FAQ: What materials do you use?

I quite often get asked about the materials I use to create my portraits. It's a question that pops up frequently on my Facebook page and Instagram so rather than go through the lengthy process of replying to each query individually, I thought I'd write a post on the subject, so that I can provide a little more detail. (I am by no means saying it isn't worth my time to reply individually!)

Pencils: I use Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. When I first started pet portraits, I was using watercolour pencils, but this is mostly because that's all I happened to have at the time. I've since progressed to the Polychromos and I really love them. They have a high pigmentation and a wonderful range of shades to choose from which really helps me build up base layers to make fur look really rich, particularly black fur which, believe it or not, is far from black!

I would like to try out some other types of pencils in the near future, such as Prismacolour, so that I can make some comparisons and maybe discover something that works even better for me!

Image credit here

Paper: The paper I currently use, and have used for a while now, is Daler Rowney Murano pastel paper, in the colour stone. I stumbled across this paper when I was trying out various textures and colours and after doing a few portraits on it, I found that it suited my techniques very well. Being a pastel paper, it has a slight raised texture to it which is brilliant for holding the pigmentation of the Polychromos. I love the shade and I think that it complements pretty much every type of colouring of the animals I draw; it provides a really nice base colour that makes the drawing pop out. It also means that I can apply white pencil to bring the highlights to life even more than I would be able to on white paper.

Finish: On the subject of highlights, the final material I use is Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Ink in white. I use this to sharpen and brighten the important highlights where the white pencil isn't quite enough, for instance, for the shine in the eyes or for whiskers. I am very sparing with the use of acrylic ink but it does help to finish the piece off and give it that final burst of life.

 

Digital: For the actual piece of art work, I do not use any digital tools; it is all done by my hands using the materials I've discussed in this post. However, I use Photoshop to create the mock-up that I will work from for the piece, which allows me to try out different compositions and see how they work before physically drawing them out. I also use guidelines on PS, much like the "squaring up" grid technique, to draw the outline so that I get the important features in the right place and in proportion. Finally, I use a Canon scanner or my Epson A3 printer/scanner to scan in the finished portrait ready to share with you!

And that's it! Nothing special really, just good, old-fashioned pencil and paper. If you have any other burning questions about my process, I would be happy to answer them so feel free to leave a comment here or email me at contact@missmagpiedesigns.co.uk.

Take Two

Yesterday, I shared my first completed portrait of 2015 on my Facebook page. It is of my aunt's cat Twinkle and was quite a challenge as her fur is flecked with orange and white so it took some real concentration. At the forefront of my mind while I was working on it was the fact that I've drawn her before, when I very first started doing pet portraits in 2012. In fact, I was working from the same photograph that I referenced for the portrait the first time around, so I was keen to compare the two pieces once I was finished, to get a sense of how I have progressed in two years. 

On the left is the most recent version and on the right, the 2012 piece. It makes me cringe to look at the older piece, because I'm so self-critical. My style was very different; much looser and certainly less detailed. It's a good exercise, though, to see how much I have developed my skills since then, however difficult I find it to look back. 

Of course, I still have plenty of space for improvement and I'm hoping that in another two years time, I will have honed my technique even more. 

Minions Wanted!

Today, I'm blogging from my sick bed. I haven't updated this blog since early September which doesn't sound like long but so much has happened over the past three months that it seems a distant memory.

You might wonder why I am blogging when I'm ill. Well, I have learnt something new about self-employment that I was already aware of when I started MMD but has become painfully apparent to me in recent weeks: there is no one to cover me. I sometimes forget, when I'm wrapped up in a portrait and only come up for air for a cup of strong tea, that I am in fact running a small business. Every aspect of this, including accounts, marketing and admin, is listed on my job description; there is no one else to do any of it. Yes, I could hire someone to do the accounts, for example, but I'm definitely not in that position and thankfully they currently remain fairly straightforward.

My point is, when life happens, which it does and chooses the most inopportune periods to do so, my work simply has to sit on my desk until I'm in a position to get back to it. There's no calling in sick; no co-workers to take on my workload; there is no pause button. That's scary. Let's go back to my present state of germ-harbouring (sorry!) Yesterday I woke up feeling pretty unwell after coughing all of the previous day. I still dragged myself out of bed, had breakfast, got dressed and got going on my To-Do list.

