My bespoke illustrations always benefit from a break!
Dear Reader,
When a friend invited me to walk the deepest Gorge in the world, I could not imagine how wonderful a detox adventure it would be! Zagoria is a nature lover’s paradise: sun, colour, new plants, new friends, bears and wolves. I managed to empty my mind of stale matter. I return with a new zest for life, inspiration abounding for my bespoke illustrations. Some are illustrations which I add once I have created them. Others are bespoke illustrations which customers have asked to be drawn. I of course remove any personalisation related to that customer to make the illustration relevant to anyone. For example, I drew a jockey on his horse. I kept the racing colours but removed the owner’s name from the saddle. So you see how detailed my personalisation can be! You can find these on my website storyboards.
Back to Zagoria and the Vikos Gorge! We were walking non stop so sketching time was brief , as it was the following week when we visited the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. I grabbed that chance to sketch the dog on the ferry, the one rare moment we sat down!
I took a small flower press to collect some local flowers. The flora in Greece is the same as on the Isle of Lewis. We lived in France for six years and have many European friends so we feel very comfortable being European. Evidently so does British flora as it is the same as flora in Europe. Personalised name prints of wild flowers would be the same on both sides of La Manche or the English Chanel.
What I experienced on this recent break kept reminding me of what I try to communicate through my bespoke illustrations. Seldom do I create a print which is reused. I am passionate about what I do. I aim to share with you over the summer what I hope my gifts can offer. Starting here, I hope you find a minute to stop from your daily grind and absorb something beautiful around you. This may be a friend, a flower, the herbs in your lunchtime sandwich or a tree ! In my case, it is my home office constant companion, the dog.
Thanks for reading this!
Sal
