Here to Ignite, Encourage and Inspire your Creative Flame
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
– Steve Jobs
Please note: some items are repeated for the benefit of new subscribers. Thank you 😊
Hey there my friends how are you? I truly hope you’re all keeping well and that the beginning of 2024 is showing signs of being an amazing year for you.
January, for me, has begun in the fast lane, a new commission has been received and accepted, my work for Derwent has been sent to them for a final proof and plans for my return trip are well underway, with marketing starting in the next few days.
I’m not one for setting New Year Resolutions, but I do have a couple of goals I’d like to achieve this year. The first one being to super-charge my YouTube channel. My original idea was having the ability to create one new video each week, however other works within my studio have put this on hold already lol. So I’m calling that plan A, fortunately I’ve a plan B,C,D… lol. So while I still want to boost the amount and frequency of new videos it might not be happening each week just yet. I have been asked by several subscribers if I could create a ‘studio tour’ video, so this will most likely be one of the first for 2024.
The other goal that I’ve been meaning to hit for a while is the utilisation of my FINE ART AMERICA (the UK branch) page:
Fine Art America is the world’s largest art marketplace and print-on-demand technology company. They’ve been helping artists sell wall art, home décor, apparel, and other products since 2006, working with hundreds of thousands of artists, photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, and iconic brands.
I now have seven of my original paintings uploaded to their site and will be adding more each week (this goal is working well so far). The products I’m offering at the moment include prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, greeting cards, phone cases, throw pillows, tote bags, stationary and mugs etc. So they’ll hopefully be something for everyone.
An example from my page:
My ‘Splash of Lime’ painting has really come into it’s own as a phone case, tempted to order one for myself 😊
Site’s PRODUCT DETAILS:
‘Splash of Lime iPhone case by Kerry Newell. Protect your iPhone with an impact-resistant, slim profile, hard-shell case. The image is printed directly onto the case and wrapped around the edges for a beautiful presentation. Simply snap the case onto your iPhone for instant protection and direct access to all of the phone’s features!’
The phone cases are available for all iPhones , from the iPhone 8 – iPhone 15. Cases are also available for the Galaxy S4 – Galaxy S8.
On My Easel
Okay back to my studio – This little deer in pastel is waiting patiently for me to get back to my easel, hoping it wont be waiting too long as I’ve a list of projects lined up for this year. Add no doubt more will be added by the end of January lol.
Arctic Expedition for 2024
For those of you interested in knowing more about this year’s proposed Arctic Expedition I’m pleased to say that the initial building blocks of my new website page are now in place, and I’m currently waiting for Wildfoot Travel who are busy working on the final details for their new and unique webpage for this venture, so hopefully it wont be too long until both pages and the widget below (for my homepage) will be going live. More news on this really soon.
Passengers will be able to experience the majestic landscapes and unique flora & fauna of an Arctic expedition as I did in August of last year, plus if they wish, they can draw, paint or sketch along with me during the more relaxed times of their voyage. The dates are now set as above and I’ll keep you all informed of any change, plus I’ll be sure to let you know when both mine and Wildfoot Travel’s new pages go live.
Wildlife Art Workshops for 2024
£60 per person (materials not included)
All workshops are held at Martin Mere Wetland Centre and 50% of all proceeds go straight back into conservation.
| Date | Medium | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| January 27th 2024 | Watercolour | Reindeer |
| March 23rd 2024 | Pastel | TBC |
| May 18th 2024 | Watercolour | TBC |
| September 21st 2024 | Pastel | TBC |
| November 23rd 2024 | Watercolour | TBC |
My preferred materials for the the pastel & watercolour workshops:
| Preferred Pastel materials: | * Clairefontaine Pastelmat Paper (I rarely use anything else now) * larger sheets are available and can be easily cut to size (this is what I do) * Carbothello Pastel Pencils are a must have in my studio, available individually or in different set sizes * Derwent Pastel Pencils are soft with a wide range of colours, available individually or in different set sizes, ideal for covering larger areas with their thicker pigment core * Mungyo Soft Pastels – an affordable way to cover larger areas of a painting, and for adding base coats for your pencils to go on top of * Pan Pastels – my ‘go to’ soft pastel choice, available individually or in sets, 92 colours in total |
| Preferred Watercolour materials: | * 140lb (or heavier) Hotpress or Coldpress watercolour paper * 9″ x 12″ minimum size (buying larger sheets is preferable as they can then be cut down to size) * Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolours are a great paint to get started with (I still use them for sketches etc) * A variety of brushes, sizes & shapes, made from golden taklon which is a synthetic material. Here’s a link to the affordable W&N Cotman set. * A white mixing palette or a white plate will do * Bring along some white gouache too if you have some – great for adding highlights etc. |
Workshops alternate between Watercolour and Pastel, but feel free to bring along any art medium you wish if the subject is something you would like to create from. All workshops are suitable for beginners. More information can be found over on our exclusive Art Workshop page on the Martin Mere website as well as on the Workshop page of my website. If participants would like further mediums or subjects added then extra dates can be slotted in to suit. So if your passion is coloured pencil or you love acrylic or oil painting then just let me know.
This Kingfisher project was the subject for June 2023 art workshop over at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre.
Diary Dates for 2024 coming soon!
| Global Bird Fair | |
| Exhibition of Wildlife Art | |
| Arctic Expedition | 17th – 24th June 2024 |
| North West Birdwatching Festival |
Global Birdfair – an international three day event – Join a community of nature lovers and birdwatchers from around the world as we gather to make a difference to Conserving Nature Worldwide. Lectures, demonstrations, art exhibitions, holiday destinations, authors, photographers, Global Birdfair auction, optics companies including Nikon, Viking Optical, Zeiss & Swarovski Optik – there really is something for everyone at this annual event that attracts thousands of people from across the globe. Global Birdfair will take place at Rutland Showground, Oakham, Rutland UK. LE15 7TW
Exhibition of Wildlife Art – ‘an exciting three day show featuring the work of some of the world’s most talented wildlife artists. The biggest and most successful, open selling, exhibition of Wildlife Art outside of London. All exhibited work is for sale and many artist demonstrate whilst there.’
Arctic Expedition – ‘Take a cruise around Spitsbergen and explore the icy waters of the North Atlantic. This special expedition offers you the chance to catch site of whales, reindeer, Arctic foxes, walruses, seals, and the star attraction, the polar bear.’
North West Birdwatching Festival – Open at 8am, start your day by watching the spectacle of thousands of wild geese leave the roost before heading for breakfast in the Martin Mere restaurant. Over the two day there will be an array of guest speakers and exhibitors, artists and photographers including photography workshops, guided reserve walks, and more. I’ll be exhibiting and demonstrating throughout the weekend and would love you to drop by and say hello.
Subscriber Question
Q. Hello Kerry, I received some Inktense pencils for Christmas, just the 12 set. Is it possible to create a complete painting with just these. Thank you.
A. Hi there Audrey, thank you for your question. You can most certainly create a project with 12 pencils. Swatch your colours out and try mixing them to increase your colour range if you want. Then you’ll be able to choose a subject that suits your supplies. The Intense pencils are very versatile, you shouldn’t have any problems at all. Have fun with your new supplies xXx
I may not always have a video on my YouTube channel to go alongside a subscriber’s question, but when I do I’ll be sure to add it.
Okay folks that’s it for me for today. Thank you once again, as always my friends, for spending some time with me today, and please feel free to leave a question or suggestion in the contact form below.
Until next time, as always, stay safe and stay creative, Kerry xXx
Questions & Suggestions welcomed
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