Welcome to February - Tiny Worlds
Audio message for February and what's coming up this month for subscribers and paid members
Happy Imbolc to those who celebrate!
Welcome to February in The Creative Flock, and hello to all the people who have joined recently. If you’re brand new here, you may like to read this welcome post which tells you more about me and what to expect from being part of this community.
Below is my regular monthly audio message and links to things I mention.
Meet up with
in London at the end of February. I’ll be sending out an invite to members to join us for sketching!Mentoring sessions with Jo Henley
Animal Life Drawing sessions creative brief project and co-swatch sessionsHead further down the post to see what’s coming up this month for both free and paid subscribers, including the details for a special collaboration with
and the Creative Cocoon Art Club, which is taking place on Tuesday 18th February, 7pm(GMT)/8pm (CEST)
February - Tiny Worlds..
This month, our theme is Tiny Worlds and if you’ve been a subscriber for a while you will know that I’ve long been captivated by small details, mini sketchbooks and all things macro so I’m excited to be exploring the theme further.
I recall being interested in tiny worlds from an early age, I adored creating small worlds with toy figures and my Disney magic kingdom castle, I LOVED the TV show The Borrowers and dreamed of discovering that a little girl lived under our floorboards and the idea of us having a secret friendship!
Later in life, I became a tad obsessed with making 3D theatre sets and illustrated scenes out of paper during my degree, and now I have an interest in the details of nature and what we can learn and appreciate about the natural world if we look a little closer.
I find that observing and responding to nature’s details to be a grounding and calming activity, particularly if I keep my materials and colour palette minimal. It can be a nice counterbalance to working on more complicated compositions or drawing from imagination.
Looking closer at nature has improved my ‘noticing’ skills and I’ve made many fascinating discoveries that I wouldn’t have otherwise, so it’s an excellent way to connect with the natural world.
In my creative practice, I’ll be responding to this month’s theme by taking close-up photos of nature, testing my macro lens to its limit and creating looser, abstract mixed media work inspired by these.
I’ll be looking back at the ways I have previously approached this type of work, in January last year when we explored All the Small Things and during the Materials Play Month, back in June 2024.
✨ 7-day free trials are back! ✨
The posts above are just two of over 100 in the archive, and for this month I’ve brought back the 7-day free trial option, so if you’re curious and would like to explore what the membership has to offer, now is the perfect time to sign up!
Aside from the natural world, there are so many exciting areas you can focus on for this month’s theme:
Miniature paintings
Vintage dollhouses or plastic toy castles (like my Disney one!)
Small worlds from the perspective of a child or animal
Model villages
Dioramas
Theatre set design
Stop motion animation
Pop-up books - they feel like miniature worlds in themselves.
Lego or toy figure sets and buildings
You could also look at small worlds in literature, TV and film. I’ve mentioned one of my favourite TV shows The Borrowers, based on Mary Norton’s classic book. There was also a later TV adaptation which I enjoyed too.
A few years ago I discovered The Box of Delights, a classic children’s book, and in one part of the story, Kay is magically miniaturised and travels to a secret world under the floorboards (he’s living my dream!), where a mouse assists him in his adventures.
I created a series of illustrations from the book, including the scene under the floorboards.
Here’s some Tiny World drawing or project ideas to get you started:
Miniature portraits: Taking inspiration from Elizabethan miniature portraits, create your own version, perhaps use a photo of a loved one or a favourite celebrity (who wouldn’t want a little painting of George Clooney to carry around with them!😆)
Draw small objects - From nature or around the home, such as shells, coins, keys, or pieces of jewellery. Great for warm-up drawings or if you’re short on time but want to get some drawing practice in.
In The Creative Flock Membership:
I’ll be suggesting more ways to creatively explore this topic in the membership, so if you like the idea of getting stuck into the Tiny Worlds theme with us, here’s what you can expect:
Each week I’ll be inspiring you with a new creative prompt based on the Tiny Worlds theme and you can ask questions or advice to get you started.
I’ll help you stay accountable by regularly checking in.
Share your creations and discoveries within the supportive community in the member-only chat threads.
They’ll be the opportunity to share more widely in the member’s gallery at the end of the month.
