At the end of April I returned home to the UK after an incredible month travelling around the US in and RV with my family. Following the burnout that I experienced post my last big travelling experience, I was very cautious and mindful when it came to my return, and attempting not to do too much, and thankfully I feel enough was put in place to avoid this same kind of exhaustion, and instead I actually managed to surpass jet lag almost completely, and even rode a decent wave of motivation for a couple weeks! I think a lot of things contributed to avoiding this burnout, which I may explore in another blog post, but for now I wanted to share possibly one of the most exciting aspects of coming home after a long trip, which for me is printing an illustration that was finished whilst away!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably keep saying it until the day I die, I LOVE seeing my work in print! As a digital illustrator, I spend the vast amount of my creative time on a screen, and I love the way I work, but there’s just something about seeing the work you’ve created physically in front of you. I worked on my Coral Sea illustration for MONTHS; some illustrations within this project where more of a quicker capture of memories, whilst this one was absolutely capturing a memory, I was so focused on it becoming a new print addition too. Over the years, after drawing so many tropical jungle scenes with wildlife, I’ve had a fair few requests for under the sea environments and so I invested a ridiculous amount of time and thought into the composition and colours to make sure this would not only capture memories and tell a story from the trip, but also produce a striking stand alone image that would work as a print. So upon my return, one of the first things on my agenda was getting this printed and sharing it with my audience, and I’m pleased to say the colours and details came out so crisp!
As usual, prints are available in A5, A4, and A3 now on my website and upcoming market stalls… however I’m very strongly considering getting this one printed in A2 as well. I might just wait to see what kind of reception it receives both online and in person!