Dear friends,
I am thankful for the brighter and warmer days that have arrived. It feels like spring is about to burst at any second in southern Ontario.
We’re already halfway through April and I haven’t had the chance to pause to collect my thoughts until now—here’s what I’ve been up to!
I’ve been especially busy with admin tasks, which take a lot out of me. I just finished getting my taxes all sorted out. (‘Tis the season!) I’m usually pretty good at staying on top of my bookkeeping in the first half of the year but have a tendency to fall off in the last quarter. Even though I have a lovely accountant to help me file my taxes, it’s still such a dreadful process to prepare for every year. Now to catch up on my bookkeeping for 2023…
My partner and I have also been preoccupied with planning our wedding happening this summer. The big day is fast approaching!! Things are shaping together nicely, but there is still lots to do, including many DIY projects.
Being an illustrator, I just had to illustrate little portraits of us for our invitations. I ended up putting a lot of pressure on myself being the perfectionist I am, of course.
#PleinAirpril Challenge
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed I am participating in the #PleinAirpril challenge hosted by Warrior Painters, a 30-day challenge focused on painting studies from life or photos.
In March, I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario with my sisters after not having been back in many years. I always love looking at the impressionistic landscape painting collections by painters like Tom Thompson, Alfred Joseph Casson, and Clarence Gagnon. It gave me lots of plein air inspiration and prompted me to join PleinAirpril on a whim.
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I participated in the challenge a few years ago and it was so rewarding. My goal this year is to show up to paint every day and practice capturing light and colour, stylizing, and simplifying.
I’ve mostly been studying my own photographs, although I’ve painted from life a few times so far. The weather is definitely starting to be more favorable to paint outdoors. It has been really special to look through old photos to use as references and reconnect with memories. I can also see how valuable it is to paint from life—the colours are far more intense in real life than what a photograph can capture.
I find studies to be SO helpful for learning and expanding my visual vocabulary. By painting things I’ve never painted before and figuring out how to stylize those elements, I can bring them into my visual language when illustrating.
Trying my best to post every day! I’m about to jump into final art for a project next week, hopefully, I can still keep up with the challenge.
Gallery-quality giclée archival art prints are available in my INPRNT shop.
If you see anything you’d love to hang on your wall or give as a gift, this is a great way to support me and my work.
Julie Benbassat’s inspiring Substack post about her PleinAirpril adventure
The Essay: Art and Uncertainty podcast (via Eleanor Taylor’s newsletter)—Great reminders about embracing uncertainty
Incredible sketchbook flip through by Sainer #sketchbookgoals
Raquel Russo’s blog post on procrastination as an artist—so relatable!
As always, thank you for reading and sharing this space with me!
Talk soon,
Danielle
Catching up and PleinAirpril painting
I didn't know you were also in southern ontario! It was really warm last week but I think it's going to go back to cold temperatures again.
Your paintings look great!
Ahhh thank you so much for mentioning me! I've been loving your plein-air pieces, especially your choice in colors! And your wedding portraits are so cute! Congratulations!