Summer Reflections

This Summer, I set myself a goal to keep an observational drawing sketchbook; something small that I could take on trips and get more confident in drawing different subjects. I've always wanted to keep a separate sketchbook just for personal work but until recently, it's always just been loose sheets of paper whenever I found the time. I've been looking to at doing a Masters in Children's Book Illustration at the Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge (to be discussed in a separate post!) and attended online open events with tutors who explained the importance of learning through drawing from everyday life. This almost encouraged me to focus more on the work I want to be making rather than fitting it into the parameters of a project brief. 

Over the summer, I was lucky to go on trips with my family and friends to the Lake District and Portugal where I documented my experiences through my sketchbook. I found it hard to draw on location as my family often wanted to escape to the nearest coffee shop, but by taking pictures I could revisit the places and draw them later. Below are a few of the sketches, I loved using ink with a dip pen and brushes to loosely recreate the scenes. This is quickly becoming one of my favourite ways to illustrate- focusing more on loosening up without an initial sketch. 

Faro Airport

Lingholm, Keswick

Winlatter Forest, Keswick

Tavira, Portugal

Windemere, The Lake District

I feel I've learnt a lot through taking the time to sketchbook weekly. I've always struggled with colour schemes so this one my main goal to improve on which I think I've succeeded in. Although I'll always revert back to my favourite indigo and sepia inks, this is a good step for me entering this year as I feel more confident in creating coloured scenes- maybe even with people in! 

Another thing I worked on was creating a website. This has been on my to-do list for some time, making a place to document all of my work. After researching many websites platforms, I decided that Squarespace was the best option to create a portfolio space and organise my work into projects. For example, I have sections titled 'Children's Publishing', 'Printmaking' and 'Sketchbook' so everything can be explored without it feeling too cluttered. Building an online presence is a goal I've gradually been working towards so I'm glad I managed to do this, linking and streamlining all my social media accounts. This will also benefit me when creating my Portfolio book next year so I already have the imagery I want to include. 

You can find it at, ameliapalmer.co.uk!