May has been such a busy but amazing month! It has truly flown by and I am in definite need of a power nap now! So, if you want to hear what a whirlwind of a month May has been and find out a bit about what’s been going on behind the scenes at the Bonny Snowdon Academy, let me talk you through it…

At the beginning of May, I flew out to San Francisco which was amazing and just the most beautiful city. We were staying over the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge in a place called Mill Valley and I can only describe it as Yorkshire on its best day! It was just lovely and green, hilly with a nice, gentle breeze. It was so lovely and I had the most fantastic time amongst brilliant people. I even got to meet one of my favourite authors, Benjamin Hardy, and I actually got to give him a hug which was just so exciting. It was absolutely brilliant but quite a Whistle Stop tour. My goodness did I struggle with my sleep when I came back though! It’s amazing how jet lag can affect you for so long and it definitely took a little while to get all sorted out once I got home.

We then very swiftly went into my very first Coloured Pencil Week and it was absolutely amazing! I have received so much lovely feedback and the week went so well. I do have to say though, it has felt a little bit like my team and I have been swans on a lake for the past couple of weeks, looking all professional and calm on the surface and our little legs going ten to the dozen beneath as we’re trying to sort everything out!

It was very busy! We had over 3000 people sign up for Coloured Pencil Week plus all of my fabulous Ignite members, so it was just the most fantastic supportive community and I loved getting to meet new people and introduce even more people to the joys of being creative!

We put a hub together so everyone could easily access everything and all the information and resources were all in one place. I also tried out some new software when I streamed the live sessions through YouTube which enabled me to run some videos as well, which made it seem a bit more professional and I really loved it. I do have to admit there were a few little hiccups on my end due to, I’m going to blame it on my age but really it’s just me, having difficulties with new tech. 

We had the most fantastic week and it was just so good getting people drawing and because it wasn’t something that people could keep forever it meant that people actually got down to doing the drawing, which was really the whole point of Coloured Pencil Week. To get people drawing, which they did, and they created the most fantastic drawings. I’ve loved seeing everyone sharing their drawings and being amazed by what they’ve been able to create. 

I also opened the door to Ignite this month and we welcomed lots of lovely new members, which was brilliant. And now, as a community, we can start helping everyone to grow their techniques, skills and just everything in the coloured pencil world. All in all, it’s been a really busy but wonderful month in both the Coloured Pencil Week and the Ignite Community. I’m so appreciative of everyone in the community for being so supportive and positive and just the best people! 

In between the busy moments I have still been drawing and working on my cowgirl. It will be finished for next month’s Roundup and I think I’ve been drawing her for over a month now. It’s the biggest drawing I’ve done to date and definitely the most complicated drawing I’ve ever done, and it was only done as a test to use some new paper! June is going to be busy again. I’m flying out to Amsterdam for 6 days which I’m really excited about. I’ve also got some fabulous tutorials coming up and then I’ve got a couple of really special things up my sleeve that are coming very soon!

If you’d like to hear more about this month, make sure to watch the video at the top of this blog and if you want to be kept up to date with everything that’s going on at the Bonny Snowdon Academy and receive weekly tips, make sure you’re signed up to my free weekly newsletter! You can sign up here!