Artist Journal August Update

I returned from my mini-holiday feeling refreshed, recharged and ready to ease myself back into the studio. The weather also seems to have got the memo as the heatwave has broken and I’ve been watching some much needed, cooling rain fall on-and-off all week.  

My week away was exactly the pause I needed, with a short break from the usual rhythm of making, planning and posting, although I did find myself working extra the week before to cover my content schedule for while I was away. Usually I’d let it slide, but I was returning to an in-person event last weekend and needed to promote my attendance there, as well as continuing to share my art drop from the beginning of the month. I also needed to prep the stall and stock boxes for that event before I went away.

One particularly memorable highlight from my time away was watching the solar eclipse. We made a pin-hole camera from a pizza box and soaked up the hush as the birds fell silent and the air stilled. There’s something wonderfully grounding about standing still for a moment and looking up, and I’m bringing a little of that quiet awe back with me as I settle into this month’s journal update.

• 

• 

On Sunday 16^th August I took the Hannah Kate Makes show back on the road for the Alternative Artisans Market in Lincoln. Which meant that the journey on the road was much shorter than I’m used to!

It was my first time trading with Alternative Artisans and their first time hosting an event in Lincoln. I had a great day!

The organisation was impeccable, the venue was ideal and the curation of creatives and makers was just perfect. It was fantastic to see a few familiar and friendly faces as well as meeting so many new, and local, traders and customers. It was a lovely way to continue to grow my community and network in my new home city. I hope the Alternative Artisans return next year and that I can trade with them again.  

To get myself back into the habit of drawing daily, I'm attempting different drawing exercises to warm my hand up and to get back into the swing of sitting and creating. These exercises are great as I can get lost in them without any pressure of needing things to look "good" or be sellable.

As my academic art education ended with my GCSEs, I've never spent time with exercises like this. I can't remember doing anything quite like this at school back in the last century... It's quite a relief to doodle aimlessly and I found it quite therapeutic to just let the pen wander.

I'm sure I'll have some more regular work in progress photos to share with you next week, but I thought it important to show that I still (attempt to) practice behind the scenes. There are far more pages in sketchbooks and discarded first, second and third attempts of creations that never see the light of social media than there are "finished" artworks.

• 

• 

• 

No to provoke your ire, but I’m about to mention the C-word. I know, before Code Orange has even begun to kick in fully – I apologise.

I’ve seen Etsy customers already searching for and saving festive items, as they have been since the beginning of August. I have also recently received a restock of my Christmas decorations. I expect one evening next week will see me adding string for them to hang from while I binge the next season of Reacher.

I’m unsure as to whether I’ll have a fresh seasonal design this year. I have the fuzzy outline of something in my mind but am yet to put pencil to paper and my September is looking very busy already. Watch this space though, last year’s Cock Robin design was a late, but speedy addition to my Dark Christmas collection.

I’m heading to For the Love of Fantasy & SciFi this weekend, back home in London. I’ve not attended that one before but I’m hoping for a fun day out and to feed my imagination with inspiration from the day.  I’ll report back next week.

That’s it for this journal instalment. If you’d like to keep up with all things Hannah Kate Makes and everything coming next, sign up to The Spooky List and I’ll send the latest art, shop and event updates straight to your inbox. You’ll find the form below.

Stay spooky,

HK x