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A new fresh, cleaner website for my illustration work.
You will find the new website here at www.inspirebykim.com So that you can recognise it this is how the homepage looks…
Book Publishing
It is an exciting time for my art business as my first book is being published in a just a few weeks time Ski A to Z. The support of my followers is key to helping me push forwards so thank you for the part you have played in helping make this dream come true.
Ski A to Z is a fully illustrated practical introduction to skiing. The book can be pre-ordered now, more information and links to buy at https://bit.ly/3BGP5Se
Prints To Buy
For those who have requested to buy prints I will have prints available very soon.
The Future
I’m working on some exciting commissioned work, more on this in the coming weeks.
Earlier this year I signed up to the Make Art That Sells Home Decor Course with the wonderful Margot Tantau.
Table Ware Collection
My ski book project then began gather steam so I have been busy working on this, whilst learning home decor design on the side. I like to listen to learning content while I create, as this can help to distract the conscious mind and allow the subconscious lead on the creating.
As I have been creating so many ski themed illustrations it has made sense to bring these icons and this theme into the home decor surface pattern designs. I have also brought the warm colour palette across from my ski work, painted in the Japanese watercolour paints.
I explored different designs and mocked them up to see how they will look on home decor products, both tableware and also soft furnishings and wall coverings. I mocked the products up in Procreate and with Spoonflower.
I’ll be developing this work but if you see something that you like and would like to license the design for your use then please email me at inspirebykim@outlook.com
Watch this space for more ski illustrations as I continue to develop the Ski A to Z book in advance of the upcoming winter ski season.
I like how this feature wallpaper design looks with the snowflake icon warmed by these sunny hues.
If you like to listen to podcasts then check out Margot’s Windowsill Chats podcast. For the wonderful courses by Lilla Roger’s Make Art That Sells click here.
Thanks so much for being here and for your support.
This year I wanted to use the opportunity of #Inktober to work on illustrations of travel memories. Using the prompts from #theydrawandtravel illustrating the places on the list which I have visited.
Paris
Paris – Homage to the Paris icons of La Tour Eiffel, Moulin Rouge and La Basilique du Sacre-Coeur.
Paris is one of my favourite cities at any time of year. We were fortunate to visit most recently in November last year, which I have used as reference for this illustration.
Cairo – for many visitors this is the gateway to Egypt and its ancient wonders.
Here are my favourite Cairo landmarks brought into a composition – the majestic, mysterious pyramids, the stately Sphinx, the Ramses statue which looked onto to a bustling city square, and a river boat which is carrying intrigued travellers to explore the many temples along the banks of the Nile.
I was fortunate to visit first on a mini-cruise from Cyprus where I was working at the time, later on a trip from Sharm el-Sheikh, and on a work trip was fortunate to have a top floor hotel penthouse all to myself, when I attending the conference in place of my boss. A wonderful city, fabulous memories.
San Francisco – My favourite US city – first visited on a tour of California with my mum. We enjoyed the steep streets in a speedy taxi, rode a cable car were surprised by the sea lions at Pier 39. Most recent visit was en route to New Zealand with just a 24 hour stopover to enjoy the city and shops on Union Square.
Moscow
The stunning golden domes of the Kremlin and the colourful tiled domes of St Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square were what struck me visually when visiting Moscow. These and the enormous imposing Hotel Ukraine, one of the “Seven Sisters” of Moscow.
Time in the city was a great experience which bookended our trip heli-skiing in Sochi.
Sydney – what struck me as we walked towards the Opera House were the brightly coloured birds. The city felt much like a Northern European city, but the birds were striking, tropical, seemingly in stark contrast to the uniformity and familiarity of the buildings. The birds which enchanted me that day were Rainbow Lorikeets.
Sydney Opera House is a stunning feat of architecture, which I hadn’t realised until close observation is constructed in creamy coloured tiles, which appeared white in the bright sun, a little like the surface the space shuttle.
I took the opportunity to attend a dance show at the Opera House, performed by a number of Australian dance companies that was an evening to support Unicef. It was a dream come true to visit this stunning iconic landmark humanmade wonder.
Rock and Rome – featuring my Rome favourites. The Forum, The Colosseum, Vittorio Emanuele II monument, brought together with the tiny Fiat 500 so loved by my Mum.
Visited Rome on three trips last Autumn to help a loved one, and ‘Rock and Rome’ became a catchphrase.
