Entering the World of Digital Illustration

I have genuinely always been in awe of people who can draw and those who just have a natural artistic flair. I love arts and crafts and all expressions of creativity but have never been lucky enough to have that natural artistic flair. Or so I thought.

During this summer I decided to treat myself big style and splashed out on an Ipad Air and Apple Pencil. I'd never had any form of tablet before and thought purchasing one would help me out with my blog, give me a lighter, more efficient alternative to taking a laptop when I go off on trips and want to watch movies and I also wanted to try my hand at a bit of digital doodling. 

Since buying my Ipad, it's been super useful for all of the above and has definitely proved a worthwhile investment. But one thing that has shocked me, given my lack of natural artistic flair has been how easy I've actually taken to using it for digital art. I bought Procreate and have been playing around on it for no less than a week and it's now my fail-safe happy place. I've found inspiration all around me and have been brimming with ideas for future pieces. I set up a new Instagram for all my work and am even now considering turning it into a bit of a pocket money gainer in the near future. 

The tools and settings available on drawing apps can make haphazard creatives like me feel like they have an expressive talent and it is so good for relaxing, winding down and practising mindfulness. Of late, I've had a lot on my mind, a lot of stresses and a lot to deal with, often taking my brain and my emotions into overdrive. The one thing that has been keeping me grounded and keeping me sane is sitting and experimenting with little creative pieces on my Ipad and it's something I'd honestly recommend to anyone. It gives me the same creative and expressive release as blogging always has (hence why my blog is also my happy place) and I can so easily take it on the go and scribble as and when I please.

The digital art is something I want to expand on and hope to have prints and cards available for purchase soon, with some close friends already commissioning pieces from me. To check out what I do and follow my new journey into the world of digital illustration then please follow my new Instagram account which will specifically be for the promotion and sharing of my blog content and digital doodles. 

A lil low res sneak peek of some of my work^

Latest obsession: Bullet Journalling

If you're at one with social media or a self-confessed Pinterest junkie then you will most definitely have heard of the latest popular crafty project - the bullet journal.

This administrative phenomenon gained internet-momentum after a video circulated online, showing the journal's premise and layout. The official bullet journal website contains said video, as well as a rundown of what the hell this much-hashtagged hobby actually is.

But, in layman's terms, the bullet journal is basically a personalised diary or planner with an intricate key system and a set of adaptable spreads that should make even the most unsystematic last-minute Larry, the epitome of organisation. The original premise is a little confusing and aesthetically, quite minimalist, however a quick browse of Instagram or Pinterest shows that this doesn't have to be the case. Generally, the journal will contain a key, index and a range of general spreads such as a 'future log' which is essentially an 'at a glance' look at the upcoming year/months and then a breakdown of monthly and daily spreads, but these can be developed or adapted depending on the individual's needs.

I am by no means organised. As a teacher, I definitely should be, but my desk is generally littered with to-do lists scrawled onto post-its and never actually completed. My social life isn't particularly burdening but its not unknown for me to forget or overlook plans and frankly, anything to get me off social media or away from naff TV is very much needed. So after months of not getting round to it (hence the need), I finally decided to jump on the bullet bandwagon.

My journal doesn't follow the recognised system to a T, but it's creative, personalised and it's mine. And yes, the lazybones' amongst us will be thinking 'why not just buy a planner?' but for me, putting effort into something is more likely to make me use it than just buying one. My journal contains a simple key, which denotes a task, appointment, deadline, birthday or idea and a range of symbols to indicate their completion or migration to another day. It also contains a working index which will constantly be added to throughout the year, as well as a 'year at a glance' future log and a spread for each month and a double page for each week. The fun thing about the bullet journal is that it can contain anything you like, from meeting notes, to lists of books & TV shows to get involved with, to inspirational quotes and birthday trackers. For ideas, Pinterest has you covered.

Key & Index  |  Future Log  | Monthly spread for Feb (note the national pizza & wine days)  |  Weekly spread

Inspirational & motivational pick-me-ups  | Books I want to read  |  Blog ideas (I'll try harder, I swear!)

I opted for the Leuchtturm 1917 notebook, as this appeared to be a favourite amongst bullet-journallers and came in a range of funky colours, allowing you to express your personality. For my scribblings, I fluctuate between Stabilo point 88 fineliners and Staedtler triplus fineliners alongside pencils and watercolours, to distinguish between the serious pages and the more creative, vibrant pages.

I've used the bullet journal for just over a week and so far, so good. Post-its have been at a bare minimum thanks to the allocated to-do page on each weekly spread and it's allowed me to make a proper note of upcoming appointments, birthdays and the barrage of gigs I have coming up this year. Now it's all set-up and my initial pages are complete, its a great way of keeping on top of life and also giving yourself a fun, creative output/satisfying your childish need to get the colours out!