This month’s live drawing session
(for Creative Cocoon Club/ Creative Flock members)
Under the Surface - Tuesday 18th February, 7pm GMT/ 8pm CEST
I’m excited to share that this month’s live drawing date will be a collaboration with
the Creative Cocoon Art Club! If you don’t know Pauline’s work, head over to her Substack. She provides a gentle, creative space for anyone interested in botanical and nature illustration and painting, or simply looking for a place to be creatively inspired.Join Pauline and me for a gentle drawing session which will be focused on what’s under the surface in nature and waiting to emerge during Spring.
We’ll provide the photo references which you’ll be able to access in advance and a few few tips and exercises for you to help you on your way. Simply sign up via the Luma link in my calendar post or Paulines Club if you’re a member, and we’ll update you soon via email and on Substack.
Live Sessions Calendar
Would you like to know when we’ll be drawing together this month? Then you’re in the right place.
Co-sketching sessions this month.
There’ll be two co-sketching sessions this month, open to all subscribers.
I’ve found these one-hour periods of concentrated drawing time so useful and they force me to focus on creativity instead of admin or my ‘to-do’ list. Thank you to Emma Carlisle for introducing me to virtual co-working!
Details are below, sign up via luma.com to get these sessions in your time zone and receive handy email reminders.
All subscribers co-sketching:
Monday 10th February 7-8pm GMT https://lu.ma/90jpegi9
Monday 17th February 2-3pm GMT https://lu.ma/drezfvtw
These co-sketching sessions are not recorded, all participants will be muted on entry, but you are welcome to switch your microphone on at the beginning to share what you plan to use the hour for, or you can use the text chat function.
I look forward to sharing a golden hour of creativity with you! 💛
Chat Threads
If you’re unfamiliar with the chat function on Substack, it’s like a group chat or live hangout. I love this space as it’s a great way for us to get to know each other and encourage supportive conversation among The Creative Flock members. Chat works best in the app, but you can join in on desktop too.
I have two regular threads:
Every Friday: Share Good Stuff from your Week (all subscribers)
Beginning of the month: ‘Toot your horn’ 📣 (paid members). Use this as a place to share your wins, passion projects or anything that deserves a big ol’ pat on the back. I know a lot of us are bad at cheerleading ourselves, so let this be a place for that!
PLUS, for this month I’ll be sharing the Tiny World creative prompts in weekly chat threads and inviting you to share your progress here too.
Paid members are also able to start new chat threads to kick off community conversations, ask questions or even share a brilliant new art material you feel we all need to know about.
I look forward to joining in these chats with you 😊
Discounts on art materials and my print store
If you’re new to The Flock you may not be aware of the discounts I share with my subscribers and paid members, details below and in your welcome email.
Deep Deep Light - 10-15% off site wide:
All Creative Flock subscribers receive 10% off at the Deep Deep Light store, and paid members receive 15% off. Use code emmacarpendale10 for 10% off, paid members will receive their discount code in their welcome email after upgrading.1
Cult Pens 10% discount:
Cult Pens is my preferred online store for pens and inks due to its wide range of products. Click this referral link for 10% off your order at Cult Pens.
My online print store:
https://www.emmacarpendale.co.uk/shop
This is a great way to support me if you can’t manage the paid membership, plus you get some unique art too! 😀 Free subscribers receive 10% off my giclee prints, paid members receive 20% off. Use code printshop10 for 10% off, paid members will receive their discount code in their welcome email after upgrading.
Don’t forget that this month you can make use of the 7-day free trial. If you have any questions about this months theme, or suggestions for future themes or content, please get in touch, i’d be happy to hear from you. 🙂
I’m looking forward to a creative month and lots of (tiny) drawings in the weeks to come.
I receive 5-10% on each sale when you use the discount code. This will be something that helps fund and support my work as an artist and I want you to know it’s very much appreciated. I’m happy for you to share the code with fellow creatives, along with a link back to my Substack. Thank you! 😊
Aw, love this theme! I actually wrote an illustrated nature book called "Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains: An Artist's Journey", which was published in September. I have a feeling you'd like it! :) https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/tiny-worlds-of-the-appalachian-mountains-an-artists-journey