A word from Alice - studio stories from Alice Draws the Line
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It started with a New Year's Resolution...
'It started with a New Year's resolution...'
Someone asked me how Alice Draws the Line began recently and this was my response. And it's true, in 2008 I made a New Year's resolution to do a drawing a day in a sketchbook. I missed a few days but I did it, a directly observed sketch for the year.
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Woodland walks
When I'm out, I have squirrel-like eyes that constantly search for treasures. Natural treasures - wind-blown or knocked down and ready to be collected. I try not to pick anything unless there really is a plentiful supply - the grasses I studies last summer for example - there were so many of each sort that I was happy to take one of each back to the studio to draw. Usually though it's fallen treasure - which somehow makes it more exciting. These were some wind-blown bits of larch I found a couple of weeks back - a perfect little posy in my eyes! They came back with me and I drew them that afternoon. -
March Meet the Maker - part 4
I've been really enjoying working through these prompts - it's a nice exercise to encourage reflection and time to ponder what each one means to me.
So this week I'm covering the following prompts -
- Silver Linings
- Hands on
- Job/s
- Wrapped and packaged
- Starting point
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March Meet the Maker - part 3
- From the archives
Just recently I've had a lovely time looking back through old sketchbooks. Here are some pages from the sketchbook I used during my Art Foundation year (2001-2002). Line drawings and black ink were a favourite back then too, but at the time I was doing more mixed media illustration and was working towards a large textile piece with all the lines drawn with a sewing machine (freehand embroidery).
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March meet the maker - part 2
Hello! The second March meet the maker blog post. Today I'm going to cover the posts that have happened since I was last here as I haven't been posting on Instagram this year.
So, we have 5 prompts today -
- Newest make
- Work in progress
- Learning curve
- Small detail
- Portrait.
Here we go!
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March meet the maker, part 1
#MarchMeetTheMaker is an excellent project set up by Joanne Hawker, a creative who lives in Somerset. Each March she shares prompts for fellow make... -
Starting out...
In September 2015 I drew some sprouts. In November these became one of my first (and still one of my favourite) Christmas Card designs - Twist and Sprout! In the December I wrote to Alice Palace - some one I had admired for a long time for how Alice had built her business and all it and she stood for. I wrote to ask if I could come and help in the build up to Christmas as work experience (as a grown up). In early 2016 I designed this Valentines card. I posted it to shops and galleries that I enjoy visiting, most were local to me. I chose just 5 and addressed them with my dip pen. I posted them and hoped for the best.
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A complete career change - what a difference 5 years makes
I'm not sure if I had ever dared to even hope that this might be a possibility back in those days. This isn't to gloat, but to stop, pause and reflect on just how different my world is now, and how glad I am to get to do what I do day to day. I loved my Forest School years, but as those of you that have followed me for a while will know, Art has always been a strong contender for my affections throughout - and now is it's time to take centre stage. I think it is too easy to get up in the plans for the next stage and phase and not to pause and take stock and so this is what I'm doing. -
Gathering inspiration and documenting the process
Andrea and I first met last summer when she hosted an Insta-meet at her beautiful holiday cottage and shepherds hut, Wild Meadow. Since then, Andrea has started her photography business. She has a great lifestyle package where she takes 'photos that tell your story, reflect your brand and connect with your community' which is exactly what I was after.
Andrea took a lovely selection of images and we had a really enjoyable day, with me doing all the things that I like doing and Andrea documenting it all.
As those of you that have followed me for a while will know, I love collecting botanical finds and drawing them. My favourites are fallen treasures - seeds, leaves, fruits etc, and next to that I love to collect examples of seasonal species that grow in abundance - grasses for example.
