A word from Alice - studio stories from Alice Draws the Line

How do I preserve my wedding bouquet?

... this seems to be a question that many florists are asked, and that many people google. There are lots of different ways to preserve the beautiful blooms that you have at your wedding. One of these is this way - by having them painted by me!

I like to preserve wedding bouquets through illustration. Creating a bespoke piece of artwork for your wall.

This was another sketch-outing with Katherine Owen (The Walking Sketchbook). We had planned to meet somewhere to draw the previous week, but Storm Eunice appeared and scuppered that plan. 

This outing was just up into Brampton Bryan Parkland, on the Herefordshire Way footpath, not far from my studio.

It was cold but there was a bit of February sunshine which was lovely when out of the breeze.

We had lunch and a natter before both getting engrossed in our separate things. 

As per usual, 2 hours vanished and we both had some creations to go home with.

Last week I had a really inspiring phone conversation and afterwards I decided to go for a walk and keep mulling over the goodness as I went. 

It was bitterly cold but bright and the sun was catching a huge swathe of snowdrops that I passed. 

Well, I almost managed to pass them, but not before crouching down to photograph them!

I had the absolute pleasure of drawing Beth’s bouquet for her as a lasting memory of her beautiful bouquet from her wedding day.

The bouquet was created by Louise at May Rose Floral Design, Hereford. 

It was a December wedding and the bouquet included wax flowers, roses, olive leaf and ruscus.

Yesterday I delivered eight poems to the Oriel Davies Gallery in Newtown, that I had written out in Brush Lettering.

I thought it might be of interest to talk through my process from the start to this point of this project as there has been so much that I have learnt.

Kate Morgan-Clare at the gallery approached me to ask if this was a project that I would be interested in before Christmas. They wanted eight poems written out to honour and elevate them as a celebration of their creation. The poems had been written by participants that took part in creative writing workshops with Emma Beynon - a writer and creative facilitator and Oriel Davies. The workshops explored a sense of place and that is what the exhibition of these poems is called. It will be running from the 5th to the 26th February 2022.

In early January I visited Kate at the gallery to discuss the project fully and to look at the space. 

I'm thrilled to introduce my new Lovely Lettering workshop!

This is one that you can do from the comfort of your own home! You receive a downloadable document that has an introductory page with a video link, a page with pen details and two guide sheets. 

'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.