 I had a lot to do and, with Christmas lurking only a few weeks away, a short time to do it in. I packaged portraits, printed vouchers, answered emails, drew out a new portrait and ventured out into the bitter cold to pay a trip to the post office. By the time I got home, I felt horrendous. There was absolutely NO way I could do any more work. Today is even worse; I woke up early (because I was hot, not because I wanted to) and could only just manage to make myself a cuppa before falling back into bed. I'm not handling it well though because I am VERY much aware that I have so far lost a day and a half of work time. The work waiting for me sits heavily on my mind.

Back in October, my Nanna passed away. I won't go into details because those are personal to my family and I,

but it resulted in my having a fortnight off. I tried to get on with a portrait at the time but I wasn't focused and I didn't want to spoil the piece by forcing myself. Some things just have to wait. There was lots to arrange and extended family were staying with us, so I just took the time.

 I had worked out a schedule for my Christmas commissions and those 2 weeks obviously set me back. I got myself back on track after a while though and began to feel a little less pressured. Right now, I'm worrying every moment I'm not working. That's not healthy and certainly won't help speed up my recovery but it definitely comes with the territory of self-employment.

When there is nobody to cover you, there is a higher level of stress because you can't relax. I know I'll be able to make up the time; I just wish I didn't have to. I also know full well that I have yet to find the balance between work and my personal life. Maybe it isn't completely possible to find a perfect balance of the two. When I do find time for myself, say coffee with friends or a ride on my bike, I find myself feeling guilty for not working. Now, I wouldn't feel like that if I worked 9-5 in an office but, at the end of the day, I DON'T work in an office and my hours are not restricted.

 I'm lucky to be doing what I'm doing and that people continue to commission me; I never would have believed it two years ago. What would be extremely welcome though, is an "off'" switch! If you are in the same position as me, I would love to know how you handle this! Tips will be most gratefully received. In the mean time, please send helpful minions who know their way around pencils!

Getting organised

When my order book is very busy, as it is at this time of year especially, and my energy is almost entirely focused on my portraits, I find it particularly easy to let other aspects of my business slip. It's about finding a balance and I will gladly admit that balance isn't my strong point.

First and foremost on my mind recently has been my tax return which, to be fair, isn't due until January, but I really didn't want it hanging over my head longer than it had to be and I knew once it was done, I would relax that little bit more. Also, I'm off to Venice for a few days in a couple of weeks and I was aiming to have it done before then, since my return meant that Christmas would be EVEN closer and my panic would definitely set in!

Unfortunately, it isn't a half-day job (for me anyway; I'm not sure about others!) and I spent a long time printing out invoices and expense receipts until I had a huge pile of paperwork to go through which in itself took a whole evening. It made realise that I really should make a conscious effort to be more organised with my accounts. I guess it's one of those things you learn as you go with a small business. I keep all my receipts and I have an order book but I've decided that it would make my life SO much simpler if I kept up-to-date with these things; i.e. print out invoices once they are paid and the order is complete and shipped. 

Now that my tax return is done and submitted to HMRC, I definitely feel a teensy bit more relaxed and the fact that I've started a spreadsheet listing the status of all of my outstanding orders has helped me gain a sense of control. I've placed orders for packaging materials that were running low and started making notes for my website update in the new year, so now I feel completely justified in breathing a small sigh of relief.

It's amazing how much difference it can make to take a few days out just to get things ship-shape again. I feel like a weight has been lifted. Oh and I have to mention the beauty of writing a to-do list; it really helps! It's been said before my many but there really is a sense of immense satisfaction that comes with ticking an item of the list.

Now just to tackle my long list of portraits!

Featured in Etc. Magazine

If you follow my Facebook page or are one of the few who read this blog, you will know I recently did an interview for Etc. Magazine. Well, the issue I am featured in is now live on their website and the hard copy of the magazine is out soon, and yesterday I got to see the finished piece.

You can read the full interview at this link, just look for pages 109-111. Apart from the rather unflattering photo on the first page (I've never liked my arms!) I'm really pleased with it! The journalist asked for some examples of my work and I sent a large selection over but I never imagined they would include so many pieces. That is a bonus really as it shows a good variety and proves I don't just draw dogs!

I can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy at some point next week (hopefully) then it will feel real. Let me know if you have read the article and what you thought about it!

