A few of my favourite things...

...although if you're imagining me running across the mountains à la Julie Andrews in 'The Sound of Music', you're going to be sadly disappointed!!

Not exactly ‘raindrops on roses’…but it’s the nearest I could do at this time of year…

And don’t worry, I’m not about to burst into song…let’s not make it any worse!! Rather, I thought I’d tell you about some of my favourite things…

One question I get asked on a regular basis is ‘Which sketchbooks do I use?’

My sketchbooks of choice are Seawhite of Brighton sketchbooks; travel journals, concertina sketchbooks, square sketchbooks - in fact, Seawhite sketchbooks in any shape or form. Their 140 mm square ones ideal for small collages; just large enough not to feel overwhelmed, and the paper, at 130 gsm, takes a reasonable amount of water/paint/ink/glue. And their concertina ones are perfect for my River Stories or Coastal Stories series…

I have been known to use a Talens sketchbook…but it’s slightly smaller than the Seawhite one…

And talking of drawing materials/watercolour paint/inks/glue…

I love my 8B Derwent watersoluble graphitone pencil (the half sized one in the above image – it does come in 2B, 6B etc); used dry or wet, it produces some interesting marks, hard or blurred…and works well with the watercolour and ink… as does the Ivory Black Derwent watercolour pencil… I also like the Art Graf Tailor’s chalk blocks of pigment too; it makes interesting, varied and sometime random marks.

It’s no secret I love the Daniel Smith range of watercolours – Indigo being a particular favourite, along with Payne’s Grey, Rich Green Gold...and Moonglow…and Lunar Blue… I could go on, but you get the picture. As with everything, we all have our own likes and dislikes; it’s just a case of experimenting until you find your preferred colours… I’ve also discovered the Michael Harding range of watercolours which has some fabulous shades too!! Now, I know these ranges are expensive, but there is more pigment, and it’s much richer than cheaper brands. My advice; try and get the best you can for the budget you have - Winsor & Newton professional range, for instance, is a great alternative…

I also like the Sepia Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Ink…it works beautifully with the Indigo watercolour, and granulates fabulously with Winsor & Newton Granulation Fluid, and I also like some of the muted range from Liquitex.

One of my other favourite pastimes is browsing through magazines, supplements, newspapers etc for images and text or anything that I find appealing…which I ‘file’, along with other ephemera in my ‘collage filing system’… Quotes or lines from poetry or words that resonate are kept in an old ice cream container…as you can see, all high tech here!! Some papers etc., are used in my artwork, whilst the quotes, lines from poetry, short phrases or words can spark ideas for titles…

Along with all of the above, go the usual mark making tools; sticks, credit cards, sponges, paper towel – anything and everything that can make marks including fingers…and I use them all in some way to create paintings and mixed media work.

For a further look at the materials I use, here’s a link to a video I made:

‘Are you interested in art materials?’

Finding your favourite products, materials, tools of the trade is really a matter of experimentation and taste; for example, I prefer heavyweight cartridge paper or hot pressed watercolour paper rather than the rough surfaced paper such as Khadi. I find the rough surface doesn’t respond as well to the way I work…but in the end, it all comes down to individual preferences… These are just a few of my favourite things….

And just in case you felt this was all beginning to feel a little like a shopping list…here’s another of my favourite things…

‘The beach has a language of its own, with its undulating ribbons of silt, the imponderable hieroglyphs of bird tracks. The receding waves catch on the innumerable holes in the sand. Bubbles form and fade. A new language, with a new alphabet…’ – Franny Billingsley

Other inspirations this week:

• This post by Tasha Goddard on her Substack ‘Illustrating Life’…

  2025: Inspiration, authenticity and embracing maximalism

  I know we’re now in February, but as I said last week, I’m having a very slow start to 2025, and I loved the idea of the ‘bingo card’!! Also, she has a great idea for ‘morning pages’ if you’re finding writing 3 pages difficult, or don’t find them helpful!!

• The beautiful images of Eva Nemeth…

• A recent trip to the Cotswolds; even though the weather was pretty awful, we still managed to wander around some of the pretty towns and villages…here’s a row of cottages that dates back to the 1400s in Burford…

• And, retreating from the wet weather, we came across Daylesford Organic Farm shop…

  

  Absolutely fabulous…although I’m not sure I would do my weekly shop there!!

Until next time, happy creating!

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