UPDATE // March is around the corner

The shortest month of the year is almost over! Here's a little review of how this month has gone for me:

FOCUS ON ARCHITECTURE

Drawing buildings and architecture has always been a huge weak point for me! I find that my workflow for characters just doesn’t translate so well to architecture, and that when I draw buildings, it tends to be too much a copy of my reference image and not as expressive as I’d like it to be. I really want to improve in this area and get better at drawing complex environments, so this month I’ve been focusing on trying out a new workflow that better suits drawing architecture. It’s been frustrating but also satisfying since I’m seeing some improvement! I'll continue to tackle this in some upcoming studies.

MORE WORK ON THE HOUSE

Just like last month, I’ve been taking it easy with work and spending more time on our house, picking up all the tasks that we had procrastinated on for so long. I spent tons of time cleaning out spaces that were cluttered and chaotic, like our attic and a few of the storage areas downstairs. It’s incredible how many things accumulate over time and how much space can be created if you sort through it! I avoided doing that for years, but now that I did it, it’s such a relief. We also spent some time decorating the house. I put up frames in our downstairs bathroom, and got some really nice riso prints for my home office (designed by Susann Stefanizen). Today, we’re finally tiling our kitchen backsplash! 

Here are the frames in the bathroom (still need to replace the image in the middle one):

This is what the kitchen tiles should look like when they're done: 

And here are the prints in my home office and our progress on the kitchen backsplash:

We’re nearing the end of our to-do list and it feels good to know that doing this will free up a lot of time and headspace for us once it’s all done.

UKRAINE

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine is at the front of my mind right now. It’s been heartbreaking to see conflict break out on this level in a place so close to here. I actually had the chance to visit Kyiv back in 2019 to give a workshop, and it was a beautiful city with kind people and talented artists doing their best to learn and build a career. The thought of them now being entangled in a war is gut wrenching. I’ve had a lot of trouble focusing on things in the last few days because it’s hard to completely detach myself from these events. My heart goes out to anyone affected by this ❤ This war is wrong. I don’t know what else to make of it, it’s just so awful and so scary. Hugs to all of you and especially those of you who are Ukrainian or who have ties to Ukraine, I can’t imagine how hard these times must be for you.

As always, thanks so much for your support. I'll be sending out links to this month's google drive folder today. If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to share them with me through a direct message or e-mail to loishh@gmail.com. Any and all feedback is welcome! I hope you’ll continue to be my patron and enjoy the content coming up next month! ❤