Exciting news for Miss Magpie Designs!

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from one of the feature writers at Etc. magazine asking whether I would do an interview for them as they were interested in doing a feature on my work.  I'm quite familiar with Etc. (a complimentary magazine that is part of the West Sussex County Times) and have seen some lovely features in previous issues about local artists, craftspeople etc. (ha!) so naturally I was extremely excited to be asked!

As they were aiming for publication in the August issue, it had to happen quite quickly to work with the deadlines so I answered some questions via email then had a photographer visit last week to take some pictures of me at work. The latter was interesting as it meant I had to have a HUGE tidy up of my work space, which is at one end of my bedroom (no studio just yet, maybe one day...)

Quite conveniently, I happened to have a portrait in progress on my drawing board so that made it much easier for me to 'pretend' I was drawing for the photos and I think it will help to show a little of my process in the article. I can't wait to get a copy of the issue and see the piece although I'm quite nervous at the same time; especially having my photo in there! Hopefully it will provide a little local advertising for me as I have a reasonable online presence but not too much locally at the moment.

If you live in the Sussex area, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for Etc. in August and let me know what you think!

Franken-dog!

I was asked to draw a lovely staffie/boxer cross called Cassie who sadly passed away recently. The customer Vicky provided a wide range of photographs but there was one in particular that she liked and wanted me to base the portrait from. It showed Cassie in a classic pose that captured her personality and included her feet, which was an important factor for Vicky.

As you can see, it's a wonderful expression but the photo itself is slightly washed out and not a true representation of Cassie's colouring. I decided I would have to do a little 'patching' so to speak, and take sections from the other photos to create a truer representation.

I used the above photo as my main reference for the colours and also took several of the facial features, such as the eyes and nose, from another provided image, then 'patched' these onto the original photo to create a more realistic version of Cassie's face, giving me more detail to work from. This is what I ended up with:

You can also see I have grafted on a new foot on the right as in the original photo, it was folded under and would have looked like a stump in the portrait! I couldn't help thinking of this new version of Cassie as "Franken-dog" every time I looked at it! 

Sometimes one photograph just isn't enough and I do have to refer to several, but being able to take parts from several images and patch them together is really helpful for me and I think that the final portrait turned out well for it; at least, I hope it did! 

**Artwork is Copyright of Emily Summers 2014. Please do not reproduce**

Going big!

I've started work on my next portrait and it is something entirely different from the two German shepherds! I'm still working in the large (A3) size but for this piece, my subject is a very fluffy feline called Orbit, with stunning markings of brown, black and ginger.

(This pic doesn't really show the scale but you can get an idea of the colours)

I have to say that I was (and still am) a little daunted by the prospect of this piece. It is the first time I have done such a large single portrait; normally, the large size is the option most customers go for if they want two or more pets drawn. When I first sketched it out, I realised just how much of a challenge I might be facing as I am simply not used to working on such a large scale. I knew I would be working in a much broader stroke style and getting down layers of colour across wide areas, particularly on the bottom half of the portrait, which features Orbit's very white chest.

Although I feel just a teensy bit intimidated by the scale of this portrait, I'm genuinely interested to see how it progresses and how I handle things such as refining and sharpening the details. What's quite amusing is how unnerved I am by the single orange eye staring out at me! It is about the size of a 10p piece, quite possibly the largest eye I've ever drawn, and to have that fixed on me while I'm working is slightly daunting. I like to think it's keeping me motivated and focused; every time I get up to make a cup of tea (translation: procrastinate) the eye of Orbit follows me across the room, as if to say "where are you going? Get back to work this instant!"

Perhaps I should have a motivational, all-seeing eye pinned to my wall permanently in the future...

Keeping on top of things!

This morning I sat down with my order book and a piece of paper, with the intention of working out my current booking situation. I don't keep track of my orders digitally; I much prefer to physically write them down on to paper as I know from experience that computers can throw hissy fits at any given moment and then where would I be?! Plus, I'm old-fashioned and stubborn. I have a Filofax instead of a digital planner and I'm perfectly happy with that.

