At the time of writing we are almost four weeks into a heatwave in the UK, although we have just returned from our eldest daughter’s wedding in Girona, Spain, which was just as warm as back home. So it has been unrelentingly hot for a long time now, thankfully my studio has air-conditioning which I and the dogs are enjoying. The wedding was wonderful, and everyone admired the ‘order of service’ illustration I created for the day — it looked excellent printed, mounted on foam board and displayed on an easel.

The order of service, which was about 3 weeks work..

The venue for our mini holiday was the Montsír de Santi, reached by a 1.5 km dirt track winding up into the hills outside Girona. I also made a few sketches of the place and, as per usual, took a heap of photos. The plan is to create a pen-and-ink wash illustration as a gift for the newly married couple. I’m currently making a YouTube video documenting the process, which includes experimenting with a couple of quill pens — something I haven’t tried before but which I think will suit this style of illustration perfectly.

Now it is the middle of July, and more family events are coming up—seems to be back to back this year. In between these gatherings I am still quietly working away on my Darkwood sketchbook, and I know I need to pick up a paintbrush soon to work on a few oil paintings. I’m feeling a slight depletion of enthusiasm, so I must seek out fresh inspiration and a bit of motivation from somewhere. I’ll let you know if I find it in the next update.

MID SUMMER HEATWAVE

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