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It’s cold and wet outside, so what better excuse do you need to stay in and veg out. As you know my viewing time is pretty sacred, especially when it comes to absolutely rubbish TV. But sometimes I don’t want to switch off as soon as I put the TV on. There are so many films out there about creativity and making that you’re never going to be short on inspiration, but I thought I’d put together a short list to whet your appetite and save you some searching.

HELVETICA & OBJECTIFIED

So, I’m kicking off with a double bill. Helvetica and Objectified are two parts of Gary Hustwit’s design documentary trilogy, with the third in the series being Urbanized. Each film shows the design and craft that goes into the world around us. Helvetica, unsurprisingly, charts the history and design of one of the world’s most popular fonts – I promise it’s actually really fascinating. Objectified gives the same treatment to everyday objects. Hustwit’s films really open your eyes and change how you view the world around you a bit, which is the perfect way to find some inspiration.

FRANCES HA

Any movie where Greta Gerwig gets to dance will always have my seal of approval. Frances Ha is a take on the classic girl comes tries to find herself and her art in New York story. Frances is an apprentice at a dance company, she isn’t really a dancer though. But she doesn’t let that stop her doing what she loves and pursuing the life that she wants with a real joy. If you’re struggling with keeping going because the real world is hard (and this film doesn’t pretend that adulting isn’t hard) then this one might be for you.

THE PIXAR STORY

The Pixar Story is one of my favourite documentaries ever. I’ve seen it at least 5 times. While Pixar might not be the same giant it used to be a decade after this film was made, as someone who grew up with Toy Story, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo it still holds a lot of sentimental value. It’s a great piece of movie history and a wonderful story of the triumph of some pioneering artists. Plus, like any great Pixar movie you leave it feeling uplifted and like you can be the hero of your own story.

THE PRINCESS BRIDE

This might seem like an odd pick, but hear me out. The Princess Bride is all about story-telling and putting a spin on a classic, and if you can’t find inspiration in either of those two ideas you’re going to be struggling. There’s a reason it’s a cult favourite, even thirty years after it debuted. It’s a magical piece of escapism, so sit back, relax and say “as you wish” to all of the ideas you’re going to have after watching it.

THE DEAD POET’S SOCIETY

If you’re looking for a rousing endorsement of the power of the arts look no further. The late Robin Williams is at his heartbreaking best in this one, as a group of schoolboys discover a love of literature through his incredible teaching. It’s honest and raw, and a real reminder of why we make things and why we engage with art.

As I said there are so so so many more you choose from. When it comes to looking for inspiration I love turning to films that are just a feast for the eyes, we’re talking movies like The Fall, Amelie and pretty much anything Wes Anderson has made.

Which films do you turn to for inspiration? Is there anything you think I should be watching over the next few weeks?

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I know I’m super behind in doing this but I’ve finally updated my shop ready for the festive season, including some new card designs!

As I’m still starting out in this game I only wanted to design one set of cards this year, a Christmas card and an updated Thank You card just in case Santa stops by.

I kept the designs themselves line based, going back to the kind of work I love. But I still wanted a little bit of festive cheer. That’s where my new love/hate relationship with gold foil comes in. I love how shiny and magical these cards are. I didn’t quite love getting the artwork uploaded as much, but it’s all a learning process right?!

I basically just designed the cards I wanted to send out this year, and I’m so pleased with how they turned out. I can’t wait to send them out to my friends and family, and hopefully to you too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve also updated my commission options because I’ve had few requests for things that weren’t up there. So now you can get group and couples portraits as well as custom patterns.

Gifts are best when they’re personal, and nothing says personal like having your face all over something. So get your Christmas orders in soon, because I only have a limited number of spaces before I go home for the holidays.

Plus, if you needed any more of an incentive I’m offering free shipping on all orders over £25 with the code SANTASHELPER

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In my review of my first year of blogging I touched on the fact that a lot of opportunities I thought I had haven’t quite worked out. I think I was hit a lot harder by them at the start of the year, and when things didn’t work out before I even started blogging. But now I’ve had so much practice (bad things count as practice too) I’m so much better at dealing with lost opportunities now, so I thought I’d share some of the tips I’ve had to work out for myself to help anyone in the dame place out.

If it was an offer…

Take confidence from being noticed

If someone has reached out and offered you an opportunity no matter what it is you should take some confidence out of the fact that you were noticed and someone wanted to work with you etc. Take it as a professional compliment, and use that to give you the confidence that if one person is out there noticing you’re doing good work there are probably 10 others doing the same too. That means other opportunities might be just round the corner.

Make it happen some other way

When someone offers you the chance to do something it can make you realise quite how much you want to do it. That means it can be particularly heartbreaking if it doesn’t work out. But if you feel like it was something you really truly wanted to do, use that heartbreak to push you forward and make it happen for yourself. If it was a style of work you wanted to try, do it yourself. If it was a brand collaboration, reach out to someone else. If it was a big project, find some other way to do it or get it funded. Just because someone else pulls out doesn’t mean that you have to.

Remember you haven’t lost anything

Despite what I said above, remember if you’ve been offered something and then that offer mistaken off the table you haven’t actually lost anything apart from an idea or some invested feelings. This is something I’m trying to work on from the start of this kind of process – it’s not real until it’s done.

If it was something you worked on…

Take pride in what you’ve made

If you’ve made something, whatever happens with it you should be so proud! If you’ve made something you really like, that’s even truer. Even if you’re sad, take a moment to appreciate the work. If you can share it with friends and family, or even your social pipes, as a piece of work that you’re pleased with if nothing else.

