PEAK DISTRICT DOODLES

I took a little break from the animation and exhibition preparation grind with a day trip to Sheffield recently, and despite really enjoying the momentum I’m working with at the moment, it was really good to do something different and explore somewhere new.

Sheffield has been on my agenda for a long time now, I’d never visited before but I continuously heard positive praise that drew me towards it. Perspectives that boasted about its creative scene, as well as its closeness in proximity to The Peak District, and phrases like “you’d love it, it’s the Bristol of The North” all made me very keen to see what the hype is all about.

And then the perfect opportunity to visit all fell into place when a trip there was proposed with my studio residency, Scunthorpe Studio School @ fountain arts!

We were kindly toured round Bloc Projects, Graves Gallery, and Site Gallery, by individuals at each institute, and given a greater understanding about how studio and exhibition opportunities worked there. We then took ourselves to the botanical gardens and a quick trip to the pub to share our perspectives on the city, which we all loved!

I could have gone back to the studio that evening to continue working on my project, but I felt to calling to stick around Sheffield for another night, so I drove my camper to a stunning spot in The Peak District to watch the sun set over the hills, which as if that wasn’t already beautiful enough, some gorgeous cows joined me right outside my door, and so I felt inspired to draw them!

I also shared a timelapse progression video thanks to Procreate, which I can be seen on my Instagram. I don’t often share my quicker /messier drawings but it was really nice to draw last night in nature and with no expectations, simply to be inspired and take a break from my project without productivity guilt.

ANIMATION #2

Part 2 of my first animation series called 'Joy in the Journey'. 

This scene explores the stunning sights of Northern Norway in a silver Isuzu Truck!

Because I'd already worked out the basics with my last animation, this one took shape much quicker! However, I gave myself a challenge with making the background more diverse and complex with mountains, sea, bushes, and clouds, in the distance, so lining it all up smoothly was an absolute ball-ache, I’m very pleased with it though!

FIRST ANIMATION!!!

I recently made my first animation, capturing a very very special memory to me, and not to be dramatic, but this is a huge achievement for me!!! So much so, that I decided to enter it into the World of Illustration Awards! 🥹

Okay so it’s not my first animation ever, but my first animation made using Procreate Dreams, and probably my first animation that I’m actually happy with. I tried animating years ago, but it often ended in me wanting to smash either my laptop or my head repeatedly… so I decided that animation wasn’t for me, but for whatever reason I decided to challenge myself to try again, and somehow, not only did I make it work, but I didn’t hate doing it either! I think this was large in part to using a completely different animation software, but also probably helped that I’m a lot more self aware, and know how to remain calm in frustrating situations far better than I use to.

I’ve had the idea for this animation, and the exact song I wanted to add to it (Texas Sun by Leon Bridges, see it with the song on insta) for almost a year, way back when we rented an RV and drove across America, and it turned out EXACTLY as I anticipated!! Originally I had the idea for the back drop to change to capture the change in scenery as we explored different areas in America, however thanks to a planning session at the studio with my mentor, it’s now formed into a broader project exploring my own personal healing journey through the seasons and different road trips… I’ll be sharing more on this soon, so stay tuned x