Beijing – the iconic Great Wall, the curious roof adornment that is a man riding a Phoenix, and the Temple of Heaven.
Had a wonderful trip to China with @kuonitravel and met Cherie Blair (Wife of the UK Prime minister at the time) on the Great Wall. Recalling the fascinating acoustic effects at the Temple of Heaven.
Flamborough – Here are my favourite aspects of Flamborough brought together in this composition – Flamborough Head Lighthouse, the awesome gannets at Bempton Cliffs and our biking on the coastal path, all set under that huge sky with the salty breeze.
Here’s a round up collage of these travel illustrations.
Thanks so much for being here. These are my latest posts…
I wrote this article for my new website but didn’t want my subscribers not to see this. Please see the article then come across to my new website, to continue to follow the fun. This website will be disappearing shortly and I don’t want to lose you. New website at http://www.inspirebykim.com New book Ski A…
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Enjoy wherever you travel, real, memories or travel dreams.
Beaching can be a state of mind. For the past few years I’ve found that having a beach bag available for when relaxing in the garden can help transport oneself to the relaxation enjoyed whilst relaxing on holiday.
Creating outdoors
Months of lovely warm, sunny weather for most of lockdown have been ideal for garden beaching. I used the pretty colours of Inktense and my travel industry know how to illustrate the contents of a beaching, at home, bag.
Detail…
Thanks so much for being here and taking the time to look at my work. If you need bespoke illustrations to support a change for good project, please get in touch.
I decided to paint this Horse in Tulips after @mchorpash asked last week what was the hardest thing to draw, to which I said ‘Horses’.
Seeing this majestic horse on our walk this past weekend made it the perfect opportunity.
A weekend also filled with bountiful tulips for our wedding anniversary encouraged this composition painted in Acryla Gouache and metallic watercolour.
I enjoyed painting this work whilst video chatting with my good friend @dg_realise who was painting beautiful birds.
I’m pleased with the painting. Hoping I can identify the owner to show them the painting.
I’ve created some garden sign designs of ice-cream and ice lolly nostalgic summertime themes.
Ice-Cream painted sign. The wonderful, iconic 99 ice-cream, here in a tasty wafer cone, with chocolate at the end. 😋 Poster design to enhance the garden shed. Adding some fun summer icons.
The second design, with the same colour palette, again in acrylic paints was themed on the Fab ice lolly.
Nice weather meant it was possible to get outside and paint.
Have a Fab day! Fab ice lolly themed poster art. Enjoyed painting this piece. Please scroll sideways to see the work. Research was fun, and tasty 😋. The fab lolly is a product which is still going strong after more than 50 years!
I wasn’t sure as to whether there is relevance to continuing on with my ski A-Z project in the present global climate. But time is spent in lockdown should be time made better by finding the joy, and I get a lot of joy from making this work, and so I found that it felt best to continue. There’s a lot of people who enjoy skiing and mountain sports and so maybe share in the work can share some joy too.
If you’ve not seen my artworks for the letters from A to D then check out the links at the bottom of this blog post to catch up there.
Next up is the letter ‘E’ there are a lot of words that came to mind for E and I have incorporated this into a large artwork which illustrates some of my favourite ski feelings.
These are:
Enjoyment of the soaring peaks and stunning views of the mountain environment.
Exhilaration of skiing strong and fast, putting myself against the challenge of the mountain slopes. I always enjoyed giant slalom, over slalom courses, when we were ski racing.
Experiences – Skiing is a great switch off as it’s so engrossing physically and mentally that it’s hard to think of anything else meaning it’s a magic kind of mountain meditation.
One of the ways I love to experience and soak up the mountain atmosphere is to get off the piste and find somewhere to just sit, and be in an entirely natural environment, ideally with a semmel sandwich and a refreshing drink. To sit awhile and take it all in. For the non skiers, if you can get your skis into the snow you can use your ski poles between them to make a seat. Alternatively you can sit on the snow, ideally on a rucksack or plastic bag to avoid getting a soggy ski pants.
Extreme skiing needs you to have your wits about you and is so satisfying when you look back up a slope that you’ve achieved. Often having experienced a range of emotions on the way from doubt and fear to joy and euphoria.
My most extreme ski experience was Heli-skiing in the Caucasus mountains of Russia and Georgia. I illustrated an account of this trip which you can read and see at this link.
