Life has been busy recently, and I haven’t had any time at all for writing, unfortunately. In other news, recently I’ve been sewing, doing college work, and some great things have happened; I visited Prague earlier this month, and last month I got a girlfriend, whom I like a lot and have been spending my weekends with. I’m having a lot of fun and feel very happy lately, despite not having much time to write or blog.
However, this weekend, Stella (my girlfriend) and I visited Waterstones in Lancaster and came across a lovely range of children’s books, all bright, cheerful and gorgeously illustrated. In all, we spent an hour and a half in the store, milling through for illustrations, nostalgia and classics. It was brilliant fun, and I was filled with inspiration and the urge to pick up my art again.
I also found one illustrated book that I particularly liked, called The Liszts by Kyo Maclear and Julia Sarda; the style is very interesting, and I love the colour palette. Stella and I read it together, and we both really enjoyed it despite it being more aimed at children. It has inspired me to want to draw covers for my books myself, and do some illustrations for the chapters too! I’m pretty excited thinking about it.
I’ve had the idea that I can re-release When the Summer Ends and Mansions of Glass as special editions, filled with my own illustrations (perhaps three for each chapter, if I’m lucky) in a style that I can work with. After all, I am an art student at the moment, and although I’ve been off drawing for a while, I’m very inspired now! The edition will also be edited and revised to make it the best it can potentially be. I’m getting a new graphics tablet for Christmas, so I shall get to work during the holiday season, around writing Roses for Margaret and future books!