I've had a number of bookings from customers with March, April and May deadlines, what with Mother's day in March and for some reason, there are a LOT of birthdays in April! This is honestly one of the things I find hardest about my work-trying to work out when each piece needs to be started in order for it to be completed in time and also taking into account shipping, especially when pieces are going overseas. Thankfully, three of the bookings coming up are collection pieces, so I'm not under such  a tight deadline with those. It's just really tricky sometimes to work out time-frames.

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is this: "How long does it take you to draw each piece?" I have learnt that I have no straightforward answer to this. As I've said before, I don't work to set hours. Each piece I do is entirely unique so there are so many elements that could have an effect on the time it takes me. I recently did a portrait of a gorgeous tabby cat called Elsa; it was in the smallest size I offer (A5) but took me a lot longer than I expected, due to the tiny tabby markings in her fur, which required lots of pencil-sharpening and patience!

Elsa

I really should time myself with each piece I do, just so I can get an average timeframe, but I never remember! My process is very stop-and-start as I find it can be too heavy to work for 5 or 6 hours solid, although that has happened in the past and I really struggled with it. 

It's about this point that I'm starting to stress out, much like before Christmas. It's only because I don't have a definite idea of how long each piece will take me and I absolutely HATE not knowing and not being able to plan things exactly. I'm learning more and more about how to be disciplined and to avoid procrastinating too much so that I can make the most of my time. 

Taking time out

This is partly related to my previous post about volunteering. I briefly mentioned how I was starting to understand the importance of balance between work and other elements of my life so I thought I'd touch on that some more.

I spent Saturday evening at my friend's engagement party in Reading, and stayed the night. She was one of my housemates at uni and because we are both busy and live a couple of hours apart, we only manage to meet up occasionally, so I am really happy that I was able to celebrate her engagement with her! However, I was only gone a day but I really couldn't help feeling like I should have been working.

It's crazy to have that mindset when I was away for less than 24 hours and the last time I had more than an evening off was probably Christmas! The plain truth is I feel guilty about the time I spend away from my work, even when I'm not particularly busy. It's always a constant presence in the back of my mind.

So far, I have only been able to put this down to the fact that my working hours are not set, I will work at all hours of the day and on evening and weekends too, so my brain doesn't shut off like it would if I worked a 9-5 job. Granted, I'm sure those of you with a 9-5 job still bring your work home with you on occasion and often find your mind unable to shut off; it's a given with any working role. The difference with self-employment is that the work is at home, so there is only so much you can do to forget about it "out of hours". It's especially tricky when your studio is also your bedroom, so there's always a constant reminder of what needs to be done.

I do make the effort to see my friends when I can, I just find it REALLY hard to switch off! I can't imagine how hard it will be when I go on holiday this year. I think it's bad when I finish drawing for the evening, settle in the lounge to wind down, yet am already thinking about what stage I'm at with a piece and what still needs to be done. I wish I had some sure-fire way of disconnecting myself from it all, even for a short time. I love my work but I also know how beneficial it is to relax and recharge.

Do you have ways you help yourself disconnect from work?

Volunteering for the RSPB

I started volunteering at the RSPB Pulborough Brooks nature reserve back in October, working once a week in the visitor centre. I applied for a number of reasons; my interest in wildlife and conservation being one and the fact that I work from home another.

I don't commute to an office or a studio and I don't have colleagues in the traditional sense (unless you count the two cats!) At times, this can become a bit isolating and every so often it gets to much, so I do really enjoy the days I can get out of the house, even if it's for a supplies run or a brief trip to the post office.

In my role as a volunteer, I feel as if I'm doing something really worthwhile, while spending time away from my studio and giving my brain a change of scenery. The best bit by far is having the chance to speak to like-minded people who share my interest in wildlife, particularly the visitors. I've had some lovely conversations with customers about the birds in their gardens, the animals on the reserve etc. and on a few occasions I've been able to share information about wildlife from my limited knowledge-base and people have genuinely been grateful for what I've told them. That makes me very happy!

My employment background is retail-based so working in the centre allows me to use my merchandising, till and customer service skills but being the first port of call for visitors, I'm also picking up valuable information about the reserve, wildlife and the RSPB as a whole. It doesn't hurt that the staff are pretty lovely too!

