djamilaknopf

I went to England, and I made a thing!

Added 2024-09-26 17:05:16 +0000 UTC

Hello friends,

Really quick, before I tell you all about my trip. I made two reference packs! As my patrons, you can get 50% off until 6 October, at djamilaknopf.com/store

Get 50% off the Nature Reference Pack with the code nature50:

Get 50% off the Wizard and Dark Academia Reference Pack with the code wizard50:

Each pack includes 100 carefully selected, high-resolution photos (6000x4000 px). As these are some of the most beautiful shots in my personal collection, each one would make a stunning painting. You can use them for any creative project you like, commercially or non-commercially.

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Now, onto a bit of storytelling!

I'm at the library right now, and I'm happily wearing a cozy sweater—finally, after an endless summer. On Tuesday, I got back from my trip to rainy England, and I figured I'd let you know what I've been up to.

Together with my trusted travel companion Luisa (@luisapreissler), I headed out to Worcester to visit my publisher 3dtotal, to meet the team, and see their office filled with all the wonderful art books they've made. Luisa and I had met Simon and Tom at Lightbox Expo the previous year, and we had such a nice time that we decided to visit them! We were welcomed with open arms, fed, and invited to a team meeting, where we all painted together in gouache after Luisa and I did a quick impromptu demo. We were also given a tour around town.

Turns out that Worcester is not only famous for its sauce, but also very beautiful, and filled with swans.

After only one and a half days, we said goodbye to the 3dtotal team and headed to the cotswolds to see a bit more of the countryside with its green hills and stone cottages. Unfortunately, that's when the rain clouds came rolling in and gave us a taste of classic English weather. But despite all that, we found a few dry hours here and there, to walk around and enjoy the scenery. What makes this area even more peaceful (or maddening, depending how you look at it) is that there is practically zero cell reception. On the bright side, you can unplug and disconnect from the rest of the world, or you can get completely lost without the faintest clue where you are with your Maps app rendered useless. In any case, we had a great time, and couldn't resist eating a full English breakfast at our accommodation.

Happy cotswolds sheep:

Some sinister-looking clouds are entering the scene:

Despite the rain, we still saw the door that inspired Tolkien in his writing:

Next up was another highlight: the beautiful city of Oxford. Having read Babel by R.F. Kuang, and not being immune to the allure of the whole dark academia aesthetic, I had been keen on visiting for a while. And the city delivered! Yes, it is crowded and full of tourists (myself included), and there's a gigantic shopping centre in the middle of it, but it still exudes a profound sense of history that is hard to find in most places. Around every corner, there was something interesting to see, and the many intricate stone buildungs are ever-present, looming over the city. My favourite parts were a tour of the gorgeous Divinity School and Bodleian Library, and exploring the many bookshops Oxford has to offer. Unfortunately, Blackwell's exterior is under construction right now, but it's still impressive when you walk in. Like a dork, I bought their official tote bag, but the book selection was so gigantic that I felt completely overwhelmed, and couldn't find what I was looking for. I actually preferred Gulp Fiction in the Covered market, which is a much smaller book store that has a well-curated, limited selection that perfectly matches my taste (lots of literary fiction and essays!), and a cozy café. Now, let me give you some impressions of Oxford.