- July - Creating Gently; Where Rest Meets Colour
Monthly update from my art studio
Feeling drained, uninspired, or just too overwhelmed to make art? You're not alone. Sometimes, the month doesn't go quite as you thought it would. For me, it started off well and sunny, and then suddenly I found myself in bed with a fever... When I feel under the weather, I have no brain space to create “big” art.
In this video, I share what I do on days when creating feels like too much—from simple colour exercises like swatching paints, mixing colours, and filling a palette, to gentle ways of staying connected to creativity without pressure.
Italy Retreat
Just before I was confined to bed, I travelled to Puglia, Italy. I joined artist Sarah Stokes' art retreat. Sarah is a watercolour artist specialising in wildlife painting, and she is a master of tone and value. And what a beautiful location! The masseria where we stayed was so beautifully decorated, the surroundings were gorgeous, the surrounding towns were atmospheric, and it was really lovely to spend a few days together with other art enthusiasts.
I visited Puglia partly to see if I could host an art retreat there too, and I fell in love with the place, so stay tuned 🥰
And if you’re interested in joining a retreat next year, there are still some spots left in my England / Cotswolds retreat in May 2025!
Birthday Month 🎈
Another turn around the sun! It’s my 43rd birthday this month, so let’s celebrate by gifting the first four people who comment below a free month's subscription to the club!
Linework Is My Meditation
This month: Colour
There can never be enough colour:) Colour sets a mood, speaks to you and is all-important. This month, we focus on all the hues: how do we apply them and create our own colour palettes?
You can kick off by reading this article:
And here are a few other posts to get acquainted with and inspired by colour:
Want to join us this month for a drawing session?
I’m so excited about these upcoming sessions:
Tuesday 8th of July | 16:00 (4 PM) CEST
A special drawing session with
SIGN UP HERE
🟠🟡🔵 Colour Your World
Thursday 17th of July | 20:00 (8 PM) CEST
Unleash your creativity by crafting your own favourite colour palette and bringing black-and-white nature scenes to life with your unique vision. A playful and expressive session for all levels!
SIGN UP HERE
🎨🖼️✨ Golden Finishing Hour
Tuesday, July 22 | 16:00 (4 PM) CEST
A cosy co-sketching session to wrap up those nearly-finished pieces! Bring a sketchbook you’ve been meaning to fill or a larger artwork you've been itching to complete—let’s finish these artworks together.
This session is for all members ❤️
SIGN UP HERE
PAUSING IN AUGUST
I’ll be taking a summer break in August, so there will be no posts next month. All of my billing will be paused; existing paid members won’t be charged (please send me a message if this happens, and I’ll sort it out!).
If you’re interested in joining our club, this is the ideal month to join and check out all of our previous (200+) posts and videos, to get to know me and everything we do in our club. If you sign up before August 1st, you receive 2 months, with one month free. You won’t be charged in August. So basically you have our club archive for free!
Want to catch up on videos?
Here’s a selection of posts from our (paid) archive:
Videos for free members:
Last month in pictures
Lovelies
This video by Sophie Mcpike, I love the idea of a sketchbook sanctuary!
Gardening is about the only thing that really relaxes me and makes my anxiety go away. Plants don’t judge, and if you tend to them, they’re beautiful. My tiny lemon tree is growing tiny lemons!
Making homemade (vegan) ice cream. Chocolate/cherry and banana/mango are my favourites.
Sometimes, students give me a small gift to thank me for a course, which is very nice! This month, I was given a homegrown dahlia flower and a handmade thank-you card. I display them all in my studio, as a reminder to keep creating inspiring lessons.
The case for making art when the world is on fire (Ted Talk)
Thank you for taking a peek into my world! If you enjoyed this, please give it a like or a comment. I hope you have a gentle and relaxing art month,
Lovely drawings. I really enjoy seeing them. Happy birthday month.
Happy birthday!!
🎈