It’s already February and it only feels like last week since I wrote my first January post.
I’m not a winter person and I struggle at this time of year as I can imagine lots of you do. I’m trying to lean into in and just accept that January is hibernation time. It’s the month to dress like a Michelin man in many sweaty thermals and layers and go to bed a bit earlier with two hot water bottles and a good book. Although we have to battle through a couple more months of this at least the mornings are getting a bit brighter!
I have a drawer of paintings labelled SCRAPS. Tiny paintings on the edges of things - experiments, thoughts, nothing fully formed as of yet…. but there are some interesting little moments that might come in handy further down the line.
I often return to look at old work. I find it helpful to reflect and think about the person I was then and the person I am now. I hunted down my old Flickr account the other day where you can go and snoop on some of my very early work (screw Instagram - maybe we should all migrate back to Flickr?! ).
I still enjoy this mounted soldier on his trusty steed…
…and these little tableaus I made using old match boxes.
There’s something going on here that I like and I kind of have a twitch to pick up this project 15/ 20 (eek) odd years later. I think these are still languishing dust laden somewhere under the bed in my childhood home.
My drawings back then were more whimsical and magical and I had so much FUN making the work.
That’s not to say I don’t fully enjoy the work I’ve been making recently but sometimes when caught up in commissions for clients and the general busy-ness of life it’s easy to lose site of what you really want to create. I could do with tapping into some of that early creative curiosity and energy.
I’ve asked myself what do I want to make and what do I enjoy making?
I want to write stories and make more sequential work.
Painting and working by hand makes me the happiest and I want to shift a little from working purely digital for clients.
I want to unashamedly lean back into whimsy and have fun again with my work.
So I’ve been playing…
…and fiddling with materials. I’ve been figuring out how I want to paint these characters - I love this ink wash technique for the angry spider below - I used about three acrylic inks here and layered them up in delicate washes to create different colour variations - a bit like CMYK I guess.
I know … there seems to be an angry theme going on here!
I like the idea of making up fake book plate titles - top marks to anyone who has noticed my bad grammar…
Anyway I’ve just dipped in and out of these little character studies - there might be stories lurking in there - there might not.
Stuff I enjoyed this month:
Books: 1000 Acres by Jane Smiley. This book is dark - be warned! But I can’t not recommend it. The story is based on King Lear and set on a rural farm in early 80’s Iowa where a patriarchal father is dividing the land between his three daughters. I listened to it on audio from the local library and was completely absorbed in this epic story. I think I’ll be checking out more of Smiley’s work in the future.
Film: Aftersun directed by Charlotte Wells and streamed on MUBI. I don’t want to say too much about this film as I want to avoid analysing or dissecting it - all I can say is that I found it deeply affecting and one of the best films I’ve seen in recent years.
Podcast: Screenshot I never miss this podcast - each episode takes a deep dive into a theme in film and it’s amazing for movie recommendations. This episode takes a look at one of my all time favourite genres - folk horror.
Blog: The Comics Journal have summed up the best of 2022. It’s a bumper post and I’ve been dipping into it every morning over breakfast. It’s not helping my ever expanding book wish-list but it’s a great way to discover new comics and artists.
I think I’ll publish a page from my visual diary every month. I’m trying to draw regularly from memory or observation - no planning or sketching out in pencil and definitely no perfectionism going on here- I’ll be embracing the dodgy drawings and spelling mistakes.
Till next time,
Ellie
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Love the New Years Day drawing. Great work Ellie.
Oh and Aftersun, oh em gee! Saw it at The Kino and want to see it again at The Electric Palace!
Love this. Thank you.