Artist Journal - Update & August Plans

Greetings from sunny Lincolnshire! We’re in the midst of an amber heat warning so naturally the heatwave rained all over my washing this morning…

The house saga continues, almost six months in and we still cannot unpack half of our belongings or set up the yard as a pleasant place to enjoy the summer, as remedial work for the damp issues is yet to begin.

Fear not though, at the beginning of October workers are due to come and rip out most of the walls in the downstairs of the house just as I enter peak market season. How convenient. This will be the last house that I rent; I refuse to play this game anymore.

Luckily for you, the arty side of this Hannah Kate Makes artist journal entry is full of joy!

Through July I completed a brand-new painting titled Urban Shuck. I’ll be sharing an in-depth look at the process and my thoughts behind the piece in my next blog article.

I also completed a commission that I have permission to share with you all. Black Shuck was inspired by the folkloric legend of the spectral dog, made famous by the stories of the beast of Bungay.

My client requested that I paint our icon emerging from the mist during a dark and stormy night. They loved my more illustrative style and described exactly how they wanted the dog’s eyes to appear like hot coals at the centre. The final piece was then displayed in an upcycled, custom oval frame, created for this artwork.

If you are interested in commissioning your own bespoke artwork, you can find more information here.

I’m currently working on a new Christmas design.

It may feel too early, but by the time it’s painted, dried, scanned and photographed and then art files sent to my manufacturers to create merchandise, it’ll be time to take fresh product photos and create listings ready for everything to launch online in November!

I’ll wait to share the festive photos until Halloween is past though.

Here's a sneak peek behind the scenes at my current painting set up in the studio.

I’m attempting to record more of the process for you once again and you can see the lights and cameras ready to go with the set up that simultaneously captures each brush stroke AND completely breaks my flow state.

Every.

Single.

Time.

I'll get used to it again, I'm just a little out of practice at recording my process in such a detailed manner. I’ll get the resulting video up on YouTube by Christmas…

Here’s a quick review of the business plans I outlined at the beginning of June.

·       Get back into a routine with time set aside for creating.

·       Overhaul the website.

·       Get a grip on wholesale for Hannah Kate Makes.

I have an evolving routine and am beginning to build good habits into my days again. Part of that routine from August is returning to The Artist’s Way.

Revisiting this book always causes me to take stock and breathe a little. It helps me remember why I create and guides me through some of my blocks.

This copy was a gift from a friend of Phil's, passed on from their brother. It's an old edition and comes complete with "old book smell", yellowed and dog-eared pages and amusing notes and doodles in the margins.

I love it.

It's a bit like a comfort blanket when I get stuck and need a reset.

I'm working my way back through its pages as each week’s lesson takes me through the end of summer and into the autumn.

Work on the website is something that I’ve been procrastinating on and it’s now an “I must do it by the end of this month” job on the list. Keep an eye out for changes as I make them (hopefully) weekly. It will remain an ongoing project as websites are never “finished”, but I am aiming to have the majority of the Big Changes complete by September.

Hannah Kate Makes wholesale has been busy in the background. I took part in the July Faire Market and will be stocked in a new local shop when it opens ready for Halloween (more of that exciting news to follow later).

There is still a lot of work to do, both on my offering and on outreach to potential stockists. I’ll share new places that you can check out my work in person as products make their way on to shelves in your neighbourhood. Remember, if you have a favourite shop that you’d love to see my goodies in, or if you’re a shop owner who like to become a stockist, please drop me a message and we can talk.

That’s it for this journal instalment. As always, the best way to keep updated with all things Hannah Kate Makes is to sign up to The Spooky List and receive emails straight into your inbox. You’ll find the form below.

Take care and stay spooky.

HK x