I totally get the creative excitement - you have to do what is lighting you up! And I love #walktosee!! This sounds fab, as long as we still get to read about your junk shop finds AND have a heads up on any spoooooky ghosts!
I really LOVE how you've described this shift! Hey, Pencil Pals is WalktoSee and everything is all you, so that's what makes it super for those of us who love your work, books, way of going about the world. So, it's all exciting and thanks most of all for continuing to stay in touch. You inspire us!
You’re making me very tempted by a BIG sketchbook. I am very much a tiny sketchbook (I love the little pith one) in a pocket and sneaky drawings of unsuspecting strangers person. I also use an A5-ish size a lot but I’ve never gone bigger than an A4 and only used that at home for online life drawing. I’m loving the return of walk to see and excited to see some more of your sketchbook drawings, thank you ☺️
Here for new beginnings, love the newness and I do love a big sketchbook and a little watercolour pan but tend to go no larger than A4 with the watercolour pans and then go acrylic/ ink or gouache. Charcoal and water I’d forgotten about, off to give that a go today. Thank you!! 💖
Love old Pencil pals, but the new incarnation sounds great too!
Hooray.
Ooooooh.
The big sketchbook. Tempting. Love your line Helen, such inspiring looseness!
I love a B6 ( I think it’s B6) book, which is an awkward and not too easy to get size - but a pleasingly middle ground twixt A4 and A3 when open as a double page.
Agree about tiny paint tins and the loo roll technique. Don’t tell anyone, but I often can be found swiping a handful of posh paper towels from Gastro pubs ‘A lime and soda please, just popping to the loo 👀…’ they are great for travel painting (and at-home painting) tasks. I only take five or six at a time I promise…
100% relate, ALL in energy is the best and we don’t know where that energy will be for our future selves. This kind of death and rebirth cycle should be a normal part of the creative process, like a hermit crab swapping shells, ultimately Helen, I’m here as a way to spend time with you, so on to new begins, or circling back to old things when they become new again :)
I started my substack writing short children's stories, and then I quickly realized that I only wanted to do that every now and then and I have a ton of other things I want to share as well. This post made me feel a lot better about being able to change my mind!
And, yes, I absolutely do this too, and always have. I think drawing and reading have stuck around for so long (like forever) because they both have the ability to pivot and dig deep in so many different ways. (Does make it harder to earn money from the drawing, though, because people do seem to want a particular focus or niche, and as soon as I dig into one to the extent I am getting work... bam! time to pivot.)
Looking forward to #walktosee and hopefully some nudges to get me doing outdoor sketching a lot more.
I sometimes take those watercolour pans out with me but I usually forget to use them. The best painting on location I've done is when I was on my MA and I put some acrylic paint in a little circular tin that used to hold hand lotion. The paints got a bit smeared together, but because it was very grey weather, it was perfect 😅 And! That tin was magic, because the paint was still wet and usable more than a year later! I will have to try it again now that #Walktosee is back.
I totally get the creative excitement - you have to do what is lighting you up! And I love #walktosee!! This sounds fab, as long as we still get to read about your junk shop finds AND have a heads up on any spoooooky ghosts!
I really LOVE how you've described this shift! Hey, Pencil Pals is WalktoSee and everything is all you, so that's what makes it super for those of us who love your work, books, way of going about the world. So, it's all exciting and thanks most of all for continuing to stay in touch. You inspire us!
Thanks Jeni 😍
Totally agree, sometimes change feels like failure, love how Helen celebrates it!
Exactly that Adam!
You’re making me very tempted by a BIG sketchbook. I am very much a tiny sketchbook (I love the little pith one) in a pocket and sneaky drawings of unsuspecting strangers person. I also use an A5-ish size a lot but I’ve never gone bigger than an A4 and only used that at home for online life drawing. I’m loving the return of walk to see and excited to see some more of your sketchbook drawings, thank you ☺️
This sounds a very jolly new beginning and delighted about #walktosee. And I love the sketch.
Thank you 🤩
Here for new beginnings, love the newness and I do love a big sketchbook and a little watercolour pan but tend to go no larger than A4 with the watercolour pans and then go acrylic/ ink or gouache. Charcoal and water I’d forgotten about, off to give that a go today. Thank you!! 💖
Enjoy your watercolour charcoal adventures!
Love old Pencil pals, but the new incarnation sounds great too!
Hooray.
Ooooooh.
The big sketchbook. Tempting. Love your line Helen, such inspiring looseness!
I love a B6 ( I think it’s B6) book, which is an awkward and not too easy to get size - but a pleasingly middle ground twixt A4 and A3 when open as a double page.
Agree about tiny paint tins and the loo roll technique. Don’t tell anyone, but I often can be found swiping a handful of posh paper towels from Gastro pubs ‘A lime and soda please, just popping to the loo 👀…’ they are great for travel painting (and at-home painting) tasks. I only take five or six at a time I promise…
I have an unreasonable and unfathomable hate an A4 sketchbook, B6 sounds a lot nicer.
I like your sneaky posh paper tactics 😈
100% relate, ALL in energy is the best and we don’t know where that energy will be for our future selves. This kind of death and rebirth cycle should be a normal part of the creative process, like a hermit crab swapping shells, ultimately Helen, I’m here as a way to spend time with you, so on to new begins, or circling back to old things when they become new again :)
Thank you Adam, yes we are hermit crabs trying out different shells. Good analogy. Thanks for the support while I change shells again 😂 🐚
I love how you are embracing change , and I feel excited too !
Sounds great!
I started my substack writing short children's stories, and then I quickly realized that I only wanted to do that every now and then and I have a ton of other things I want to share as well. This post made me feel a lot better about being able to change my mind!
Ah yes, that sounds familiar! Creative brains don’t like pressure and giving yourself freedom is important.
Sounds perfect.
And, yes, I absolutely do this too, and always have. I think drawing and reading have stuck around for so long (like forever) because they both have the ability to pivot and dig deep in so many different ways. (Does make it harder to earn money from the drawing, though, because people do seem to want a particular focus or niche, and as soon as I dig into one to the extent I am getting work... bam! time to pivot.)
Looking forward to #walktosee and hopefully some nudges to get me doing outdoor sketching a lot more.
I sometimes take those watercolour pans out with me but I usually forget to use them. The best painting on location I've done is when I was on my MA and I put some acrylic paint in a little circular tin that used to hold hand lotion. The paints got a bit smeared together, but because it was very grey weather, it was perfect 😅 And! That tin was magic, because the paint was still wet and usable more than a year later! I will have to try it again now that #Walktosee is back.
Smeared together grey is the best shade of grey there is. We should start lobbying Winsor and newton.
Thanks for sharing and celebrating. 100% resonates with me.
Excited to follow along. And I love #walktosee!!
News plans are exciting!☺️
Nothing like a new interest
Love, love and love!! I'm excited for the changes, and the not changes, Helen! BTW, I tagged you in my #walktoseemovement on here as promised xx