Rachael's Corner: Behind the scenes & beyond my comfort zone 🎨✍🏻📚☕️🌈
Hello! My goodness— we’re in APRIL already guys! Where is this year going?!
I hope you’ve all had the most glorious March, and— like me— have gladly welcomed any spring sunshine eking its way through the grey clouds of a fleeting winter.
Welcome back to Rachael’s Corner. This special time with you guys has quickly become one of my favourite parts of the month, as I always feel more closely connected with you lovely lot through my newsletter! It’s also super cathartic to have the opportunity to look back and not only reminisce on projects over the past month, but to also hold myself accountable for tasks for the upcoming month ahead. (I don’t always complete them, but I feel much more motivated throughout the month to try and get them done).
So, before we dive into all of that— have you poured yourself a hot drink? Are you in your comfies? Or maybe you’re having some down-time on the way to work? If so, I hope you have some time to scooch up beside me and have a quick chat beforehand. Feel free to pop on some relaxing music whilst we dive in…
The early bloom of March
I’m sure that most of us probably welcomed in March with open arms! This month finally broke through the dreariness of winter with its promising rays of sunshine, and splashes of purple and white crocus flowers greeting our feet on nature walks. Much of my time was spent in the studio, swinging between long stretches of solitude and sudden spells of intense socialising— there was rarely a middle ground! Even in my blue moods though, the arrival of spring never failed to lift me. It’s certainly inspired me to get working on a new illustration to celebrate this magical time of year. Watch this space!
When it comes to the social front this month, there was definitely plenty going on! For an ambivert who’s past self has said ‘no’ to things out of stress, anxiety, or just sheer busy-ness, early on in January I decided this was something I was determined to change this year. I have been grabbing almost every opportunity that has come my way, and the positive shift in my life has been palpable. I’ll touch on these opportunities later on in the newsletter— for now let’s talk about book work!
Mystery projects
As always, it can be super hard to discuss book projects when they’re still in progress, but it’ll be so delightful when I get to reveal to you guys what I’ve been working on! Last month I told you that I received an extremely welcomed series of book covers by a globally-known author (what a dream!), so this month I plunged right into that work. The deadline turnarounds have been frequent, but also quite breezy as I haven’t been overloaded with juggling projects like I usually am. I won’t describe too many specifics, but I’ve had the joy of sketching mountains, valleys, beaches, caves, oceans… and so much more! I’m in my element, and so far the feedback has been great which is so rewarding to see.
My agency have had the pleasure of attending the London book fair and the Bologna book fair in Italy this past month— such a busy time of year for them! I’m yet to receive the complete run-down of feedback from the publishers who reviewed my new work, but my agent was kind enough to give me a quick insight into how it’s gone so far and it sounds quite promising! Of course this makes me very happy, after working so hard on my portfolio in January. Even if no projects come my way from the book fairs— to simply be on a few publisher’s radars is a fantastic feat in itself!
Other than the book covers, I have been finalising the cover artwork for Nicola Baker’s final book in her four book Whistledown Farm Adventures series. It’s been a joy to work on, and I’m feeling quite sad that my projects with her are nearly coming to an end! Nicola and Jesse Green (the designer at Simon & Schuster) have been a joy to work with, and I’ll miss collaborating with them! The two final books in Nicola’s series will be revealed this year, so keep your eyes peeled on my social pages for the announcement!
Fresh from the studio
If you’re a follower of my Instagram, Substack, or you're subscribed to my paid perks here, you may have seen my newest illustration: Little Sun, Little Moon. I’ve been dying to illustrate a piece like this for months, but I wanted to give myself enough time to really figure out the direction of the piece whilst I’ve been settling into my new style. My paid subscribers received their first ever painting demo video this month, where I delved into my entire thought process from start to finish whilst creating this piece. I explored the artwork that inspired it, my experimentation with the colour palette, why the concept resonates with me so deeply, and— as promised— I shared all of the materials that I’m using at the moment. This study taught me so much about finding harmony within a colour palette— even when the characters are meant to be in contrast, like the sun and the moon. Somehow I think I managed to achieve the balance, but it wasn’t without much rumination and experimentation.
One of my favourite things about making behind-the-scenes videos is that I’m still figuring out this new way of working and exploring a developed style— so it honestly feels like you’re right there with me as I paint, chat, and muddle through it all. It’s like I’m learning new skills while bouncing ideas off you, even if you’re not replying in real-time… though you absolutely can in the comments! I hope you enjoyed the first video, and I can’t wait to share more this month— think sketchbook studies and plenty of creative play! If you're excited to go one step further with me and gain insider access to my publication, I’d love to welcome you into my exclusive paid community! You guys are helping me curate something completely new exciting and I thank you all every day for it.
Stepping out & speaking up
Now to finally talk about events! If you read my last few newsletters, you’ll know I alluded to a couple of events that I was preparing for at the beginning of March. The first event was to revisit my University— Liverpool John Moore’s— where I was invited to be a part of the Alumni panel alongside other super talented post graduate creatives. Despite feeling old as hell— and getting a few audible gasps when I revealed my age to my fellow, more recently graduated panelists (hahah)— it was such a fantastic experience. Not only did I get to share my career journey and answer questions from the third-year students, but I also took a lovely little trip down memory lane, back to my own time in third year. I remember working so hard that year, so it was a joy to chat with so many passionate, hardworking students— each one eager to chase their craft, just like I was back then.
