sketchbook ep 34✏️ | some pencil sketches, sketchbook spreads and work in progress | announcements: 💜May’s theme💜 + big project | impostor syndrome hits hard!🥶 (Patreon)

Hi!

I hope you’re doing well!

This new system of posting twice a week is working!

If I wouldn’t set it up I’d convince myself I should be work on something new for ‘just one more day’ and I might’ve end up not posting for a week (or three).

It’s flexible enough for my preferences but it’s also structured enough to prevent me from ghosting you again.

Anyway! Let’s start with the May's theme announcement.

It’s LILAC!

I already made some illustrations for this month’s sticker sheet.

You might already saw them on my IG stories.

I’ll share them in a second here, so you can take a better look!

I’ve always wanted to make lilac May’s theme but last year I just COULDN’T draw this flower. This year is time for another attempt! This time a successful one.

Maybe it’s not the most reasonable choice cause each illustration is super detailed and takes ages to finish.

Why does it matter? Well, let me tell you about the big project I’m working on!

It feels unreal to talk about it, so I’m going straight to the point:

I’M WRITING A BOOK.

Okay, to be more specific

I’M WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A BOOK!!!!!

So I’m becoming an author?!!

I’m working with the publisher and this book will be printed internationally and will be translated to multiple languages. Like, WHAAAAT?!

It’s a book about botanical illustration!

I write about my techniques, tips, thoughts, all the things to make your botanical illustrations interesting!

It’s basically creative mindset + techniques + practices!

About 1/3 of the book is going to be just text and 2/3 step by step drawing projects.

Wait, it really feels unreal to talk about it!

I’ve been keeping it a secret but the secret is out, I guess!

The deadline for the first draft is tiiiight!

And here comes the impostor syndrome!

Am I cut out for writing a book?!

What if I wake up tomorrow and all of the sudden I can’t speak English anymore?!

Am I the right person?!

What if my writing style is boring?

Can I even execute on such big project?

What if I can’t make it on time?

Can I explain my techniques well enough to write about it?

What if I won’t be able to come up with any interesting projects?!

Do I have anything interesting to say?!

What if I can’t even draw and I’ve been fooling myself all these years?!!

And so on and so forth.

I work with an amazing team, they’re super lovely and helpful!!

Writing a book wasn’t in my bingo card for this decade.

I mean, I always thought it’d be nice to do something like this some day.

Some day, like, later in life, maybe.

When the publisher reached out to me I just said ‘yes’.

This is what one do when such opportunity comes their way, right?! So here we are!!

I’ll be sharing some illustrations and bits from this upcoming book soon!

I might also ask you for some advice or feedback!

Uff, that was freeing to actually tell you about it!

Meanwhile, I do my best to work on other stuff cause I know myself too well.

If I took a break from posting here or on IG this break might take two months (and I’m not even kidding).

I have one more exciting project I’m working on (a personal one this time!) – I’m still figuring it out so I’ll announce it later!

Now, let’s see some of my recent illustrations, shall we?!

Some sketches!

I’m not sure if it has something to do with the fact that I don’t love my ‘pencil sketchbook’ (and can’t find any good alternatives to it) but I find myself sketching on the loose sheets of copy paper again!

I’ve always wanted to make such books+flowers type of illustrations (stickers?!!) and I finally did!

Speaking of flowers, the illustrations I shared in the previous post are finished!

I mean, they were almost done a week ago but I couldn’t decide on how to color vases. Simple white and blue stripes won!

This illustration unlocked something in my brain!! I had so much fun creating it. A silly text from memes, blueberries and foxglove!

I wanted to draw foxglove for the longest time but was stopping myself cause I’m very unfamiliar with these shades of pink (it’s hot pink I guess? Fuchsia pink? Oh, color names)

I already have a list of ideas for illustrations similar to this one!!

And now I’m drawing foxgloves again.

Apologies for such terrible colors, at this stage of the process it’s almost impossible to properly edit the scan!

Lilacs! These illustrations were inspired by the drawings of vases I made before! Plus I got to draw lilac in color for the second time (the first time was a biiiig fail)

More practice!!

These illustrations are small and I’ll turn them into stickers for this theme sticker sheet! I’ll make a few more, since the usual sticker sheet contains 12-14 stickers!

Lilacs in progress.

These drawings are bigger (still relatively small – it’s the pocket size sketchbook)

I hope you enjoyed today’s post!

See you in a few days for a catch up series this time!

I can’t wait to share more stuff with you soon!

Oh and if there’s ANYTHING you’d like to see in my book or have any question about the technique or mindset pleaaaase let me know!

Love,

Marta