What a month! To put it simply, March has been, well, as mad as a March hare! There has been so much going on; some things expected, and some things very unexpected! Scroll down to find out what I’ve been getting up to…

My Podcast Landed!

It’s A Bonny Old Life launched at the beginning of the month, and I’m incredibly proud to say that it’s already had over 2000 downloads, which is just fabulous! I kickstarted it with a very special Tea Party, which was so much fun. Lots of you joined me there via Zoom, and it was extra special for me as it gave me an excuse to get the house looking lovely (with help from a very talented family friend, Sarah, who put in lots of hard work!) and have family and friends join me on the day. 

There are already four episodes up on my website ( you can also find them on Apple Podcasts, Spotify). It’s not an art podcast; it’s about inspirational people, normal people, amazing people who have got brilliant stories to tell, and it really has been so much fun chatting with such incredible people, all from very different walks of life.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast yet, you can find all of the available episodes here. 

Live Events

I ran a Live Q&A Event last week, which was really fabulous. The focus was on building confidence, and I was joined by members of my Academy who shared their stories about how they’ve grown as artists and in their daily life through developing their coloured pencil skills. 

This week, I’m running a Live Critique Event. It’s on Sunday 3rd April at 7PM (UK time), and I’ll be sharing the reasons why I love giving critiques, why I encourage other artists to ask for feedback on their drawings, and I’ll even be teaching you how you can critique your own work.

I’m also running a Live Draw Along on 10th April at 3PM (UK time), and I’m inviting other artists to pick up their coloured pencils for the afternoon and draw an adorable Spring Lamb with me. It’s going to be great fun and, again, it’s free to sign up to.

A New Challenge! 

With so many people taking on my 45 Minute Cat’s Eye Challenge, I decided to bring out another quick tutorial, the 45 Minute Perfect Paws Challenge. It’s perfect for beginners, and I teach you my simple techniques for drawing realistic fur. You don’t need any fancy materials, in fact, you’ll only need 6 pencils for this drawing! 

If you’d like to give it a try and give your confidence a boost, click here to take the challenge for free.

 

Behind the Scenes

Things have been a little more chaotic than usual at home this month as poor Vinnie, my lovely Deerhound, broke his toe running in the park! Sadly, as it had broken all the way through, he’s had to have it removed (I won’t share a photo as it looks like something from a horror movie!), so I’ve spent lots of time at the vets this month, and even more time trying to make sure he leaves his foot alone! They did give me a cone for him to wear, but because his head is the same width as his neck, it just slides right off! 

But, if you think a toe that was broken while running has put me off exercise, you’d be wrong. I’ve gone mad this month and bought an Apex bike because I’m determined to get fit this year. Thanks to the fabulous sessions I have with Susie Pearl, I’m trying to move towards taking better care of myself, so I’m really trying to be careful with what I’m eating, trying to sort out a few aches and pains with the help of physio and bioresonance, and I’m working on positive affirmations to help lift myself up when I need it. 

Also, I’m working on a couple of new tutorials that will be making their way onto the Academy soon, and I’ll be sharing some new commissions once they’ve made it to their new owners, so keep your eye on my social feeds for updates.  

The Academy Opens Soon!

There’s less than a month to go before the Academy reopens and starts welcoming new members again. There are lots of people on the waitlist already, and I can’t wait for them to become members. 

It really is such a fabulous community of people, somedays I can’t believe how lucky I am to be a part of it!

And that’s March! Click on the video at the top of this page to find out more, and meet me back here again at the end of April for the next instalment of the Coloured Pencil Chronicles! See you then!