Hello again kind readers, and a very merry Yuletide to you all! I realise it’s been rather a long while since my last post, but I have had absolutely no time for the computer at all, or really any time to draw at all in the past couple of weeks- I have been working extremely hard at helping out Father Christmas/Père Noël/Santa Claus/Julenissen- whatever you call him where you live!
No, this isn’t a joke- I have been working a temporary job as a Christmas Elf, taking children to see F.C, and selling them gift ideas of their experience at the end: baubles, snowglobes, framed pictures containing their photo with the big man himself. I have to say- I absolutely LOVED IT. My team were lovely, and it was incredibly exciting going to work in a castle everyday (with a light show on the turrets every hour!)
Of course, as this is a busy time of year for Father Christmas and all his elves, the hours were long and gruelling, and we all suffered being ill at one point or another. We all pulled together though, and it was worth it to see the looks on some of those children’s faces!
I have felt severe withdrawal symptoms though in the last couple of weeks, as I haven’t had time to do any more than eat some dinner and go to bed when I get in- I did try doodling in bed one evening, but to no avail. So now that Father Christmas has finished his rounds for another year and has got a nice footstool and bubblebath waiting, I’m delighted to be able to get back into the swing of drawing everyday- especially as there are so many exciting things happening next year!
First and foremost, I can confirm that I will be a part of Made In Somerset’s Arts Week in May of next year- teaming up with a group of painters and ceramisists from my home town to deliver a week long showcase (with all pieces for sale!) of some of our favourite work. I am pleased to announce that I plan to centre my part of the show around Siggi and Skog- producing some original, finished paintings will come in handy if I’m permitted to go and pitch their tale to some book publishers!
Which, on a side note, I’m planning to really get my teeth into this coming year. In recent years I’ve tried so many new things and been to so many places that the shy girl of a few years ago never would have dreamed of, and I’m tired of being scared of what might happen if things don’t work out. If I don’t take the plunge, I will never know. 2015 will be the year that I can tie up the loose ends of both Erik and Siggi’s stories, (as they are both nearing the stage of being ready to do so) and begin writing my letters. I’m hoping to attend a couple of trade fairs with friends in the first half of next year, so the boys may be going to London!!
I’ll keep you all posted on how they get on.
Before the rush of the last few weeks at Father Christmas’ castle, I also managed to take part in another craft market stall- which was every bit as fun as the first, if not better! It was in the same place as last time (The Old Fish Market Pub) and this time, I was rewarded with double the amount of room to display my wares, and free pots of tea! Definitely a promotion, I think… I also sold a little more as well, which was just great!
Now, as it’s been so very long since my last post, I realise that this month’s wordcount is a little heavy… But never fear, there are plenty of pictures to be found! If you have a look in “My recent sketchbook” you’ll find some of the sketches I’ve been working on since last time, specifically some of my favourite SkADaMo (Sketch A Day Month) scribblings from November (they were centred around exploring more about Siggi: his homeland of ancient Scandinavia, his culture- possibly mesolithic, his relationships and his story.) I’ve also included a concept art-style page of drawings that I completed for a friend’s birthday present… But I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I’ll let you find those!
But right here, I’ll share something very appropriate to the time of year- a folk song from Norway that I found called ‘Musevisa’ – ‘The Mouse Song’. It’s a lovely bouncy tune which tells of a mouse family’s celebrations at Christmas-time, despite the biting cold and the threat of being caught, and encompasses all the good cheer and hearty warmness that makes Christmas so many people’s favourite festivity. (Also appropriate as one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to keep up my studies of Norwegian, my passion for which was set ablaze by my good friend KayDraws. I’m hoping to even attend a night school class if I can find one!)
(From an English translation) : “A grubby home at Christmas, would be a great disgrace.
So young ones dance a Polka, their tails sweep out the place.”
“Om julekvelden da skal alle sammen være gla!”
“A Merry Christmas season is good for me and you!” Enjoy the festivities, and open your minds and hearts to the new year- throw away the darkness that has come before, start afresh, and plan some new adventures!
– The AutumnHobbit.
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