Oh what a lovely time of year it is to spend near the ocean. The first few days of Feb were spent with my partner’s family at Tugun beach. It was so good to go swimming each day and paint by the sea.
IN THE STUDIO
While at Tugun I worked on my calendar designs for 2020, some washi tape designs and finishing off a reef themed commission!
Over the whole of February I’ve finished three and a half more designs for the 2020 calendar – which means I’m still on track to complete the project for printing in June! 🙌
Here’s a little speed paint of one of the calendar paintings:
I’ve also spent a bit more time on revamping my sad sad Etsy store who gets far too little attention from me. I’m hoping to grow this a little more and I’ve got so many ideas for products in my head..it’s just a matter of also trying to keep them relatively sustainably made. I’m in the process of making a series of ceramic jewellery to put here as well.
You can visit my Etsy store here.
FEB FEELS LIKE
I’ve had a rather anxious feeling month. It’s always hard to pinpoint these things, but I think it’s a combination of feeling like I’m never doing enough in terms of my art practice and the other life things. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m just starting out and this year is all about honing in on creativity. I know I am working hard to create every day, and am supported by family and friends who are there to help me if I need. I know a lot of creative people get this kind of anxiety, it seems so silly and uncalled for and it’s hard to shake, so I’m glad it’s settled a bit for now. My other day job has also settled after the crazy Christmas and back to school season which is always welcome to the mental health.
My beautiful Babcia (grandma) passed away, and mum had the idea to paint the coffin before the funeral. This was a lovely thing to do to remember her by and made it feel so much more special and unique to Babcia.
THE GOOD AND NEW STUFF
I was lucky enough to teach another few watercolour workshops at Stuartholme! I looooove teaching these girls so much, they are so talented and also really respectful and engaged. I soon got quite sick after this and completely lost my voice! Not great for my other job, which is all customer service based 😬
I’ve also created a Behance profile. I’m still not 100% sure what this does but I’ve been told its a good place to create a portfolio, and it is a really nice and simple platform to use.
EXHIBITIONS
This month I also had a little piece go up in Aspire Gallery’s ‘Petite Pieces’ competition. It’s always good to have something up somewhere so I’m grateful for this.
FAVOURITES
I’m really wanting to get better at reading again. In 2016 I made myself read every day but I somehow slipped out of this habit. I have however read quite a few children’s books this month to help with my understanding of them.
One of my pipe dreams for this year was to write and illustrate a picture book, its a big undertaking but I do have a few ideas to play with floating around in my head. I’ve also been playing with illustration ideas here.
My top kids books include:
– Florette by Anna Walker
– River by Marc Martin
– Tidy by Emily Gravett
I’ve also signed up for a free trial or Skillshare which I absolutely love! I can learn new skills while painting, and majority of the content I have found has been excellent. My top picks include:
– Watercolor Illustration: Developing a Wedding Brand Suit
– How To Start A Nature Journal – Sketchbook Techniques For Nature
And that’s all for Feb. I head off to Japan in March so am super excited for the adventures to come!
INGRID BARTKOWIAK 