waiting their turn

I created the birdwatching logbooks as an excuse to paint more birds, and self-publishing means I can choose which birds go in which booklet. There are some species, however, which haven’t yet found their perfect partner, and a few which haven’t made the cut for my revamp/relaunch/redesign of the logbooks for next year. The reason for this is that initially, the purpose was to create a space to utilise my paintings, and since I’ve been analysing the impact of the rigours of retail on my little books, I have made some adjustments to them. I had quite lofty ambitions at the start, hoping that people would use the books in a conscientious way by filling in the table and reading all the text, and buy them out of a desire to add birdwatching to their daily lives. This is where an editor would have laughed in my face and brought me back to reality, and I’m pleased I didn’t have to experience that, and have discovered these things in my own way and my own time. While many people do use and enjoy the books, the vast majority of are bought as a gift item, and I should think a fair number stay in a drawer.

With this in mind, I am making the design more appealing to the gift market, and I am still confident that my artwork and writing will encourage people that otherwise wouldn’t necessarily think to do so, to observe their local birds.

Meanwhile, I have a few illustrations that haven’t yet got a home, as they are too unlikely to be seen, or don’t have a logbook specific enough for them to feature.

Let’s see if they get a logbook outing this coming year!