It's funny; when I first looked into volunteering, I had no idea that there was an RSPB site just 20 minutes from my door. I finally got the opportunity to walk the reserve itself a couple of weeks ago (only 3 months after starting work there!) and spotted some wonderful species of bird, including long-tailed tits, cormorants, canada geese and a kestrel, as well as my very first sightings of wigeon, lapwings and greenfinches. I'm slowly learning about the site and it's inhabitants and meeting wonderful people too; I even had the privilege of meeting Mike Clarke, Chief Executive of the RSPB on Wednesday!

I'm really pleased I've found a way to balance my work with my other interests. With the amount of time I spend on portraits, I often forget it's important to step away and allow myself time to refresh. There are definitely pros and cons to working for yourself!

When unique becomes imitated...

I'm really happy to have found a niche market and an area of art I can specialise in while enjoying it immensely at the same time. I am fully aware that I'm not the only portrait artist out there but what is great is that each artist has a different style, whether that's through the media they use or their physical drawing/painting style.

I do the majority of my work updates and posting of content through my Facebook page and I try hard to keep everything I post unique and true to myself and my work. What's been frustrating, even more so in recent weeks, is that I've noticed that my content is being imitated elsewhere. I'm not going to give details because I'm not interested in targeting, naming names, etc. etc. but I've been keeping an eye on it ever since I noticed it a couple of months ago and I'm now feeling so frustrated by it that I just had to voice it to let off steam!

It seems to be more obvious to me now, probably because I've noticed it and am aware of it much more than before and it's frequent too. It's not my work that's being imitated, it's the content and my style of posting. I know that probably sounds a bit woolly but if I was to give a list of specific examples it would be much clearer, I just don't want to do that. It's things like the wording in a status update or the photos being posted being far too similar to my own previously, to sit comfortably with me.

What bothers me with this is that I wrack my brains each and every day to come up with interesting and unique ways of sharing my work and progress with my wonderfully loyal followers and I just wish my ideas weren't being taken and recycled! The reality is, FB isn't making it easy on us small businesses so we have to put in a lot of hours of brainpower and physical networking to keep ourselves on the map. It's really, really difficult but worth it when you get amazing feedback from grateful customers. What takes value out of that worth is when you see that someone else is just making use of the hours you've put in and putting them to their advantage.

I'm aware that, because I've given no in-depth details or examples, this all seems a bit of an overreaction on my part but I simply needed to get my frustrations down on paper (so to speak!) in the hope that it would make me feel a little easier. At the end of the day, there are hundreds of supremely talented artists out there, each and every one with their own style and that something that makes them unique. What's important is FINDING that unique element and working it to it's fullest. Find a style that works for you and your work that is your own, and you are guaranteed to be remembered for it.

**Just to clarify: I have absolutely no problem with the artwork-there are hundreds of amazing artists on FB and many portrait artists all of which have their own styles and that is fantastic! I was just bothered by the style of content on this page.**

Cyber Support Network

**Apologies if the end of this post turns a little gushy!**

The reality of our era is that we all spend A LOT of time online. I'm certainly guilty of using several different social media outlets frequently but in my defence, the majority of time I spend on them is for business purposes. I promise that isn't an excuse; it is genuinely the case. I would say maybe 20% of my time on Facebook is personal and the rest is all spent replying to enquiries and comments on my business page or sharing progress photos. All useful and important stuff, in my eyes.

As for Twitter and Instagram, they are purely business and have been invaluable sources to me in that respect. I always swore I would NEVER join either of them, but I have discovered that I would simply have been shooting myself in the foot if I had continued to be stubborn, as all three of these sites combined have provided an incredible source of support for me. I have spent a lot of time networking and creating a small following of loyal fans, several of whom I have become good friends with. It seems strange saying that about people you have never met in the flesh, but it's the truth; at least, I feel comfortable enough to say that about them, they might not feel the same!

Working from home has it's pros and cons (a post on that coming soon), one of the cons being that it can get quite lonely working by yourself and when you hit a low point with your work, as I often do, that's the moment when you wish you worked in a bustling office where you can simply turn to your neighbour, vent your frustrations and receive some kind words and helpful advice in return. I have discovered that having a small network of fellow artists/designers/crafters just a few clicks away has really helped to fill that gap.

I find I am chatting to the same people everyday which is just lovely and the more I have been chatting, the more I have felt able to call them friends! They understand exactly where I'm coming from when I say that something hasn't gone to plan or I've spent the day procrastinating and got nothing done. I suddenly remember that there are hundreds of others out there going through exactly the same thing every day and I don't feel quite so isolated. Being able to chat about things that aren't related to work too, now that's the best part and what really makes you feel you're talking to friends.

