Happy December!
We have headed into a cold snap here in the UK. It feels much chillier than previous years and I’ve taken to wearing thick thermals under everything.
The chilly weather is not so great on my joints and neck pain - and along with the short days and lack of light I struggle with keeping my energy up. I have learnt over the years to try and work with my body and not fight it. I try to structure my days to get as much work done as I can in the morning and early afternoon before heading home to lie down and rest my achy neck. Still it’s hard not to get frustrated!
Here is a recent and suitably seasonal illustration for Swiss banking publication ZHmagazin:
Back in November I had a lot of fun designing this set of festive greeting cards. I sketched the designs last year in that weird no-man’s-land time between Christmas and New Years. Then I worked them up into a more finished state on procreate. I really enjoyed working on a more scaled-back colour palette - thinking of the designs as slightly strange little vignettes or scenes. You can find them in my online shop.
One of my most enjoyable jobs this year was illustrating the US Penguin Classics front cover for The Last Man by Mary Shelley. Dystopian sci-fi (when it’s done well) is perhaps one of my favourite genres to read in fiction. This edition has a really brilliant foreword by the author Rebecca Solnit. The book is about a deadly pandemic that leaves a lone survivor journeying through a post apocalyptic world. Quite chillingly apt for our time! It was exciting to break out of the traditional Penguin format with the vines and leaves twisting onto the spine and the title.
Keeping to the plant theme this month I very much enjoyed watching Little Shop of Horrors (1986 version). This is my partners favourite film from childhood but not really a film for kids!
I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of musicals but maybe it was the mood I was in - a kind of slightly sleepy/soporific gullible state - perfect to watch a film. I sprawled on the sofa and lapped up the hand-built sets - the music, the over the top characters - there was something supremely comforting and heartwarming watching this film.
I’ve banged on about making comics all year and I’ve just about finished my first 12 page comic. I’ve been a bit snowed under with commissions but have been working on it in my spare time steadily over the evenings and weekend and really looking forward to sharing it with you soon. Here’s a tiny snippet of a couple of finished panels:
I hope you have a wonderful December and that you all get some time to relax and unwind before 2024!
Ellie x
Great to read you as always! :)