Rediscovering the Joy of Creating

One silly doodle at a time

Jun 30, 2025

Hello, and happy Monday!

I’ve had a lovely, relaxed weekend. I read, I doodled, I Lego’d, we watched a film, ate good food, went to an antique shop, visited the library, tried out a new cafe. I feel refreshed and ready to tackle a new week.

I’ve got a fairly quiet week illustration-wise. I completed all of the artwork for a new middle-grade book last week that I’ll share more about soon, so it’s nice to have that squared away.

To-do:

I need to make some edits to a couple of things I’m working on with The National Trust before moving to final art. I feel so lucky to be working with them again! They’re the best.

There’s a cover I need to rough for the next book in a series I’ve been working on since 2014, if you can believe it.

I’d also like to start a new picture book piece for my portfolio.

My task-list for design work is much longer, however, but let’s not think about that until I’ve had more coffee.

Extras:

If I can manage it, I’d like to take some photos of the sticker sheets I’ve been making in my spare time, ready to pop in my shop. Here’s a peek at the mock-ups.

Can you believe we’re at the end of June already? If you read my previous post, you’ll have seen that May brought with it a couple of unforeseen challenges, but I’ve dusted myself off, and spent a good chunk of June rediscovering the joy of creating.

Sketchbooks and cheap pens

I was reminiscing about my time at university recently, and whilst it hasn’t been THAT long since I graduated (2012), the way I approach my art is very different today than it was back then. I remember not understanding how art was composited digitally, and it wasn’t something we learned as part of our course. I spent my days stretching paper on cheap MDF, using different watercolours, inks, and scraps of patterned paper, exploring and just having fun. I have fond memories of one summer in particular where I spent most days sat at the dining table, making pop-up structures, and collaging my way through two chunky sketchbooks. It was wonderful.

So here’s my mission: Have fun, make lots of mistakes, and create in a way that brings the most joy.

It sounds simple, but unlearning some of the structures and routines I have in place will take time.

I think I’ve now got 3 or 4 different sketchbooks on the go so that there’s always one to hand should I need it. I’ve also discovered that I like doodling with cheap gel pens best. I wish I’d realised this before spending all my hard-earned cash on fancier pens, but never mind, they’ll get used at some point!

Here are some recent sketches. You’ll see that I became a bit obsessed with one character in particular.

I’ve put together a dedicated ‘doodle desk’ in my studio, tucked in the corner and away from my computer that I can retreat to whenever I want to shut out the digital world and make a mess.

It has taken me a while to warm to this room, which isn’t unusual for me when moving into a new space, but I’m getting there. Not having a regular window has been an adjustment, but the 50 lamps I’ve placed strategically around the room have helped.

Portfolio update

I worked on a new piece for my middle-grade portfolio earlier this month. This came together pretty quickly, and I really enjoyed working in a much more fluid way. I often get caught up in the details, and am a bit of a perfectionist which can make me seize up and not enjoy the process as much. Slowly unpicking that mentality, one step at a time!

Pots!

I’m coming to the end of my second pottery term. Above are the results from the first half of the term where I tried my hand at making bowls, with mixed results. I’ve just finished throwing 6 or 7 mugs, also with mixed results, and will be putting handles on those this week ahead of turning and carving.

Can I shock you? I am not a still person. Pottery requires a level of attention and calm that doesn’t come naturally to me, so my progress has been a little slower than I’d like. I’m not in a rush, I’d just love to feel more confident at the wheel. The next term starts in September, so let’s hope I can master the art of being still by then. I haven’t managed it in 34 years, but we keep trying.

Reading

I’ve been reading a lot more recently, but my absolute favourite of the year so far is the book I’ve just finished, ‘Greenteeth’. Absolutely loved it, and definitely recommend if you’re looking for something new in the fantasy space. Just look at the cover! It’s so dreamy.

Right, that’s all for now!

Thanks for reading,