October is here! Leaves everywhere! Pumpkins abound! I feel like late September/early October is just PEAK autumnal goodness, but it’s going by so fast I miss it already before it’s begun. My creative motivation seems to always be at it’s height right about now, so I’m wishing I had at least twice as many hours in a day to do all the things.
What’s to come, the acorn chronicles, and woodland picnics
Firstly, there are some fun things in store for the month of October that I wanted to highlight!
There will be an autumn Etsy shop update happening next week, including new art prints and felt badges.
This is probably one for the next newsletter but I’m mentioning it anyway: keep an eye open for the US edition of Embassy of the Dead: Hangman’s Crossing, written by Will Mabbitt and illustrated by me! You’ll be seeing more about it on my Instagram as publishing day draws nearer but I did notice it’s available for pre-order on a few shop websites if you wanna check it out and get in on the spooky fun.
In the non-illustration side of life, I’ve been hovering over a simmering dye pot on the stove. That is to say, I’ve recently taken the leap to attempt something I’ve been wanting to try for a looong while: natural dye! So far I’ve only used onion skins on some small swatches, but I’ve already ordered a few yards of linen to dye and actually sew into (hopefully) lovely things like detachable dress collars and maybe even a plushie or two. My sewing skills need some work, so we’ll see how far I get - I’ll keep you posted on how it all works out! This is also the reason why I’ve been getting in touch with my inner squirrel and collecting acorns like mad: they’re quite rich in pigment and make very good dye, so I’ve read. So if you see me at the park scuttling about the ground and shoving acorns into my pockets, don’t be alarmed!
What with the weather being so fine and the trees turning colors, it’s been prime time for some picnics outside. I’ve been bringing my sketchbook along (something I often neglect to remember to do) to sketch whatever interesting thing I happen to see, usually trees…drawing from life is something I’ve not bothered to practice much throughout my earlier years in illustration but as I do it more and more these days I see a lot of benefits - not just in terms of art, but mentally as well. It’s rejuvenating to simply try to capture what you see without really thinking about making it perfect - or in my case trying not to worry about making it perfect. There’s so much to learn from even the quickest and simplest sketches - don’t get caught up thinking it’s not worth your time unless it’s a finished piece or “post-able”. The best thing about sketchbooks and journals is that it doesn’t matter whether the sketch is “good”, it’s your own space to make mistakes in.
Favorites from this past month
The Wild Dyer by Abigail Booth
This salted Swedish cardamom bun recipe from Adventures in Cooking (For the past couple of years I’ve been fascinated with traditional Swedish baking - getting in touch with my roots!)
Sketching outside!
This video of a flower hat-wearing duckling by @motherthemountain
Autumn harvest granola from Half Baked Harvest (I’ve been consuming copious amounts of granola but this is the first one I’ve actually made myself - crazy, right? But everything she cooks up is an absolute rustic dream, I’m obsessed with her food photography every bit as much as the recipes themselves)
SO that’s all I’ve got for now, my lovely friends! Have a great day and enjoy autumn! Jump in leaves! Consume nonsensical amounts of cider! Succumb to the inevitable pumpkin spice!
Lots of Love!
Taryn