March Momentum
Figure and goose piece in progress. Colored pencil on bristol. 2026.
Art Updates - March
Spring is finally here (!!) which means I’m back on instagram and back to work. For the past two years, I’ve taken a break from participating on ig from autumn equinox to spring equinox in order to enter a slow winter state. I like to reevaluate my position and create quietly without the need to achieve. The main purpose for writing these updates during the break was to stay somewhat visible on another platform while practicing my writing. It’s fun to have something posted elsewhere where I can go more in-depth, which is why I’ll keep writing these.
February & March Supper Clubs
This supper club mainly featured Vietnamese food, with Makayla’s homemade pho as the main course. We’re excited to have pho at home because we can’t always get to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, which is 45 minutes away. Inspired by the 7-course French dinner we did in January, this one had 5 courses. I had even more fun designing this menu than last month’s. I looked into printing at a local shop, but it would be quite expensive to print just 3 menus, so I printed them at Staples again. I did a better job of preparing my file this time so the colors were accurate. I’m still taking a tour of their paper options by trying a different one every time I order. I should just request a sample pack.
Makayla and Fern were feeling nostalgic for Friendly’s, so we recreated their childhood fare for March. I wasn’t sure if I’d design a menu, so I had a lot of false starts and never fully committed. By the time I got into a flow with it, it was too late to finish and get printed in time. I’ll attach the unfinished design, though. We haven’t decided yet on a theme for April, but I think I’ll be a little sad if I didn’t work on a design for it.
Current Work
Spring has given me momentum. I returned to the figure and goose, a piece I began months ago and am on track to finish in the next month. I kept taking it from the shelf to admire it and decided it’s too valuable to leave hidden away and unfinished. When I spend time on bringing it to life, I feel fulfilled, even if I’m tired from the workday.
‘Til next time,
Hannah
February Art Updates
Open/Closed Projects
February. Février. I finished the French Supper Club Menu. It printed differently than my digital design, which was disappointing because I know better. Oh well, I’ll do better next time. I had a vision of my menu card having crisp, professional-looking scalloped edges, but I’m not sure where to get that done, especially for only a few prints. I only needed three menus, so I cut them out with scissors. Other than the print job, I’m really pleased with the design. The dinner was phenomenal. I’m attaching photos from that night because it was all art.
The goose and nude piece is still in process. Honestly, I haven’t touched it in a long time, which doesn’t feel good. I set out to work on it in January with the intention to put it on paper as soon as it was a complete idea, work on it almost every day, and finish in a timely manner. The goose and woman figures themselves are nearly done, but the question of what to do with the background is holding me up.
I’d also like to come up with a name for the piece other than Goose and “woman” or “nude woman” or “nude” before signing off on it.
Next Projects
The next supper club will feature Vietnamese food! I’ve already finished the menu and will try to get it printed at a local shop this time (and make sure everything is in order with my file before sending). I’ll post the design after supper club.
Sketchbook
Instead of only using colored pencils for my sketchbook pages, I’ve moved to using a combination of colored pencil, Tombow marker, and pen. It’s fun. I’m trying to keep it light and playful.
‘Til next time,
Hannah
January Art Updates
I want an easy way to update my friends and anyone else who is interested in this creative practice. Here are the art updates for January:
Close-up of my most recent piece, Magic Forest, 2026. Colored pencil on paper.
I want an easy way to update my friends and anyone else who is interested in this creative practice. Here are the art updates for January:
I closed the back cover on my second-ever completed sketchbook. And then opened it back up to compare the first and last pages. I would say colored pencils and I have grown a lot together, but they are shrinking, rapidly.
Taking photos of a piece in progress is building my confidence. Small bits of color spread out across a page don’t look like much, the abundance of white space holding my self-doubt. I’ll add more detail the the next day, compare the shots in my photo gallery, and feel like I’m getting somewhere. It’s not a waste of time, it’s not a waste of time.
I have two open projects at the moment: a dinner menu design for my friends’ monthly book/supper club and an 11x13 colored pencil drawing of a canada goose draped over a nude woman. I make a bit of progress on one or both each day. It feels good to be working.
‘Til next time,
Hannah