- December - wandering, hibernation and Christmas ornaments

Monthly update from my art studio

Dec 13, 2023

Hello everyone,

I see a cherry tree through my window that has gone through the complete stage of its leaves turning yellow, quivering in the wind, falling, and is now completely bare. This year, it struck me more than ever, noticing the changing of color and light. November has been the most "inward" month for me. I spent my time hibernating, looking, drawing, and painting. Additionally, I celebrated ten years with my love! We now have a wonderful 5-year-old and a fluffy white cat, and I’m so grateful for the life we have together.

In the Studio

Last month, I decided to take a break from my client work. However, I found getting things back up and running quite tricky, so I've been taking things slow. I recently received a gift from Sinterklaas (the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus): a beautiful set of Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints (the 24-II one). It made me happy as a clam because the set (the 24-II one) has gorgeous colours. So, instead of my usual scribbling, I’ve done a lot of painting and swatching.

Drew a lot of animals
I worked on a ceramic owl that was supposed to be tiny but turned out enormous.
Tested various materials and combinations and rediscovered drawing ink with a crown pen.
I am selling my art prints and cards in a brick-and-mortar shop (a stunning ceramic studio!) for the first time instead of my usual online products. Thinking of doing art markets or selling in other shops
I discovered that a former client had used my artwork on their products beyond the agreed licensing term. So, I had to document everything for the past five years, and I hope to receive compensation for it. Fingers crossed….

November Spooks

At Patreon, we focussed on Spooks, things in the dark, and things in your head.

We had a Zoom session drawing (nocturnal) animals with big eyes, and I did a little timelapse of my drawings during the session.

A patron requested a video about color mixing, so I made a video about the colour wheel and colour charting.
As a bonus, I posted an art haul that went into darks and greens - I felt like I “really” needed them….

It took me some courage, but I recorded a video of my plans to move from client work to personal work and all the struggles and inspiration that come with it.

Allowing myself to create - Moving from client work to personal work

This month, because it’s a colder, darker month, the theme is House Mouse.
When you want to stay in and don’t feel like going outside into snow or storms, we make a cozy drawing space inside. I talk about using things around the house as painting tools and show you what I’ve been up to at the greenhouses at the botanical garden.

»»» In the live Zoom session, we’ll draw and paint house plants! Join us on Friday, the 22nd of December, at 20:00 (8 PM) Amsterdam time!

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Live Session Tips:

Some other inspiring sessions I’ve recently joined or watched on catch up:

Sarah van Dongen - Folktale-inspired session
Frances Ives - Botanic Gardens
Rita Gould - Robin on a mistletoe
Art Hang Party with Melissa Martin

Tiny Sketchbook tour

And while you are inside, nestled up on your couch, here’s the tiniest sketchbook tour:

Favorite Art - one of mine and one of theirs

Sarah Anderson Walsh

The art Sarah makes is so colourful and fun, it always gets me in a better mood whenever I come across her work on Instagram.

A while ago, she did a live session (on her Patreon) where everyone painted on cardboard, and I joined in. It was so much fun! Cardboard is inexpensive, so it doesn't matter if you make mistakes while working with it; you can always start over. I painted a moth on cardboard during the session, incorporating folklore elements, and it was so lovely to paint on a different surface.

As Christmas approached, I decided to create some cardboard ornaments and even made a YouTube video of the process, where I also showcased all the materials I used.; you can watch it here.

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Lovelies

Finding the joy in small things:

The Derwent Inktense pencil in the colour Bark. It’s now my go-to pencil for all dark details. The runner-up is the Derwent Lightfast Forest.
The book Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
I have a new organizing system for my pencils: turning them with the tip down and once I’ve used them with the tip up. That way, it’s evident which ones I love and which ones I never use (Oprah had a similar system for clothing, so I thought - why not pencils?:)
Windowsill chats podcast ; chats with other artists and creatives about working & walking a creative path

Thanks for reading this to the end! It’s almost surreal how fast this year went by; I hope to stay a bit more in the moment next year and appreciate all the small things it will provide.