Miniature Village Epic Fail
About three weeks ago I set off on one of this year’s goals: to visit a miniature village. But on the morning of the big day I woke up in my hotel room with a cracking migraine and possible food poisoning (although maybe this was my first sickness migraine? 🤢 Who knows?) I had to admit defeat and get Gerry to drive me home. So sadly I am over half way through 2025 and haven’t visited a miniature village. Sometimes life has other plans.
Buuuut! There is good news: something that ticks the ‘miniature things’ box. My friend
tipped me off about a beautiful dolls house she saw in a nearby charity shop. So I now own two dolls houses, one I purchased a couple of years ago because it looks like our real-life-non-miniature house, and this new one. This wasn’t the plan. I thought I only needed one dolls house in my life, but perhaps I am one step nearer visiting a miniature village - at home.
Pond news (imagine news music)
Clear water
No frogs (yet)
We spotted a damsel fly, some mosquito larvae and a water beetle
A blackbird took a bath in the shallow end
If I can’t find Gerry (Mr Helen) it’s because he squatting by the pond looking for frogs
Speaking of Gerry, he has a new website. I am happy he did the website before the pond because the pond is his life now.
#walktoseeonthemove
I started #walktosee back in 2018 to celebrate drawings made from life in a sketchbook. Last week I launched the #walktosee monthly prompts, starting with #walktoseeonthemove
There have been some brilliant contributions already, here are a few of my favourites.
Join in! I share a few drawings each week here on Pencil Pals and even more on my Instagram stories — so it’s a good way to find new followers.
My brain is squirrely. It might be my phone.
When I tried to visit the miniature village and took a funny turn, I lost all interest in my phone. It went dead for a couple of days. On day two I felt something familiar that I haven’t felt for a while. I felt calm. I could think about one thing at a time without that jumpy, ‘quick, I should be thinking about these other ten things too’ thoughts.
I was a child of the 1980’s and this felt like my childhood brain. Ya know, all centred an ‘at.
So this week I made my phone greyscale to stop all those little red messages and floating love hearts forcing my brain to jump to action and make my finger frantically press scroll / like / yum-yum / gobble gobble / give me more.
The science: ‘Red is used for phone messages to grab your attention because it is a visually stimulating colour associated with danger and urgency, triggering a quick human response. This psychological effect, combined with its association with reward through dopamine release from notifications, encourages interaction with apps and prompts users to respond quickly to alerts, even those related to scams.’
My screen time is down by 45% and I feel better for it.
How to turn you iPhone greyscale:
Go to settings, Accessibility, Display and Text Size, and tick Colour Filters
I have also set time limits in the settings. But actually, the greyscale trick is the key for me. I don’t even want to pick it up because nothing looks that interesting any more. Message alerts are grey, so they just look like what they are: messages, not tasty little party snacks. And Instagram scrolling has lost all its power.
I allow myself to turn the colours on for a look at #walktoseeonthemove because that is a treat that feeds my brain.
I made a banoffee pie and it was a big hit in our house. Some of us (me) had it for breakfast the next day. I forgot to take a pic - sorry.
How is your brain this week? Any squirrels living in there? Have you got out and about with your sketchbook or made any good food? I am nosy, I need details. Thank you.
love Helenx
P.S.
Join us for The Illustrators Income Atlas Workshop
Ever found yourself saying “I’m a freelance illustrator” and instantly wishing you could reverse into the nearest hedge before they ask “Ohhh, what books have you illustrated? Where will I have seen your work?”
Or maybe you’re quietly wondering how other illustrators manage to:
have steady work
charge actual proper grown-up rates
AND say “no” to nightmare projects
Most of us start with the drawing bit and, somewhere along the way, find ourselves running a business. Without a clear picture of how you actually make money (or could), it’s easy to drift along without feeling fully in control.
Behold! The Illustrator’s Income Atlas. Tadaaaaa.
What We’ll Do in Our 60-ish Minutes Together
Have a good nosy at all of the different ways illustrators earn a living
Help you sketch out your own income mix so you can see where the money’s coming from, and where it could come from
Spot hidden opportunities in your creative work that you might’ve been overlooking
Create a useful illustrated plan you can stick on your wall and actually use!
When & Where
📅 Tuesday 23rd September
🕐 1pm UK (BST) — perfect for between the school runs
🎥 Replay available for 48 hours if you can’t make it live
Your own miniature village! You’re on the way to a hamlet already! I found an old Fisher Price dolls house in the attic a few weeks ago, previously bought at a car boot sale for… me I think. And forgotten about. It’s up on a shelf now for use as reference for my next cross section!
On #walktosee I honestly don’t think I’d be an illustrator now without it! It got me drawing daily when I was still at work, and I quickly became obsessed with drawing again after a big break from it after art school. So, thank you Helen!! 💛
I’m deep in artwork mode at the moment, but if I get my sketchbook out, I’ll try and remember this prompt (there are squirrels in there that make me forget things! It’s not my fault!!) Xx
Ahh man sorry about missing the miniature village but having one at home would be fun, maybe you could build one round the pond for the frogs to live in? I’ve not been getting out to do my #walktoseeonthemove but hopefully soon. My sketchbook is filling up with drawings of animals at the moment, not my favourite usually but something I’d like to improve.
I’ve signed up to get the replay for the illustrators atlas as sadly it clashes with my only income stream which is not at all related to illustration 😂