Category: IOMNJ
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Past ‘One Thing’ Walks
While I was drawing a daffodil as part of a ‘One Thing’ walk the other day, I started thinking about past walks in which I chose just one thing to draw. As a blogger, not only do I have my sketchbooks to refer to, but I also have this blog. I’ve had a look back…
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New Artwork on the Map
New artwork on the map is always exciting, but especially so when it helps to show the very different ways we can represent a place through art. Recently, Jan Kinrade sent in two of her ink sketches of Derbyhaven. I’m delighted to have some abstract work on the map and just love how she can…
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New Year, New Challenges
This is a big year for the Isle of Man Nature Journal. It’s the year in which we start to deliver workshops to schools and the full purpose of the journal takes shape. As a result, there will be some changes to the blog this year and a new sketching challenge. We need your help…
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New Artwork on the Map
We’ve had a fantastic range of artwork to add to the Isle of Man Nature Journal map over the last couple of weeks. Before I start my ink-drawing adventures for Inktober, I thought I’d share all the new artwork in one go as a blog post this week. It was such a delight to open…
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Supplies and Resources for Ink Drawing
Ink drawing is such a joy, and I was delighted to share my love of it with the wonderful participants of the ‘Sketching Wildflowers in Ink’ workshop that I taught this week. We explored some of the techniques involved in line-making, shading and creating texture using fineliners, dip pens and fountain pens. It’s such a…
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Works in Progress
As the residency at Studio Umami continues, I’ve not had much time to think about a blog post. I’ve been spending much of my time at the studio talking to people about the Isle of Man Nature Journal display and the idea behind the interactive map. It’s wonderful to see the positive response and genuine…
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Isle of Man Nature Journal comes to Studio Umami
As I started the ‘Uncaged’ artist residency at Studio Umami today, I’ve been busy constructing the Isle of Man Nature Journal display. Featuring my artwork from the IOMNJ map and blog, the display contains hanging pieces as well as sketchbooks, information on how to get involved and some ‘Draw a Wildflower’ sheets for people to…
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Buy Books and Support The Isle of Man Nature Journal
If you love books and have been interested by some of the ones featured on our blog, then check out our new page on Bookshop.org. Bookshop.org is an online bookseller that gives independent bookshops a percentage of each purchase. It also runs an affiliate scheme that the Isle of Man Nature Journal has recently signed up…
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12 Days Wild
This year, I took part in the Manx Wildlife Trust’s nature challenge ’12 Days Wild’. The aim is to do one nature-based activity each day between the 25th of December and the 5th of January. I thought it would be fun, but I wasn’t expecting to get so much out of the simple push to…
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Getting Ready for December
It gets pretty crazy at this time of year and with a studio open day coming up, things are even more hectic than normal. This week’s blog post takes a sneak peek at the studio as Grenaby prepares for Christmas. There will certainly be cards in my studio! After the success of the raven drawing…
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The Value of Being Brave and New Additions to the Map
Inktober is the perfect excuse to explore ink as an artist’s material and develop your skills with this wonderful medium. This week, I’ll be sharing the drawings for the final two IOMNJ ink-drawing prompts, celebrating the value of being brave and making mistakes, and sharing some of the latest artwork to make its way onto…
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The Isle of Man Nature Journal’s take on Inktober
Inktober, created by artist Jake Parker in 2009, is an annual October challenge motivating artists worldwide to create daily ink drawings. Drawing in ink is so much fun but it can be difficult to keep up with daily sketches and respond to all 31 prompts. Here at the Isle of Man Nature Journal, we’ve decided…
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Unlocking Manx Beauty from Home: Creating Artwork if You Can’t Explore the Countryside
The Isle of Man, with its captivating and varied landscapes, has always been a haven for artists seeking inspiration. However, circumstances may sometimes keep you from exploring the Manx countryside in person. Fear not! In this blog post, I’ll show you how to harness the power of Unsplash, an incredible resource for free-to-use photos, to…
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Contribute to Our Isle of Man Nature Journal Map
Are you passionate about art and the breathtaking natural landscapes of the Isle of Man? We invite you to be a part of a unique and inspiring art project that celebrates the island’s natural beauty. Our interactive map of the Isle of Man is a canvas waiting to be filled with your artwork, capturing the…
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Open Days, Sharing Art and Ramsey Journal Joy!
Isle of Man Art Festival Open Days The studio was open last weekend as part of the Art Festival run by the Creative Network. It was such good fun to meet all of the lovely people who popped in and the response to the launch of the Isle of Man Nature Journal was overwhelmingly positive!…
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Welcome to the IOMNJ blog!
I’m writing this first blog post on the eve of my first Open Day at Grenaby Studios! It’s the weekend of the Isle of Man Art Festival and I’ll be opening up the studio to greet anyone who wants to take a look at the Isle of Man Nature Journal artwork and learn more about…