March in Books

Sometimes it feels the days, weeks and months slip through my fingers like water. March was such a month for me. It was my 35th birthday on February 24 and I was lucky to celebrate it with friends on several occasions as I generally don’t throw a big party but prefer to see friends one to one or in small groups. Late Feb and March have been filled to the brim with work and fun, and it feels like I’m only just getting back to ‘normal’ life. Time has the annoying quality of speeding up into hyperdrive when having a good time.

In this post I wanted to share with you all the art and illustration related books I got in March. It might seem like a lot, but some of them I purchased earlier in the year and had them shipped a friends address in the UK. Shipping to The Netherlands has become so expensive since Brexit (cries in European). I was in Cambridge for a few glorious days late March and next to seeing my lovely friends, I got to pick up all my goodies (thanks Frances). 

Mark Hearld - Raucous Invention, the Joy of Making

I’ve been so excited to get my hands on this ever since St. Jude’s announced they were doing a reprint of ‘Raucous Invention’. I haven’t had a proper look but what did caught my eye was the Collage Manifesto, and it spoke right to my heart. Mark Hearld is an incredibly prolific British artist who works mainly in printmaking and collage. It is incredible to me how his work is so meticulous yet intuitive, carefully crafted yet at the same time an explosion of joy and energy on the page. ‘Raucous Invention, the Joy of Making’ is a beautiful hardcover book full of insights into this fascinating artist. 

Emma Carlisle - Devon & Cornwall Sketchbooks - New Zealand Sketchbooks

I was so lucky to get both Emma’s books in a seconds sale on her site. I have no idea why these books qualified as seconds because they are absolutely stunning. In the books Emma generously shares her observational drawing sketchbooks from 2018 to 2022, taking us along on her journey and her development as an artist. It is such an interesting and inspiring insight into her creative practice, seeing how she starts out tentatively with just a 6B pencil, getting more and more confident and bold with colour and materials. I’ve quoted Emma on this blog before (about slow progress), but it is so fascinating to see five years of observational drawing like this. Observational drawing continues to be a struggle for me at times, but these books give me courage and reassurance that it is okay to start out small and that the main thing is to just keep at it. As Emma says in ‘Devon & Cornwall Sketchbooks’;

“I often compare drawing to lifting weights - you’d never expect to pick up an 80kg weight straight away. Still, when we approach drawing, we expect the first drawing to go perfectly. However, practice, learning from bad drawings and consistency are what build up a good drawing practice.”

Sandra Lawrence - The Witch’s Garden & The Magic of Mushrooms

I got both these books during my trip to Cambridge, at the gift shop in the Botanical Gardens. Together with my friends Frances and Cathy I spend the loveliest morning sitting in front of the Yoshino Cherry tree that was in full bloom. There is nothing like having a good conversation with friends, drinking a hot coffee and working in our sketchbooks together. 

Last autumn a friend recommended ‘Entangled’ by Merlin Sheldrake and ever since I’ve been rather obsessed with mushrooms. When I saw these beauties by Sandra Lawrence, I knew I had to get them. Both books are full of beautiful old images and drawings, such good references and inspiration for my current troll project/idea/doodles. More on that soon!

Gustav Schwab - Greek Myths

This book is brimming with beautiful illustrations and prints by painters and illustrators such as Arthur Rackham, Edward Burne-Jones and Walter Crane. 

I’ve always been fascinated by mythology and it is a dream of mine to do a project on the topic once. An ongoing trend I’ve been loving lately are the retellings of myths from a female perspective. One of my favourite books of all time is ‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller and currently on my nightstand you will find ‘Ariadne’ and ‘Elektra’ by Jennifer Saint. 

Another thing worth mentioning here is ‘The Endless Odyssey’, a beautiful card game illustrated by  British artist and printmaker Sarah Young. One of those projects that made me wish I had thought of making it myself. 

Shaun Tan - The Bird King Sketchbook

Looking through the sketchbooks of Shaun Tan is like stepping into another dimension filled with bizarre creatures, beautiful colour studies and amazing characters. There is some commentary from the author himself, but if you’re looking for more in-depth information on the project I recommend his interview from ‘Picturebook Makers’, where he discusses ‘The Bird King’ as well. 

Kawanabe Kyosai - Picture Books of Kawanabe Kyosai

I picked up this lovely little book when visiting the Siebold House, a Japan museum here in Leiden. It is a collection of random woodblock printed images on various topics, like skeletons, animals and ghosts. I love how contemporary these images feel, even though Kyosai made them in the 19th century. My favourite spread is, obviously, the one with the cats.

Do you have a favourite art or illustration book that you go back to for inspiration? Would love to hear from you in the comments!

As always, thanks for being here. See you in the next one.

X Maris

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Links:

Mark Hearld
Raucous Invention

Emma Carlisle
Devon & Cornwall Sketchbooks
New Zealand Sketchbooks 

Sandra Lawrence 
The Magic of Mushrooms
The Witch’s Garden

Gustav Schwab
Greek Myths

Sarah Young
The Endless Odyssey

Shaun Tan
The Bird King Sketchbook

DPictus
Picturebook Makers

Kawanabe Kyosai
Picture Books of Kawanabe Kyosai