And secondly, for World Book Day I visited my first ever local primary school: Our Lady Of Compassion in Formby! Woohoo! Visiting schools is something I have put off for years, mostly because I was never in the right headspace for it, and work has always been so full-on. But in all honesty, I have always had so much self-doubt with the premise of these events in the past. It’s purely a confidence issue, but— like I said earlier— I made a pact with myself in January that I was going to say yes to more of these things. And I’m happy to say, it was well worth it! I stepped out of my comfort zone and presented slides to the entire school, venturing through my career journey, my manifested dreams from a young age, my book illustrations, and also the importance of reading. It seemed to be a success, as I was told that around fifteen kids in one class started reading Jacqueline Wilson’s books after I left! I also took part in two drawing sessions with Year Five and Six in the school’s stunning library. Year Five were learning all about space so I decided to create some science fiction creatures with them. I’d never drawn characters like this in my style before, but I ended up having so much fun— and the kids dazzled me with how talented they were! My partner’s brother’s wife is a teacher at the school and shared some gorgeous thank you videos from the kids to me, along with some heart warming letters that made me beam. Have a look below!
Escaping back into fiction
It’s time for book talk! I really want to normalise giving up on reading a book if it doesn’t seem to be serving you. I so often feel I need to push through and ‘get it read’ even if I’m not enjoying it, but these days I simply don’t have the time if the book isn’t gripping me. And that’s okay! So, I tried my best with the book ‘Hooked’ by Nir Eyal (which explains how to build habit-forming products) but, ironically, it truly did not hook me. I didn’t feel like I was the intended target audience anyway…
Instead, I dabbled in reading a few self-help and educational books and found myself flitting about, unable to really lose myself in anything. It wasn’t long until I realised I needed some actual escapism again, and where better to find true escapism than in the wonderful world of children’s fiction?! Over Christmas I was reading The Wolve’s of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (and I was completely gripped by it) until my mental health took a dip and I never finished reading it. So, I finally revisited the story and whizzed through it with utter delight. I adored the dark and sinister aspects of this tale, and completely fell in love with the beautiful dynamic between Bonnie and her cousin, Sylvie. I finished the book on the train, gazing out the window and smiling wryly when I finally realised who the wolves of Willoughby Chase really were. Brilliant.
Look at that striking cover too!
The website saga: Almost there!
Yes yes yes— okay!! I haven’t pulled it out the bag with my content creation plans yet, or finished my website… eek! It’s so hard when you’re juggling multiple things by yourself and there are only so many hours in the day. I have been working sooo hard on my website alongside client work this month! It’s such a colossal job, and I’ve decided that next time I’m 100% paying somebody else to do it lol. I have a super busy month in April, but I’m so very nearly on the cusp of completing the design that I’m sure it’ll go live soon. I shall be posting about this on all channels when it’s done so keep your eyes peeled if you’re interested in seeing what I’ve been breaking my back over for the past God knows how many months! (Okay it’s not that great, please don’t get your hopes up…haha).
Social highlights
A few other highlights from this month included a trip down to London to meet up with Amy Kitcherside, one of the agents from my agency who represented me last year whilst my regular agent was on maternity leave. Most of our work zoom calls ended up in an intense fan-girl session over Bridgerton, so it only made sense that we booked a candlelight Bridgerton concert in Southwark Cathedral, London. It was gorgeous and so lovely to catch up with Amy in person again! I spent my second day in London meeting up with my lovely aunty in Battersea Power station which was a complete treat! It was so cool to see my books at the bookshop there too!
The rest of my month was scattered with numerous social meet ups with my wonderful friends in Liverpool— which was much needed! And we got to celebrate my partner running a ridiculous 1 hour 31 minute race for the Liverpool half marathon! I was so proud and inspired by him that it launched me back into taking up running again myself. I forgot how alive it can make you feel.
And lastly, we also celebrated the beautiful occasion that is mother’s day. I spent the day with my mum walking through quiet nature— where we both feel most at home. Ending this busy month on a peaceful and relaxing note was absolutely the medicine we both needed. I also gifted her a sweet little illustration. I hope you enjoy it too.
What’s on the horizon?
In April I will be painting and finalising the mystery cover series I’ve been working on, and I’ll be finalising the black and white interior artwork for Nicola Baker’s final book! I’m looking to fast-track those final tweaks to my website, film some content for my paid subscribers, read another children’s fiction book, and I’d love to get another personal piece done for a potential print. It’s all sounding a bit wishful thinking right now (as per), but we’ll see how it goes! Oh and I’m going on holiday to Paris at the end of the month to celebrate my partner’s 30th birthday. Happy times, hey!
Anyway— thank you millions, as always, for letting me share all this behind-the-scenes goodness with you. I truly appreciate you for popping over to Rachael’s Corner to spend time with me today! I hope you’ve got some amazing creative plans for the month ahead, and I’d love to hear all about it if you have the time! Feel free to reach out through comments or dm’s… I’m always about, my friends.
Yours,
Rachael x
The school event sounds so inspiring and rewarding!! What a nice way to share some of your skills and experiences! 💓