Here are the links to the Ski A-Z work already created…
Watch this space for the ski paintings for the letter F…
Thanks so much for being here. If you’ve enjoyed this post please like it and if you know someone who’d enjoy it please share it with them. Let’s spread the joy of skiing.
It’s been a tumultuous and busy past couple of weeks for most of the planet. I’m determined to keep sharing uplifting work, both new illustrations and ones from my back catalogue when they are relevant.
The situation has moved fast and already has provided reflections on gratitude, for what may have previously have been undervalued, and the situation its is a reset of perspective of who is, and what is important.
Sending heaps of kindness and wellness to all those who are unwell or suffering.
I’ve been busy adapting our home for lockdown, had to make heart wrenching strategic business decisions, as well as finding tech solutions to replace face to face demonstrations. I’ve managed so squeeze some time in for illustration, which is therapeutic and can hopefully brighten someone’s day. This art from my heart follows…
I’ve been finding the terms used such as self-isolating and social distancing as having very negative connotations, and wondered whether putting a more positive slant on staying at home might make this feel more enjoyable and therefore sustainable. Here’s an example of this work, I’ll be developing these ideas and responding the World Health Organisation (@who) Creative Brief to communicate the key messages.
Wear Your Wings – Copyright Kim
Home and family are everything. Despite the restrictions we must nurture our minds, bodies and relationships all from within our home. Thankfully technology can bridge between those we love but do not live with. Our families have come together for some great multi-generation live video calls which have been a great distraction and really made us laugh.
It’s snowing here. But it’s cosy, safe and warm in our home. Enjoy the home comforts. #stayhomesavelives
Here are a round up of the posts from my Instagram, to uplift and reassure.
This is for all those suffering with fear and anxiety. You are not alone. These feelings are understandable in this situation, so try to go easy on yourself. Comfort yourself with reassurance that you are safe and you are loved.
If there is someone that you feel would also like to see this please share. Spread the love. 💕 #stayhomestaysafe
There can be great joy in nature and this lovely season. Flashback to this watercolour painting from last year created as a book cover design.
The bright flowers are blooming to herald Spring, the birds are singing, daffodils shine bright. The sun radiates low into the rooms to warm away winter. Beautiful weather last week made the first days of lockdown easier as the garden is springing to life and the birds are full of energy and song.
Stunning spectrums that I spotted in our kitchen, cast by a refractive book cover being hit by the sun’s rays.
Have Courage, Hold On. We are stronger than this thing. #alonetogether
I sprayed this positive quote from Audrey Hepburn in our garden, as a reminder, and for a little spray painting therapy.
Relaxing retreating in reading at the end of the day.
Watercolour and digital. You might recognise this scene from my chalet picture. Worked with a work in progress scan digitally to create this piece with a work in progress scan digitally to create this piece. #stayhomesavelives
Enjoy the Great Indoors. Whether you choose to scale your stairs for a work out, adventure to far flung places on Netflix or enjoy some Eastern philosophy on your yoga mat, wishing you a lovely day. #stayhomestaysafe
Created this house in watercolours on wet then developed this further to create the composition at the top of this post…
And finally: Only Tweet the good. Trying to only share positive and factual content. The birds are so active around our home, their beautiful song so clear in the stillness.
Thanks for being here. Stay safe, stay home and if there’s somebody who you feel would like to see my work please share the blog with them.
Been busy painting for #matseditorial2020 Make Art That Sells assignment about reducing meat in the diet, and its benefits for the environment.
Completed this editorial assignment for @makeartthatsells
I’m pleased with the outcome, although I’m uncomfortable being prescriptive, but that was the nature of the brief.
Process
This is stage 1 to create a number of icons and to illustrate the concept of optimism.
I then moved on to thinking about the composition and how to communicate the tone of the article.
My preferred concept at this stage was this advertisement style editorial illustration rough.
I found that working with the elements on tracing paper allowed me to play around with the composition without having committed to drawing on the normal paper. I was then able to scan this and arrange it within a client document for discussion/ approval, before the next stage.
In addition to the final editorial illustration at the top of the article here is an animated gif of my editorial illustration.
Interesting brief from which I learned a great deal. I enjoyed it more than expected by finding what I could enjoy in the subject matter.
I most enjoyed painting the tractor and vegetables.
Early work by Kim 
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