Oooooh I am getting in to the final stretches of the first set (you can reserve a first run on my dedicated webpage) and it is so exciting. I will then be able to approach bookshops which of course is a whole other aspect of publishing a book and one I am looking forward to … Continue reading More illustrations
New birds
I have finally sent my PDFs off to Newman Thomson and they will hopefully be printed at the beginning of next week. We had a bit of a sporty day yesterday as I had to get my ISBNs and barcodes from Nielsen, for which I needed to register my publishing name. I had thought of … Continue reading New birds
Sample books, and last-minute hitches
My sample books arrived! I was so relieved that they feel really nice: fabulous quality and beautiful smooth paper. I tried writing in them with a variety of pens to see about bleed through but only the Sharpie was a bit suspect, which frankly is to be expected. I didn't like the feel of the … Continue reading Sample books, and last-minute hitches
Preflight Checks
I have now finished the Coast & Clifftop book so am sending it around to various friends and family to read. InDesign has a spellcheck but I'm not using that, and the justification and hyphenation of the text boxes means I get some odd word splits, as well as the Latin needing the once over. … Continue reading Preflight Checks
Book Planning and a New Bird
I am rapidly accumulating lots and lots of bits of paper. And half-finished cups of tea. I was originally working on using Amazon's self-publishing (Kindle Direct Publishing) facility but as my book really needs to be printed - it's a logbook so you record your sightings - and it needs to be smaller than the … Continue reading Book Planning and a New Bird
New Project
I taught myself to paint with gouache when my son gave me a Windsor & Newton starter set for my birthday in 2017. I was kindly given a large roll of paper offcuts when I visited Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch, and because it was the cut end of their screen printing paper 29cm wide, I … Continue reading New Project
More Catkins
I adore willow catkins, and on my dog walks it's great to see the bright lemon yellows stand out against the ubiquitous grey. I noticed a fiery variant on one tree: it reminded me of a firecrest, with the bright orange and yellow: The pewter grey is stunning - I've never seen catkins like it, … Continue reading More Catkins
Blue Tits and Hazel Catkins
We have had snow here in Sussex, which is actually quite rare; I think 2009 was the last proper snowfall. There has been enough for it to settle, but not in any quantity and the temperature has now dropped crystallising what is already there which looks very pretty, if a little stark. I found a … Continue reading Blue Tits and Hazel Catkins
Oak and Ash
For these two I have tried to be a little more gestural in my technique. I am self-taught with gouache (all painting actually) but the sable brush I'm using is so delightfully precise and sensitive, I wanted to attempt a more subtle drawing. Oak twigs are a warm grey-brown, and the clusters of buds a … Continue reading Oak and Ash
Horse-chestnut
I collected some twigs to paint on my walk, and the first one I tackled was the horse-chestnut, or conker tree. These buds are gloriously fat and glossy, covered in a sticky sap which honey bees collect to make propolis, a sticky glue which lines the hive, making it draught- and water-proof as well as … Continue reading Horse-chestnut
