May Plans & a Quick Sketchbook Tour
- Hannah Kate
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Naturally, as we’ve just had a Bank Holiday, I’ve swapped my sundress for a hoodie and jeans once again, while I amuse myself with online window shopping for holiday clothes for a warmer climate. At least I’m getting a little more work done with the renewed absence of sunshine!
My plans for May are a continuation of those from April…
Get back into a routine with time set aside for creating.
Overhaul the website.
Get a grip on wholesale for Hannah Kate Makes.
Yes, yes, yes. I know these are not SMART goals, but I’m being brief for blog’s sake. Hopefully, dear reader, you get the drift and direction in which my endeavours are heading.
It’s taken much longer than planned to revert to “normal” following The Big Move, hence the push for a routine. The other two headline tasks listed have been pushed further and further down my To-Do list for months. As markets aren’t currently overly reliable as an income source, circumstances have forced me to tackle improving my other revenue streams. Watch this space for updates.
At the end of April, Hannah Kate Makes went on tour for our maiden event in Manchester, and it was the first time I'd visited the city for over twenty years! The Enchanted Curiosities Market did not disappoint and we had a fantastic day. The venue was great, the event well organised and it was lovely to see some familiar faces, both behind and in front of the stalls. Thank you if you came along to see us, have a chat, or bought something from us - it was wonderful to see your face and hopefully we'll return soon.
For now, cast your eyes over this stall set up for the final time. It's all about to change again, ready for our next event in May. We’ve decided that T-shirts will no longer be available on the stall at events to make room for more artwork (with the exception of festive events, when Krampus will still join us). However, if you are planning on visiting us at an event near you and would like to grab a particular shirt from the collection, just drop me a line and I’ll bring one along for you.
Both upcoming events in May are new to us. The Alternative Artisan Market is taking place on the 18th in Horncastle and at the end of the month we’ll be visiting Stafford for the first time with Morbid Markets. As always, check out the events page here on the website for all up to date information on where you can find us.
My latest Portal Frame has been completed, please meet Clarissa.
I like to imagine she has been attending the same dinner parties as Madeleine (Portal Frame #2) and is relied upon to dispatch any guests that prove too dull for their soiree!
She’ll be joining me at upcoming markets and I’ll get her listed on Etsy as soon as I’ve taken proper photos. As ever, she comes complete with her own hidden lore, display stand and gift box.
This little guy found his forever home last weekend and the time has come for me to paint a few more Tiny Art Frames.
On the socials I’ve been asking what animals you would like to see and so far, I’ve had suggestions for corvids, black cats and red squirrels which would all be fun to paint. At my last in-person event we also had a request for raccoons and axolotls, so I have a list to jump start me later this week.
While I’m not taking part in any MerMay challenges this year, I am casually dipping into another month of drawing prompts in the form of Draw As You May, brought to us by Marco Looks and Sarah Long Illustrates.
My first contribution was for prompt 1: A Famous Cartoon Character and it was incredibly relaxing to draw a classic from my childhood.
There were many to choose from, but with the aim of keeping to my "niche" (ick) I went for a favourite baddie Queen with Maleficent. I sketched her in pencil before outlining with micron pens, colouring with Copic markers and adding a little polychromos pencil for her eyeshadow!
The next drawing prompt I’ll be attempting from that challenge is A House Exterior. It’s currently a toss-up between the houses from The Addams Family and Practical Magic, I’ll share the results with you next time.
On Sunday it was Star Wars Day and this year I drew from a suggestion, made by my brother, for a character from one of the spin-off movies, Rogue One. My version of Jyn Erso didn’t quite capture her likeness, but she was great as portrait practice.
In this vein, I’ll be re-opening my order books for commissions very soon and, to begin with, I’ll be offering custom pieces in this inked, black and white style. The first slots will be offered to those subscribed to my email newsletter.
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
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