my drawing is. Flow that becomes almost meditative. Flow that comes from play, ease, and tapping into the sheer enjoyment of why I started making art in the first place. Gaining perspective can be a great reminder to get out of your comfort zone more often, sign up to a class, find a new environment to work, and start approaching your art from a different mind.
And it doesn’t have to be a life drawing class. Why not take yourself out to a local cafe or park and draw the life that passes you by. Organise a Zoom Call with friends and have themed drawing nights. Or maybe for you, timed drawings are the way forward. 1 minute drawings can be really challenging when you’re used to perfecting and sharing every little thing you make. Ban yourself from pencils and rubbers and make the marks count! And if any of you have your own practices for gaining perspective, or are part of a life drawing group too, I’d love to know!
Summer bits and bobs…
*I'm reading Letters from Tove this month. It’s such a joy of a book, I’m almost disappointed in myself that it’s taken me this long to read Tove Jansson’s work, but I guess there’s no better time to start! This one is the perfect read for Summer.
*I’ve been challenging myself with pattern design at the moment, and I’m loving how my illustrations can be used on so many things like interiors, homeware and more! This one is a recent favourite.
*Last week my friend and I had a meal at Rosa’s and it was delish! I can’t say I’m an expert when it comes to Thai food, but the food was great and that’s a win for me!
*I attended a freelance workshop from Small Fry Collective in July which really helped boost my ideas when it comes to the direction of my practice. It’s always beneficial to be looking for ways to learn and expand, and I love trying new things. You can still access the recording from them here.
Aaand that’s all for now my sweet buttercups. Thanks for being here!
Have fun this summer, and spread a little kindness where you can 🌻
Catherine
I graduated!
Last week the day of my graduation finally arrived, after two long years of waiting, and I had the loveliest day! It was strange to see my old course mates again after such a long time and honestly I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel on the day, whether I’d feel underwhelmed now I wasn’t as connected to that part of my life. But it was really great to see so many of them again, and to share the same experiences despite going our separate ways. It felt like no time had passed at all! I’m grateful that we even had chance to celebrate, and it came at just the right time for us to really appreciate how far we’d come.
It’s funny how life works out and pushes you in directions you didn’t plan on - the most important thing is to pause every now and again and see how much you’ve achieved.
Till next time :)
Catherine
Manchester Print Fair + Mid-year Musings
Happy sweet June friends.
Last month I had my first ever stall at Manchester Print Fair - something that’s been a goal of mine since 2019 when I first visited the fair as an art student. It always felt like something that would happen ‘one day’, and yet this day finally came, and I had the loveliest time! The cathedral was such a beautiful venue to exhibit in, and to display my illustrations for the public was both daunting and exciting! It also allowed me time to pause and appreciate how far I’ve come since 2020.
Getting ready for the fair really tested my organisation! There was so much to sort out, from managing my online stock to prepping new prints, packing, labelling and generating promotion. May felt like a whirlwind, but it was good to stay busy. Having the fair to work towards not only tested my commitment to staying on top of things, but it took me away from personal illustration projects, which brought up some challenging emotions throughout the month. It’s been both intriguing and daunting to delve into different outlets of my creativity, opening up to new opportunities where I can to connect with this community, and seeing what I can prioritise without feeling like I’m not making progress in other areas of life. Of course, we’re never entirely sure of what the rest of the year has in store, but May definitely showed me how I can navigate my way into new avenues of illustration, and how I can share my work in new ways with you, my loveliest audience!
I also want to thank everyone who came out to MPF and bought a little something from my stall. I was so grateful to see so many familiar faces, and also many new ones too. A huge thank you to Alessandra for organising an amazing post-pandemic fair, and to all of you, who said hello and shared your kind words with me on the day, it made me feel most welcome. That being said, if you missed out on last month’s fair, I’ll be organising a shop sale later this month, so head over to Etsy for new prints, and my zodiac tote bags (which have been the most popular!)
In Other News | Mentoring!
In other news, I’m now meeting with an illustration mentor! We’ve met twice already and I’m excited to see what new ideas are sparked by speaking to someone directly from within the industry. It’s incredibly valuable to continue to learn and grow wherever you find yourself, and there are so many opportunities for us to do so, whether that’s reaching out to industry experts, joining groups to meet other creatives, or learning a new skill online. There’s definitely something to be said for acknowledging where you’re lacking in expertise, and actively opening yourself up to those who are wiser, older, and more experienced than you, to help guide you and your practise to the next level. I’m excited to see where this new connection takes me, and if you read some of my posts from last year, you’ll know I’m prioritising the journey this year, without judgement or fear…Wish me luck!
This & That…
*This June I’ve organised a little post-print fair sale. Head over to my Etsy shop to order something sweet for you or a friend! I’m always so grateful for your support :)
*I’ve enjoyed looking through Yuk Fun’s blog this month. There’s some great little interviews from a range of creatives on there.
*I’ve been reading The Twelve Week Year by Brian Moran which shares the idea of annualized thinking, and how we can condense goals that we would usually give ourselves a year to complete, into a twelve week cycle. It’s intriguing, and it’s made me rethink how I see and use my time.
Okay! I’m going to actually take some time off now, I’ve been staring at my laptop for too long! And maybe I’ll bake some cinnamon buns this bank holiday weekend mmmh. Have a peaceful June friends, where ever life finds you :)
Catherine
NARRATIVE ILLUSTRATION | Primary School Workshop
This month I had the amazing opportunity to lead an illustration workshop for a group of year 6 pupils at a local primary school. I have to say, I’ve been dreaming up sessions like this one for a while now, so when my friend Josh asked if I’d like to come in to show the children what exactly an illustrator does, I jumped at the chance! I decided to choose two fairly simple activities for this workshop, but really emphasised imagination and inclusivity rather than their drawing ability (because anyone can be an artists, did you know that?!)
I was immediately welcomed by the children, who excitedly showed me their sketchbooks which, I’m pleased to say, were full of blossoming talent! Then, after a brief introduction to myself and the type of work I do, we got drawing! We had seven groups of ten children, each given a large sheet of paper and a section of a story that I had typed and printed before hand, based on Alice in Wonderland. However, with the purposes of encouraging the children to rely on imagination rather than what they already knew about the narrative, I exaggerated and muddled the descriptions into things like: ‘A smartly dressed rabbit, searches for his watch in a clock shop’ and ‘A grumpy queen eats too many jam tarts and starts a food fight’. This meant the children could guess what story they were illustrating as their sketches developed on the paper, which really allowed scope for their creativity and imagination to take control. There was such an amazing variety of ideas, including a cat with moons for eyes, skyscraper cakes, and even a Christmas tree!
In the second session, we turned their drawings into a continuous illustration! With their individual pages now filled with weird and wonderful drawings, we connected them together in chronological order according to the Alice in Wonderland narrative, and with pens in hands, the children were let loose wherever they wanted on the paper! I asked them to rotate several times so they could continue to add to each of the drawings, and encouraged them to be imperfect with their illustrations as they collaborated with each other. It was a fantastic afternoon and the children showed real willingness and enthusiasm to create something together. I ended the day with a brief showcase of my own picture book portfolio, and answered their questions about the illustration industry, as well as my own experiences of studying at art school.
Although this was my first school workshop, it was an absolute joy to teach, and I’m already dreaming up other workshops around narrative illustration, character design and more!
If you’re interested in workshops like this one, drop me a line at hicatherinebooth@outlook.com and let’s work together!