Five weeks ago, I wrote a post entitled How to kickstart your creativity without having a meltdown. This turned out to be one of my most popular posts, so I thought I’d give you a quick update on how things are going. If you recall, I was taking ridiculously small steps towards writing and illustrating.… Continue reading An update on taking ridiculously small creative steps
If you're struggling right now. If you're wondering what the point is. If you've got so far with your novel or painting but you've stopped because you're plagued with self-doubt. And you don't have the energy to write another word or paint another stroke. Watch this.
If you love books, fairy tales and magic (and if you don’t, what’s wrong with you?!), then you’ll love this. Su Blackwell creates exquisite book-sculptures, like the one above and below. Her cut-out paper designs depict magical fairy-tale forests and houses. I’ve followed her work for a while now and it is truly stunning. Here… Continue reading Beautiful book sculptures
I promised I would post photos showing how one of my paintings emerged over the Bloom True Art course I did in June. ‘Emerged’ is the perfect word. Flora Bowley teaches you to add layer upon layer of paint. Averaging two layers of paint a week, the painting s-l-o-w-l-y transforms before your eyes over 5 weeks.… Continue reading A painting in 12 stages
My 'Bloom True' art course has ended. (Sniff.) It ended almost two months ago actually but it had such a profound impact on me, I’ve been deliberating, cogitating and digesting ever since (hence no blog posts - my brain cells were having a 'moment'). Here are six big, brilliant things I learned from Flora Bowley: There are… Continue reading 6 big things I learned from Flora Bowley’s art course
I love this illustration by gapingvoid.com cartoonist Hugh MacCleod; it sums up perfectly what's going on for me right now: Flora Bowley’s art course is all about letting go - of expectations and preconceived ideas of what you can and cannot do. It’s a lesson in POSSIBILITY in art and life and I can’t get… Continue reading Art: One day she just let go
I’m learning lots of lessons on Flora Bowley’s art course and the Number 1 lesson is to ignore most of what I tell myself. For example, there have been at least three exercises during the course that I’ve responded to less than enthusiastically. One of them involved opening some books and doing quick paint sketches… Continue reading Art lesson: Ignore most of what you say to yourself!
Yippeee! After adding layer after layer of paint to my canvases, ONE of them is finally starting to look like a painting that might actually be finished sometime soon... OK, it's got a layer or two to go I reckon, but still, it's starting to look like something. The other canvas is still figuring out what… Continue reading Art: Things are starting to happen
Remember those sketches I did the other day? Well, I have now added some shapes to one of my canvases and I thought I'd share it with you so you can see how it's developing. This is the 6th or 7th layer of paint (I'm beginning to lose track!). The next layer is due to go… Continue reading Art: A peek at one of my canvases
I’m experiencing lots of firsts on Flora Bowley’s art course. The first ‘first’ is turning my kitchen into a makeshift art studio! Here is one of my canvases conveniently situated next to the fridge (we artists must keep hydrated): My second ‘first’ is painting anything at all. More on this in future posts but suffice… Continue reading Art: Things I’ve never done before
Katherine Bassford 