Allotments, or community gardens, are a big feature of life in the UK city of Bristol. We just switched to a new patch and I wanted to share photos of the beautiful produce and flowers the outgoing tenant left us! We have a tiny city garden, so it’s a joy to cycle to our allotment … More Our new community garden!
Making simple marks on paper can build drawing skills and spark the imagination. … More From mark-making to drawing
On a sunset walk in the suburbs this week I found beautiful shapes and colours in the trees. Squirrels were chasing each other around tree trunks and rifling about in the treetops. I love autumn! The light is beautiful at the moment, like morning or evening light that lasts all day. I always think of … More October light in the trees
Cats are a joy to draw. Some of my favourite cat illustrations are comforting images in The New Yorker magazine. Cats are cosy and coiled or beautiful and streamlined. They represent both home and the wild. … More Drawing cats
I keep meaning to make signs around the house reminding me to let go, to take a deep breath or to be kind to myself. So this week as I turned to collage for relaxation it felt like the perfect opportunity to make a sign. I have piles of The New Yorker magazine which I … More Making useful signs for my home.
Ways I fill my mind with nature while staying at home. … More Enjoying nature at home
Here are ideas on how to keep writing. Lockdown is a life experience that can fuel creativity – creativity that in turn can fuel us… … More Ways to keep writing during lockdown
Ways artists can stay inspired in confined spaces, looking at limited surroundings with fresh eyes. … More Ways to keep doing art in lockdown
You are, in a way, what you draw. So I’m mindful of how subjects help or hinder my mood. After a winter of studying wispy, graphite trees, I started to feel my mood turn graphite-grey too. I needed to think about the spring. Fresh greens and bright yellows! Though we may be largely indoors, the … More Imaginary spring walk
Today I taught my son about clouds. In this paused world, it seemed a useful life skill to take notice of the ever-changing backdrop that is the sky. Clouds are landscapes in motion. They can alter one’s mood, inspire creativity, nurture mindfulness and foretell weather patterns. Yet they escape our notice daily. In the U.K. … More The sky from our window
Over the next few months my son and I will be spending a lot of time at home alone together, while my partner does frontline ambulance work. There’s so much about that sentence that makes me take a deep breath. SO, I’ve been drafting a list of creative activities for me and my seven-year-old. Here are … More Creative ideas for the long stay at home
You can make art while reducing the impact on the environment and your wallet! I made the collage below from bits and bobs I found in a charity shop, plus some scraps of paper and my partner’s old denim jeans. Discarded denim instead of paper, for example, creates great seascapes and skies. You can draw … More Art from recycled materials
