The other day I was telling my mum about how sometimes I really miss the places I’ve lived and I wonder if I’ve made the right choices in leaving them to find something else. And I thought how lucky and grateful that I’m a painter because I can take painting where ever I go, and be preoccupied with it.
Lately I have been feeling really grateful for the work I’ve been doing. Illustrating is so rewarding and intense for me. Any other work and I’m bored to tears. Illustrating is about really looking at the world around you and researching it, creating your own challenges, working to solve them, improving your knowledge of colour and structure, and line. Illustration is always keeping me on my toes every second, and somehow, the challenge is always something new.
I just read an article on Creaive Digest by editorial illustrator Marco Bevilacqua who said this:
“Day-to-day, the most exciting thing is never quite knowing when work will come your way next. It sounds almost sadistic to say, but it’s this that gets you up in the morning to start working, learning and trying to improve yourself on a daily basis. Having to be proactive and making things happen for yourself and consistently challenging your own ideas. Also, having worked in a thoroughly dull 9-5 office job, the diversity of projects and people that you encounter in illustration is super fun and ultimately very rewarding. I’ve done reportage in The House of Commons, taken a tape measure round the office of MTV London for a wall mural and spent afternoons sampling craft beer in the name of research. Spending days researching, drawing and visually responding to issues, be it in personal or commissioned work, is another empowering and satisfactory day-to-day event that illustration gives.”
Now until July 31st you can get free shipping on everything in my shop because I want to celebrate with you the first print in my latest personal project. I’m awaiting the proof on the 2nd print pictured above and starting to paint a 3rd piece. I hope you love it!