Hello all!
Huge apologies for the delayed update this month, it’s been a very busy time!
I just want to open this post with a little Rememberance Sunday message. I spent my walk into town this morning smiling in the frosty sunshine and listening to a lovely song about fishermen, running into people on the way who were going about their business but still had a smile and a “Good Morning” for me. It made me think about all those ordinary people like you and me who went off to fight, knowing after a while they might never return, but giving up their lives so that we might be given a chance, a promise of a better tomorrow. We still have a lot to sort out as a species, and a long way to come, but in this moment, seeing people free and entitled to their little lives, it hit me just what a wonderful, brave gift these heroes have provided for so many of us. So, in words once and in writing another, I thank you all veterans past and present for protecting us from the evils of ourselves. You will not be forgotten.
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I’ve been offered a Christmas temp job which I’ve been preparing for, but mainly I’ve spent the past few weeks making and painting for a Christmas Market that took place on Friday. I’ve been involved with stalls in the past, but never one that I ran solely on my own- I was a little apprehensive in the days running up to the event, but I’m happy to say that it was an amazing experience! Everyone was so, so friendly, I made a couple of sales and had some cards taken away, as well as finding out about some similar events taking place over the next few weeks, so I’m counting it as a success! I’ve got a little bit of the Christmas bug already I think…
As this took up most of my freelancing time over the past three or four weeks, it feels only right to share some pictures of the event with you! (Also, just because I’ve been bursting with excitement about the whole process and want to share some inspiration with whoever might be considering doing something similar over the festive season. I SAY DO IT. IT’S AMAZING!)
As for things I had on offer- (the range will remain throughout any other fairs I get to attend) I had recycled christmas card decorations (little baubles for trees!) in various sizes, prints of current artwork, handmade Christmas present labels, Sculpey animal models (polar bears, penguin chicks and snow hares!) and luxury Christmas cards made using a select few of my favourite images from mini photoshoots my mum and I did with the Sculpey creature clans! (I have to say a very special thankyou to my mother bear for her help with the photoshoot ideas, she immensely enjoyed playing around with backgrounds, snowy materials and arranging the little lads and lasses for some of the pictures!)
First of all, a few pictures of the preparations (from the photoshoots!) :
And, for some photos of the actual event, all set up and looking pretty:
My plans following this market are twofold: to sign up for as many other markets before Christmas as possible, and also to make my own online shop to try selling a different way!(and to make use of the wonderfully cute ‘in situe’ photos I have of all of my creatures!) I’m hoping to build an Etsy presence, more info when it’s up and running, but I am certain that all the wares you see here will be available for order!
ALSO: As previously promised in my last post, my blog is still being taken over by my plans for an upcoming storybook concept I’ve been working on in my ‘spare time’- about Skog the Norwegian forest cat. I’m trying my best to keep up with SkADaMo this month to help me plan it, (that’s Sketch A Day Month for November!) but due to the market I haven’t had too much of a chance to focus on it since my last post.
One large update though: Skog’s protegé, a small lost child who is seperated on a hunt and forced to put his survival skills into practice, has now been named, thanks to (quite strangely!) a scaffolding company called Skyhooks. What an incredible word- linking us to magic, light and whatever else we can find way up there in the sky! And thanks to Mr. Little Baby Bear featured in his photo gallery earlier in the post, the little boy shall be henceforth known as Siggi Skyhook. I’m still very much in the early stages of planning him, but here is a little something to keep you going until next time- a series of very early sketches, completed on the train, exploring his expressions:
As ever, thankyou for your continued interest in my blog! I hope it brings you as much joy to read as it does for me to write!
-The AutumnHobbit.
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