Drawing over Christmas
A few ideas
I’ve got lots to share with you in this newsletter, which might be cropped because of it’s vast length, so best read through the Substack app… otherwise you might miss:
A buttery and biscuity mince pie recipe that I’ve finally mastered which, like all good creative projects, is both simple and tricky.
Things to draw over Christmas
A gallery of papery woodlands
A few of my favourite festive workshops
A noticing game for festive walks
Good things to ponder on read/watch
Also, this is not my last letter to you before Christmas, I’ve got a comic to share, so do keep your eyeballs peeled for an imminent inbox delivery. But for now, let’s dive in…
As Christmas gets close, I always notice how time changes shape.
As I write this, it is 2.30pm and quite dark, mostly because of the storm raging outside, so I have closed the curtains. At 4.30pm, I plan to put on my pyjamas and watch Celebrity Pointless with a cup of tea.
Time, over Christmas, is a strange thing and best enjoyed if you are able to loose track of the days and the time completely. For me, with all my family living locally, there are long stretches at home, odd half-hours between things, and a general sense that nothing much should be started. Drawing has always been what I turn to on high days and holidays because I find it very good for filling in these small gaps of time between everything else and a nice way to record things without thinking too much. Also, it’s very calming.
Drawings that fit in the gaps
It feels like a good time of the year for a type of drawing that doesn’t ask very much of you.
So, with that in mind, here are a few simple ideas for things to draw over Christmas; small, ordinary subjects which I hope you can turn to easily, using whatever materials you already have.
Friend, this is not art meant for display or improvement, just small drawings that fit around cooking, conversations and cups of tea.
Gather a little stash of art bits and keep them handy in a tray/box/pencil case so that they are all together and ready when you are. Keep it simple and easy.
Materials: a sketchbook (or pieces of scrap paper that you can later stick into a sketchbook) and something to draw with.
Method: Choose one of the following subjects to do on repeat through the Christmas period (OR work your way through them). Give yourself a time limit of 10 or 20 minutes to begin with, extending the time if you feel like it!
A festive still life using a continuous line
Pick a few seasonal objects, a candle, a bauble, a small sprig of greenery (or a random assortment of bits and pieces on your table) and draw them without lifting your pencil from the page.This ‘continuous line’ method of drawing is forgiving and freeing, if the lines cross or loop, that’s part of the charm and encourages you to not be too perfect. In observing the next location for your pencil to travel to, you to see relationships between objects.
Your still life could definitely be more festive than this! A branch from the garden
Bring in a small branch, twig, or even a sprig of holly. Hold it up, look at the angles of the twigs/leaves/berries/buds. Begin with a simple outline and then add small marks for texture, the lines don’t have to be straight and the shapes don’t have to match exactly. Wonky is good!Bare winter trees as a meditation
Step outside or look through a window at a bare winter tree. Spend a few minutes just looking the patterns of the branches.Begin a small drawing, following the lines of the bigger branches and feel free to then look away from the subject and focus on your drawing. Add more curving branches to it from your imagination.
Work for 10 minutes. Breath slowly and listen for the quiet thoughts and ideas that come into your head. Treat it as a drawing meditation. There’s a free class of me doing something similar to this here!
Bare Trees Extension Task: Repeat the exercise using different materials
Watercolour base layer with a brush drawn bare tree Draw a hot drink daily
A quick drawing using the continuous line technique or a nice scribbly blind contour, then it colour it in!Whether it’s tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, pick your favourite mug and focus on the big shape first, then add the details if you wish: the pattern of the mug, the steam rising, the colour of the liquid, the reflections on the surface (OR just draw just the the cup!) It’s a nice way to notice something very ordinary and everyday.
Add a bit of text next to your mug if you feel like it, like a diary entry
Drawing in Small boxes
I have loved doing this through the second half of this year. It allows me to record things quickly and feel much less overwhelming. Christmas in little boxes feels doable! Join the class in January!
Draw your Decs! Old decorations always have stories…
A bauble a day! A quick exercise and good to do in the evening on the sofa. Take a decoration off the tree and draw it. Look at the shapes, marks, and imperfections. Decorations often have a history, so you could even write a few words alongside the drawing telling the story
Through the Winter Woods
Traditionally, our last workshop of the year is always a paper craft class and this year we made winter themed tunnel books. It’s been an utter joy to open my emails and receive beautiful images of paper woodlands and I’m endlessly inspired by the work that you create and how you make these projects your own. Many of you have made multiples of these lovely forests as they can be very quick to produce!
If you’d like to create your own, it’s not too late and is a very cosy workshop for a dark December day.
I also get flocks of angels every year since teaching this class years ago. They are quite addictive to make as the pleasure is in the designing of the decorative dresses! Susan couldn’t stop….
Other festive classes, good for card making, stress busting, creative escapism are:
And Finally…
Last year’s festive post about mostly non-commercial gift ideas for yourself and others. (I’ve been buying and stashing a supply of breakfast candles all year and they’ll be burning until spring!)
These mince pies! I’ve been trying for years to make them and failed every time. They are DELICIOUS, like a buttery shortbread. Watch the video and read the comments before you begin! (FYI M&S mincemeat is the filling of my choice)
Over Christmas, I always make Nigella’s big pav which is handy, easy and impressive for a gathering. Add frozen berries, whipped cream and you’re everyone’s favourite guest/host!
This homemade mobile by artist Jess Wheeler…and a good nose around her beautiful cottage!
If you’re out for a Christmas stroll, try walking with the intention of looking for something in particular, think of it like you’re taking photographs with your eyes. A twilight wander, collecting windows with Christmas trees is always a good one. Yesterday, in my local town, I collected ‘festive attire’ and had an excellent haul, including a striking pair of knee high, green Doc Martin boots with red laces and a fair isle, knitted cloak… floor length.
Make yourself another cup of tea and have a lovely, long look at AlexTSmith ‘s Pigeon Post which, in my humble opinion, is the best thing on Substack! It’s full of festivities, inspired homemade decor and gossipy chickens!
My job over Christmas, when all the main bits are done, is to paint a pretty, folk inspired frieze on the beams in our old hallway. I did this a few years ago after a few glasses of wine and it always bothered me that the pattern was on the lean, so I’m going for it again with only a cup of Yorkshire tea, and maybe a handful of Quality Street, fuelling the job. Will share results after Christmas, in the meantime, here’s my Pinterest inspo…
Warm Wishes,
Lucia x
I made time to read this if only because of a scattering of men are removing and replacing my roof. With little
Regard to all of the handmade felted garlands i’d placed outdoors and not told to
Remove before this chaos began. I’m sad and angry and this passage gave me a break. All was ready for Christmas and now all is just debris and filth and mess. Oh well. January will come. And fewer leaks too I hope.
Lucia, these are great art/drawing ideas for a holiday I don't celebrate--is there one for the non-believers? Whatever, you are quite wonderful and I'll be signing up for your videos/classes for January...which, if not careful, can seem like a dead month, but I'm not dead, yet !!!