See if you can reuse it

While bespoke projects are one-offs and can’t be reused in their entirety, you can always cannibalise a piece or a process to turn it into something new so that effort isn’t lost. That could mean breaking down design elements, reusing research work you did to write your own blog post about a subject, or even using it as a case study of work you can do to sell your services. Everything can be upcycled.

Acknowledge your growth

This one links into “take pride in what you’ve made”. If you’ve made something, you’ve also grown in order to make it. You’ve either learned something new or practiced and refined a skill you already had. You are better for the process even if it was disappointing. Whatever happens you’re stronger for having done the work than not.

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I’ve never considered myself to have an illustration style. That felt like something that was reserved for “proper artists”. I’m just someone who was goofing around and had a side hobby. But recently I’ve had lots of comments from other people on “my style” saying how distinctive it is, or that they wanted something commissioned in that style. For me, that was a bit of a revelation. But going back through my work over the last few months I do have a style – you can see it just from Instagram – and it’s so exciting. So I thought I’d share some thoughts on finding and having a style, because it’s been something I’ve been thinking about a lot.

The Story Behind: My Greeting Card Designs

So how did I get here? The style I have now wasn’t so much developed out of a choice of a set process it’s come more from making so much over the last year and finding a way of working that I really enjoy. I guess the age old idea that the only way to find your style is to put the work in is true. You can really see the difference between what I was producing a year ago, say in my alphabet series and the images you see on my blog and Instagram now. There’s a certain quality of line and an obvious colour palette which I think is probably which ties my work together most obviously.

As I said I always wanted to have a style, growing up I would see illustrator’s whose work you could identify instantly and whose work really came together as a consistent body of pieces. Their styles not only made their work identifiable their style really added something of their own personality and character into their pieces when if they were on vastly different subjects or commissions.

My Colour Challenge

However, now that I kind of have a style I want to change things up a bit. I love having something consistent and identifiable but I don’t want my work to become static. That’s part of the reason I’m doing the 10 week colour challenge I recently wrote about. I want my style to grow and evolve with me a bit more, I don’t just want to be black lines on an off-white background. So I’m thinking of playing with materials and colours, or perhaps stylising my lines more and keeping my colour palette. I want to experiment.

As I was feeling kind of hesitant about that experimentation because I don’t want to lose the style I’ve put so many hours in to create. So I went back through the work of those artists I used to, and still do, take inspiration from. I dug through their archives, and even the ones I thought of as being so distinctive have changed year on year, sometimes only subtly but they’ve certainly refined and evolved. That was such an exciting revelation. Style doesn’t have to be fixed at any point, it can change with you.

The Story Behind: My Zine

So I’m going to just keep working, and playing and hopefully the next stage of my style will creep up on me just like this one did. Also, if you see some wildly out of character pieces in the next few weeks and months know that I don’t plan on being a completely different illustrator but one who has the scope to work in a new way.

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Autumn for me is a season for walking, for being surrounded by golden trees and golden retrievers, and I absolutely adore it. There’s just something magical about the crisp air and the quality of light in autumn that just makes me want to bundle up and take a constitutional like I’m out of a Jane Austen novel. It’s something I started doing in Oxford, and have happily continued in London where I’ve discovered and been shown some of the loveliest walks that you wouldn’t have thought are right in the middle of the city.

HAMPSTEAD HEATH PARK

Hampstead Heath is massive. It’s 320 hectares to be specific. That means that you can walk and walk and walk and always see something new. It has some top class dogs and views when you get up high enough  (the views not the dogs, the dogs are everywhere). While I just like to wander, if you want some extra activities out of your walk Hampstead Heath has loads of facilities including things for children, cafes, and a Lido (one to bare in mind for summer).

ST JAMES’ PARK

Whenever I’m in the right office I like to take a walk through St. James’ Park. It’s just so stunning. Despite being surrounded by some of London’s biggest landmarks, Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards Parade, Birdcage Walk and the Mall, it never really feels like a tourist trap and I never get tired of walking around it. For me, St James’ Park captures the London magic that I rarely feel otherwise and that draws so many people to the city, so if you’re after something a bit enchanting take the time out of your day (especially if it’s a work day in the city) for a stroll.

HARINGEY PARKLAND WALK

This walk is a local favourite of mine. The path takes you from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace in two steps along an old railway line. It’s almost all surrounded by trees apart from a few viewing spots so you really feel like you’re in the woods out on a stroll, which is why I love it. With some crisp autumn leaves underfoot it’s pretty much perfect. It’s worth taking a bit of a detour through Highbury Woods between the two sections of the path. It’s one of my favourite parks, in part because it’s great for dog spotting, in part because it has toilets and in part because it’s just damn pretty.

THAMES PATH

The Thames Path as you may have guessed runs all the way along the Thames, which means that you can pick it up wherever is most convenient/most scenic and follow it for as long as you want. It’s a London classic and one you can never get bored of because of how flexible it is, and because the Thames has so much to offer, as well as being a big old river.

RICHMOND TO TWICKENHAM

Okay so this one is a little ways outside of London, but you can get a quick little train to Richmond for a fiver so I’ve decided it counts. I took this walk very early in my London life and I still remember it fondly. You really feel like you’re out of the city (because you are). The path is littered with lovely pubs and gorgeous houses, so there’s plenty to see and plenty of places to stop of for a rest. For me this one feels the most Jane Austen (although a lot of the old looking buildings are relatively new) of our five so if that’s what you’re looking for it’s worth the trip out.