March Round-up
Discover the best of March in The Creative Flock + studio highlights
Hello and if this is the first post you’re reading, welcome! I share these posts with all subscribers at the end of each month, It’s a lovely way to highlight all the things we’ve done in the membership and share some behind-the-scenes snippets from my studio*.
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March: Materials Play
This month in the membership, we had a lovely play with our materials and I did a deep dive into my pastels collection and tested LOTS of ways you can use this material in your work. Members can catch up on this testing video here:
This month’s live session
This session was different to our usual draw-along as it was more guided and involved some prep.
Thank you to those who made it live, it was wonderful to spend an hour with you, getting messy with my materials! 😀
The replay is available for paid members:
Some of the artists who joined have kindly allowed me to share their work here:
London Trip Vlog
This month, as promised, I put together a video of my recent trip to London with
. As well as sharing all the places we visited, I share the art materials I packed vs what I used, hopefully I’ll learn to pack less next time!
I won a thing!
I’m thrilled to have come third in the Mammal Illustrator of the Year competition! I’m even happier because it was with one of my favourite pieces, Spirit Fox.
I’m very grateful to the Society for organising this award and to the judges.
This piece is available as a giclee print in my shop and Creative Flock subscribers and members receive a special discount. Use code printshop10 for 10% off, paid members will receive their discount code in their welcome email after upgrading.
Things that have caught my attention this month…
Art & Exhibitions
I came across the work of Steeven Salvat through this old article on his Petite Nature street art. Beautiful and thought-provoking work.
This exhibition at the Royal Academy which I can’t wait to see - Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo
21st March - 29th June 2025.
Poetry
This beautiful bittersweet poem by Amani Saeed celebrates the joys of spring but also warns of nature’s decline.
Wildlife Conservation
This live Osprey nest at a nature reserve near me is a new YouTube webcam obsession! It’s set up as part of the Rutland Osprey Project, organised by this wildlife trust
There’s their Instagram account if you want to follow the charity behind this footage and conservation work
Podcasts:
These two were particularly enjoyable this month:
Brand Seasons podcast with author, photographer and slow-living advocate, Rosie Steer.A Life More Wild with adventurer, presenter and new Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields
Books
A shift of tone here, but it is worth sharing, nonetheless.
This is an incredible science fiction graphic novel by Simon Stalenhag. More info here:
https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/The-Electric-State/Simon-Stalenhag/9781471176081
Simon also shares beautifully bizarre and overworldly SFX and video work on his Instagram.
And finally, this note from
. I love the idea of imaginary genealogy portraits!Nature highlights from my neck of the woods…
We’ve had some lovely walks in the spring sunshine this month, on one of the walks we got a bit lost but on the plus side were treated to this gorgeous view (above).
This gorgeous little Blue Tit has been tapping away at my studio window for weeks! I think it’s getting territorial as the nesting season has started. I filmed it over a couple of days and despite the constant interruptions (not to mention the poop on my window sill), it’s been a treat to see up close! 💙
I've been taking longer walks this month, listening for birds and seeing what I can spot. March has been a fantastic month for sightings in my local countryside. So far, I've seen a Sparrowhawk, a Barn Owl, Buzzards, and Red Kites, along with Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, and Blue Tits (not counting the ones in my garden). Wrens, Robins, Dunnocks, and Blackbirds have been everywhere, and I've also spotted Skylarks and Song Thrushes. I've been hearing Goldfinches too, but despite their bright plumage, they’re surprisingly tricky to catch sight of!
Studio snippets..
The Bookmark Project
I submitted my bookmark to The Bookmark Project, an annual art auction in aid of Katiyo Primary School in Zimbabwe, organised by the 1st Burley-in-Wharfdale Brownies. Each year they put a call out to illustrators, writers, artists and celebrities to create a hand-drawn bookmark. The auction takes place in May and the fundraiser has gone from strength to strength, to date they have raised over £54K since it started in 2017. These funds have helped build classrooms, and facilities and delivered vital educational resources for children at Katiyo school.
If you’d like to take part, there’s still time to submit your bookmark! Visit The Bookmark Project on Instagram or their website for details.
If you’d like to buy a bookmark, get your bidding fingers ready when the auction goes live in May. Visit the Instagram page for updates.
Ink Making Demonstration
I thoroughly enjoyed Plants and Colour’s ink-making demonstration with David Begley. I learned a great deal about the intricacies of ink-making, from the best storage methods and ideal drawing surfaces to the lightfastness of various natural inks. The experience left me inspired and eager to continue my ink-making experiments!
Sketchbook pages:
I hadn’t intended to draw as much as I have this month, perhaps the energy of spring was rubbing off on me! Below are some drawings from sessions hosted by
, and respectively.
And that’s a wrap for March! Phew, it’s been a busy one! I’m feeling a bit under the weather as I write this post, I’m hoping it’s just my usual bought-of hay fever which always rears its head in March. Sadly, living in the countryside has its down-sides 🤧
Despite being a busy month, I’ve loved our Materials Play theme! Exploring new techniques and mediums has been a powerful reminder of how creativity thrives when we step outside our comfort zones. This theme has once again challenged me to stay curious and open to experimentation without the fear of making ‘mistakes’, and it’s encouraged me to use art materials in a new way. Along the way, I’ve made exciting discoveries (especially with my pastels) and adopted new processes that I hope will bring greater depth and richness to my work.
How has your month been? Have you bought some new pencils? Completed a sketchbook? I love to hear from you.
I’ll announce April’s theme in my next post, though depending on how I’m feeling, it might be a little late. Thanks for your patience, folks! 🤧
As always, thank you for your support here.
Congratulations about the price, this fox was terrific. The sleeping fox is handsome too BTW. Take good care!
What a beautiful, energetic post to be a part of! Thanks for the shout out. So pleased you liked that episode. Season two is coming next week…assuming I get the first episode recorded today 😂