Author: Emma Butler
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Down the Rabbit Hole
I love researching things as I put together these blog posts, but sometimes I get lost in a web of tangents. Everything I read seems to lead to some other fascinating thing and before I know it, I’ve lost sight of the actual thing I was trying to write a blog post about in the…
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Michael Harding Christmas Set
It’s Boxing Day and, having had a lovely day with family yesterday, I’m having a quiet time exploring some of my lovely arty presents. A particularly festive gift was the Michael Harding Christmas set of 4 watercolour paints, which I opened early so I could try them out in a sketching session at the Point…
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Stormbreaker Triad
In the week that brought Storm Bram to the Isle of Man, it seems fitting that I review my recently purchased Stormbreaker Triad set of Daniel Smith paints. The set is designed to help artists ‘command the drama of the elements’ and is perfect for ‘wild seas and turbulent skies’ according to the Daniel Smith…
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Caput Mortuum
Caput mortuum (Latin for ‘dead head’) is a rich, muted violet-brown pigment with a long and somewhat macabre history. Its name comes from medieval alchemy, where it referred to the useless residue left behind in a retort after a substance had been distilled. This earthy remainder took on symbolic meaning associated with decay, transformation and…
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Desert Horizons Triad
Daniel Smith released several triad watercolour sets during the summer and I thought I’d take advantage of the November discounts to try some out. Although tempted by many, I settled on the ‘Stormbreaker’ and ‘Desert Horizons’ sets as they contained useful or interesting colours that I don’t already own. I started by testing out the…
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Pumpkins at Hop tu Naa?
Hop tu Naa is celebrated on the 31st of October in the Isle of Man. It marks the end of summer, the start of winter and the eve of the Celtic New Year. Carved turnips or ‘moots’ have been made into lanterns for generations on the Island as part of the celebration, but more recently…
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Choosing from the New Derwent Drawing Range
Derwent has recently released much-awaited additional colours for its Drawing Drawing pencil range. If you haven’t already tried these pencils, they’re beautifully soft and wide-core coloured pencils that are an absolute joy to use. Although the original 24 set of colours is beautiful, it did lack in some colours, so I was delighted to be…
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The Colours of Port e Vullen
I’ve become kind of obsessed with Port e Vullen since I first stumbled upon it earlier in the summer. Each time I visit this small beach, just outside of Ramsey, I’m amazed at the interesting geology and the variety of colours and textures of the place. On my most recent visit, which was unfortunately at…
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More Artwork for the Map
The start of the new school year is my busiest time of year as all of the businesses I run involve working with schools in one way or another. It’s been a frantic fortnight of reconnecting with teachers and school leadership teams, restarting with some of the students I tutor and fitting everything into a…
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Sea Campion
Growing up in Cornwall, sea campion is one of those plants that’s like an old friend. I’m happy every time I see the white petals and puffy, delicately pink-veined calyx. I used to sit next to clumps of these as a teenager at my favourite secluded sitting place, just off the North Cornwall coastal path.…
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New Artwork on the Map
July saw the start of an exciting new phase of the Isle of Man Nature Journal as the IOMNJ map was introduced to school children and used as a stimulus to discuss our differences and a prompt for them to create their own art. It’s wonderful to see the very different interpretations they came up…