Good Evening Powells,

I’m trying something new!

I often draw quick sketches in pencil but then, for one reason or another, don’t ink and colour straight away. I might be on a train, or maybe it’s late at night and the lighting is bad, so I save the inking for another day. Yesterday morning I spent 40 minutes-ish with my sketchbook colouring one such illustration and I remembered to film it for you.

It then took me most of the weekend to figure out where to get royalty free music from that doesn’t make it sound like we’re in a lift or on hold to a telecommunications company.

I always enjoy drawing live on Substack but I’ve been mindful that everybody is slightly time poor and watching the replay of an hour long video probably isn’t convenient. So I’ve sped up the drawing section and the whole video can be watched in around 6 minutes, which is about the length of time it takes to burn a piece of toast or speak to an advisor in a telecommunications company.

If you want a materials list, there’s one below.

Yours in treble speed,

Powell x

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Materials used:

Vintage Lady Parker fountain pen

Carbon Platinum ink

Koh-i-noor 8b pencil

Derwent coloured pencils

Black ballpoint pen

Q Watercolours

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Good Morning, Powells!

I am now a DOG OWNER; a responsibility I have had with my husband for three whole (sleepless, joyful, slightly-confusing-for everyone involved, poop-filled) da…

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Dear Powells,

Here is the recording from today’s live drawing session, where I drew this fox on a bicycle:

Materials used:

• QOR watercolours

• Basenotes 2233 sketchbook

• My trusty R165 fountain pen by The Go…

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Hello Powells,

‘Happy’ Saturday. I am not happy, per se. Despite a lovely trip to London yesterday to hang out with my agent and discuss all things books, I woke up tired and slightly grouchy. There is no rhyme or reason for it and I got out of my side of the bed so I can’t blame it on that, either. I padded about in my pyjamas for a while with a cup of tea and then decided to do some drawing. So I hopped on here and, after some camera problems that prompted an expletive or two (sorry!), I drew this:

It was nice to play with different ways of adding colour to black paper. I used Holbein gouache in shades pink, lemon yellow and emerald green in a Basenotes sketchbook (size 2233).

Also, I have just made an impulsive decision I may live to regret:

Tune in tomorrow at 5pm UK time:

Live at 5! #1

I am now off to Hobbycraft to buy some air drying clay: a new obsession that I blame entirely on my pal Fiona Lumbers.

Yours,

Powell x

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Materials used:

Painted with a combo of Windsor & Newton and QOR watercolours, using Chinese brushes and a few by Escoda. Used a bit of gouache for the scarf polka dots.

The drawing was made with my tr…

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Hello Powells,

I hope you’re well!

I hadn’t been live for a while until today (sorry about that!). I fell into the classic stereotypical rabbit hole of convincing myself I didn’t have time because I h…

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Good Morning Powells,

It is raining here in the UK so a good excuse not to leave the house and to watch the above replay of yesterday’s live drawing session. I drew some monkeys and talked about the ‘brunch’ I had… which turned into lunch… and almost threatened to become dinner because the service in the cafe was painfully, mind-numbingly, torturously, have-I-been-sent-to-purgatory SLOW.

In an attempt to recover from the shock of waiting half my life for a poached egg and 9 greasy mushrooms, I visited my favourite bookshop on the way home where I bought a few books, a mix of new and second-hand finds. I was delighted to find three second-hand Ahlberg books, which felt extra special as Allan Ahlberg passed away last week. I’d not read these for a while and they brought back so many memories. I’m going to do a special Ahlberg post so I won’t say more about them now.

This week I listened to the first episode of The Island of Brilliant podcast, hosted by author illustrator Nadia Shireen and current Children’s Laureate and author, Frank Cottrell Boyce. Frank mentioned the author Kate DiCamillo (who I’ve never read - shameful!) and Nadia mentioned Varjak Paw by SF Said and lo and behold, I found both!

I also bought The Expanded Earth by Mikey Please. An illustrated novel about humans being shrunk to be teeny tiny which piqued my curiosity: my first ever story written aged 7 was called Tiny Me and Tiny You and was about the exact same topic so… I will be looking out for plagiarism when I read it. 👀

The illustrations in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane are soooo beautiful, by Bagram Ibatoulline. His work astounds me: it’s in the realm of Levi Pinfold or Angela Barrett. I mean, look at this:

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I was just about to pay for my haul when I found a lovely little vintage picture book called Teddy Bear Farmer by Phoebe and Joan Worthington. It reminded me of my favourite childhood book, Teddy Robinson so OBVIOUSLY I couldn’t it leave behind. There’s 12 in this adorable series, although I can’t find much on the author or illustrator… any ideas? Written in the 70s / 80s.

And that ends my book haul. I also made a visit to the library and borrowed 12 picture books so it was a very bookish weekend. Just how I like it.

I have a full week of Marty Moose artwork ahead which I feel slightly anxious about but I’ll shove the anxiety into the bottom of my left sock and hope it drains out of the hole that my big toe has made.

Yours, surrounded by books,

Powell x

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Hello Powells,

Something a little different from me today. As I explain in the video, the owner of one of my favourite secondhand bookshops is retiring and yesterday he held a half-price sale. Natural…

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Here’s the recording of today’s Let’s Draw! session. I was feeling a bit blurgh before we started and this completely lifted my mood - thanks to all who came.

We chatted about making mis…

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Hello Powells,

I had expected to send this to you much earlier but it has taken me almost 2 hours to pack for a 4 day trip to London. The weather forecast for the next few days is, apparently, accordi…

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I have had a very quiet few days; my nervous system still isn’t up to any strenuous activity and I am honouring that by spending my time doing quiet things. Drawing, gardening, r…

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Hello Powells,

It was my birthday at the weekend: I am now 46 years old. As my trip to Italy hadn’t gone ahead I decided last…

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Dear Powells,

My second correspondence to you in a week. Feel free to get a restraining order placed on me.

This is a letter about fountain pens and owls. If neither excite you, then you’re excused fro…

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Happy Sunday. I am pooped. I have socialised 3 nights in a row—almost unheard of for me—and I spent a full day yesterday at a Horror and Sci-Fi Lit Festival. Not my usual genre. I was d…

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Dear Powells,

Where did March go? I assume that before I went to bed on February 28th I must have accidentally eaten a bewitched apple and been asleep ever since. The house is cle…

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