It would be lovely to one day meet up with some, if not all of these lovely cyber friends in the future. There are often creative events organised designed for this very idea but so far, I've been unable to make any of them! Still, it's truly warming to know there's a friendly bunch of people willing to put up with me and my ramblings-you all know who you are ;-)

Self-criticism and learning to take compliments.

I hold my hands up and happily admit that I am far too hard on myself. It has been pointed out to me by friends and family many times before and I am well aware of it, but it very much comes with the territory of being an artist.

With each piece of work I do, I go through a rollercoaster of feelings; I will start off quite liking the piece, then it will suddenly look very, very wrong at which point I have learnt it's best to take a break and come back only when my frustrations have lessened. I generally get off the rollercoaster feeling pleased with what I've created (although on very few occasions this isn't the case!) and this process repeats itself with every new piece.

When I'm at my low point, there is nothing anyone can say to me that will convince me what I'm doing isn't complete rubbish. I work through it and I come through the other side.

What I struggle with the most is accepting compliments. This applies to my personal life as well as my professional and I'm sure I'm not alone! I never know what to say when someone tells me my work is good; I even struggle with the obvious "thank you". It's not so bad when it's online as I can quite happily reply without feeling ridiculously awkward but when it's in the flesh, even with close family, I really, really can't handle it.

For example, on Thursday I went to a friend's birthday meal, armed with a portrait of her two dogs that I had spent the previous week working on without being able to share any progress shots for fear of her seeing it. I was excited to give it to her as she loves her dogs and I'm one of those people who finds great delight in giving people gifts.

So she opened it and was delighted, then passed it round the table for everyone to look at. All the while this was happening, I felt supremely awkward and had to suppress the overwhelming urge to busy myself on my phone so I didn't have to see the reactions of my friends. Silly really!

Why do I react that way? I was pleased with the piece; in fact I really enjoyed drawing it, so I'm struggling to get my head around why I find it so hard to share in everyone's admiration. Maybe it's because sharing something you have put so much into, emotionally and physically, is scary. You're making yourself vulnerable and open to criticism.

Actually, I have a slightly worse example. My step-mum commissioned me to draw her sister's westie for Christmas just gone, and naturally I accepted. This was before I remembered that I would in fact be there with them on Christmas day, so would see her opening it-but wait! That's not all! The westie in question would ALSO be there on the day, as he couldn't be left alone for long periods of time.

To recap; I would be drawing a portrait of a step-relative's dog, would be in the room as she opened it and the subject of said portrait would also be in the room, available for direct comparison.

Now, that may not seem like a situation worthy of panic to you, but to me, it only seemed to treble the normal levels of pressure I deal with when drawing someone's pet. Needless to say, when the day came and the portrait was unwrapped, it was warmly received and Snowy was more interested in tripping people up than looking at his likeness, but I STILL managed to feel uncomfortable, even more so because this time it wasn't a gift from me, I just happened to be the artist. So saying "you're welcome" in response to the thanks didn't seem appropriate to me.

I don't think my self-criticism will ever go away. It may well improve a little with time but I'm sure you fellow creatives can sympathise with me when I say that it comes with the job.

On the subject of fellow creative folk; do you suffer with same problem? How do you deal with it?

I would love to hear from you, if not only to make me feel better about my crippling lack of self-confidence!

Welcome!

The first post is always the most tricky, isn't it?

I have written a couple of blogs in the past, but never had much staying power and always felt a little pressured to constantly update them with new and exciting content. This one will be different; I plan to use it as a tool to explore the ups and downs of being a self-employed artist and record my processes.

A few things about me, in case you're new to the world of Miss Magpie Designs!

-I'm a pet portrait artist and my chosen medium is coloured pencil and acrylic ink on Murano paper.

-I work from home in the Sussex countryside and my "studio" is my bedroom.

-I'm an old soul! The only heavy drinking I do involves tea and one sugar and I much prefer a wrinkled old paperback over an e-reader (although I do use a Kindle in my work; a future post on that to come!)

If you're a fellow artist/illustrator/general creative type, you may well find something of use in my musings-do feel free to introduce yourself, I don't bite ;-)