Elaboration..

Some screenshots from the 'about' section at the Forest & Sea Etsy shop:

a photo of my sunny workroom with superimposed logo, birds + bees...

..woodblock prints pegged out to dry in our city centre (read tiny!) garden...

..and the drawing of Bruges from the medieval woodcut pattern, here superimposed on a photo of Bruges; Bruges on Bruges!

There are still two image spaces on the about section for me to add to; what do you like to know about the person you buy handmade from? Suggestions are very welcome - leave a comment below if you like :)

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware

Four things about me

I've been invited to be the next in a long line of bloghoppers and answer the four questions below. I'm not usually drawn to this kind of thing, this blog is mainly about the pictures, but illustrator-extraordinaire Nicky Linzey asked me to, and I like her and her work a lot. Also, I'm going to take the opportunity to tell a bit more about myself because, up until now, I've been pretty anonymous here.

See? Illustrator-extraordinaire! I love this picture. © Nicky Linzey

Why do I write / illustrate what I do?

I've always loved to draw and paint so at 18 I went to study art at UCA and specialised in textile design - I loved it! In my 20s I spent quite a few years in seasonal jobs across Europe (some of the more interesting ones being pear picker, EU helpline operator, campsite receptionist, flight school sales administrator and épicerie manager!) and although I was still drawing when I could, my mind definitely wasn't on future careers. After a summer driving around France, my partner and I drove through the medieval city of Bruges on our way to his family's home in the Netherlands and we've been here ever since. After a lot of work and dust our old house is a bit more comfortable (giving us back our free time :D) and I so want to see if I can make a living by returning to what I love. Four years ago I thought that starting a blog and learning from others through their blogs and other social media would be the best way to start.

This design is based on the history and buildings of Bruges in the style of a medieval woodcut.

Poortersloge (detail). I made this watercolour when we first moved here. It's not a myth about the light being
special in the Low Countries - it's especially beautiful in the autumn.

What am I working on now?

Right now I'm working on inventory for an Etsy shop; it's scary and there's a lot to it but.. see above!

Clockwise: Palace Garden in Indigo - Zipped pouch featuring a Hiroshige woodblock print - textile paint experiments - Migrate in watercolour

How does my work differ from others in the genre?

All my work is based on the natural world. It's a popular subject but I think everyone has different thoughts and feelings, a different take on it. There are so many tiny decisions and lucky accidents made when you're drawing or designing that it's inevitable for the results to be unique.

How does my writing / illustration process work?

I've got a lot of (very messy) sketchbooks with little doodles, drawings, ideas and lists; the biggest limitation is always time! A few years ago I taught myself how to work with vector graphics and found it totally absorbing; it's especially addictive to use the texture fills, they add instant depth and warmth to a design. If I'm not painting or making, I prefer to scan in drawings to use as a base for digital work - I don't think there's any replacement for the kind of marks you get when drawing by hand, no matter how versatile the program. Then I play around with the colours and composition until I'm happy.

Thanks for reading :) If anyone has experience with Etsy or selling online elsewhere, I'd love for you to leave any tips in the comments. Have a good weekend!

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It's the usual thing to pass on these questions to someone else. If you'd like to have a go at answering them and would like to see your link here, email me!

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware

  

Pomegranate Trees

If I had a time machine, one of the places I'd want to visit would be Henry VIII's court. I'd have to be wearing an invisibility cloak or I'm sure it wouldn't end well - back then you were beheaded, boiled to death or subjected to some other imaginative and painful demise if you didn't fit in - but I love learning about the customs of other times. Comparing them to our own reveals a lot about what's human, what's just custom and often about how good a lot of us have it today, don't you think?

Anyway, when pomegranates were mentioned over here, one of the first things I thought of was Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife's, family emblem. So my design of birds and pomegranate trees uses the faded colours of a tapestry from that time:

Tudor Tapestry

Where would you go if you could time travel?

Update:
If you like this design, you can order it on fabric, decal, wallpaper or wrapping paper here!

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware

  

Bees & Blooms

Bees & Blooms - Medieval Woodcut

What says summer better than lying in the grass hearing bees going about their work? As you've probably read, these indispensable pollinators have mysteriously been in trouble for the last few years. A couple of new studies published this week have helped to establish that a certain group of nerve agent pesticides are a large part of that puzzle but there are things that we can do to help! Buzz About Bees have a list of 10 simple things you can do, even if it's just buying local honey and scattering a few wildflower seeds on your lawn.

The bees shown here are adapted from my Medieval Woodcut design. I've made a repeat pattern with them which you can find on fabric, wrapping paper and wallpaper here!

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware

  

Medieval Woodcuts

I've got a bit behind with posting here! I'm hoping to do a few catch up posts soon but here's what's been keeping me busy this week:

Inspiration: Woodcut images from early printed works.

Medieval Woodcut Toile for this contest.

Toile Details - click for larger view.

I was thinking of adding a stamp-y, block print-y kind of texture to give it more of a woodcut feel but, in the end, the clear indigo looked better on a large repeat. It's definitely something to come back to though - it looks great on the individual elements!

Have a great weekend blog friends, I hope you'll be doing something you love!

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Update: This pattern won the contest! It's available to order on fabric, wallpaper and gift wrap here!

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware