Finally made a start on Ariiel's Sketchbook, a project I've been sitting on since leaving university. Ariiel is a story that I've been meaning to write and illustrate but have found it hard to make a start. After going to Camden and finding a leather bound diary, I've decided to just go for it and begin, regardless of how terrible the illustrations look or how boring the story turns out. I just want to start myself on this journey and not put too much pressure on myself for something extraordinary. For inspiration I went to the National Art Gallery and sketched one of the paintings, "The Four Ages of Man" by Vincent de Boulogne. Sitting there at the Art Gallery I felt very stiff and uncomfortable and very rusty. This really is just my lack of practice so I just need to remind myself to keep drawing. Also while sketching this I thought again about mixing fantasy with the mundane and normal. Rather than glorifying war by drawing a knight on a horse, I like the idea of a knight reading quietly. It's about searching for beauty in the everyday. I've been thinking more and more about this lately since traveling around. I think that once the excitement dies down, life gets back to normal. What many consider boring, I'm finding more and more at peace with. I've come to realise that you can't maintain a continued level of excitement. You'll soon grow tired regardless of what sort of excitement it is. I was excited about traveling. I couldn't wait to come to London. Now that I've been here for a few years, I'm really excited about returning home. This doesn't just come down to "the grass being greener..." rather I'm beginning to accept that life doesn't have to necessarily be constantly exciting. You need to be bored in order to get yourself out of your chair and do something exciting.

back to the top