The Shifting Seasons

"In the depth of winter. I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

- Albert Camus

So it has been a full season since I wrote on this blog. So much has transpired. Little things, like small crystal beads are slowly threading their way on a string to make up the life of dreams that I wish to live.

In between threading my dream beads via illustration and design, I have been seeking opportunities to be creative, get fit and healthy, earn a living, reconnect with nature and understand the meaning of life and happiness.
Yes. Just small things! I'm sure that they can be figured out in just one season? ;-)

The winter season brought many an adventure and many an opportunity. I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to direct a primary school musical with a beautiful school. As my first year as an illustrator, the opportunity to work in any creative field in tandem with my freelance work is a bonus (and also helped pay the rent!). The last three months I worked every week at a primary school directing the tale of Pinocchio. 

Here is a doodle I created during a train trip to rehearsals:

I enjoyed using my acting coaching and directing skills as part of this contract. It was a lot of fun and I relished the chance to laugh and create with kids every week and finish with an end result that we were all proud of! 








On performance day I presented my co-director (the school music teacher) with this gift of a framed original water colour illustration. 
I wanted to embody her joy of music and the ideas that flowed so easily from her soul. There needs to be more passionate, open hearted and joyous children's educators in the world, and so I wanted to remind her that her path is mighty, adds colour and meaning to the lives of children and is highly important. I think she liked it! I was reminded of how much I love to give hand made presents - and how much I love working with water colour. I still have lots to learn with this medium, but every project is a lesson in itself.

I am also teaching for musical theatre school on weekends and after school. We are currently working on Disney's "The Little Mermaid". I'm directing three casts aged between 6 and 17years on this musical. My script is filled with doodles galore of course. Here's a doodle from the front page!

 I spent the winter season getting fit and healthy and added regular exercise to my week in the form of jogging, dancing and aerobics. I might have worn my 80s style leggings more than necessary and teamed them with shoes OTHER than my trainers…. 

Apart from exercising I decided to embark on a diet change (a peskatarian version of a low carb high fat diet) that has truly benefited my dream path. Apart from losing over 7 kilos in two months, the true perks of this new diet has included my mind becoming sharper, my mood more elevated and levelled, enjoying energy levels I have never felt before and my health and vitality increasing (including losing swelling and pain around a thumb that doctors had said was "incurable arthritits"). As an artist, this last point needless to say is life changing.

I decided in early July to take a surprise trip up to my family in Brisbane to reconnect with those I love and come back to  my roots. My parents were both in joyful tears with surprise when I showed up (complete with flowers for Mum and whiskey for Dad). I was reminded of the love that is always there for me in my family. I also got to spend time with my gorgeous niece (aged 3 and a half) and have a drawing session with her. One night we went out to a family restaurant. I bought her a "kids activity pack" at the restaurant which included a puzzle, stickers and a colouring-in sheet. I put it on the table as a surprise when she went with her Mum to the restroom. Impulsively I took the back of the order receipt and drew some pictures for her to copy and put it on the table next to the activity pack. When she came back she sat down and within one or two heartbeats contemplated both the activity pack and the paper with my markings and picked up a pen and went straight into copying my doodles. It amazes me how she just trusted herself and didn't let herself double think about what she chose to do or how she chose to do it. Absolute confidence and absolute attention to the joyous task at hand. She is indeed a teacher for me.

Illustration wise, as an emerging artist I have been busy trying to get my work "out there". My Redbubble Shop has seen quite a few sales with some pieces I put up earlier in the year, plus a few new additions as well. Redbubble - Lou Endicott portfolio

Here are a few happy customers who were kind enough to send me pics of happy people wearing my designs! 

 

I can barely express the joy and gratitude I feel when I see these happy people wearing my illustrations! There is something so tangible and so measurable to know that someone chooses to wear your art… It is truly humbling and makes my heart sing. 

And here I am last week exploring the natural wilderness here in Victoria in my own designed hoodie (it's so comfortable - I'm wearing it right now as I type this post!):

And here are a few new designs I have put up over the winter months:

Last weekend I was lucky enough to hear about a workshop with the legendary Oslo Davis - illustrator and cartoonist extraordinaire. His satire, gentle musings and blatant truths have been a wonderful antenna of our society and a new inspiration for me of late. I took part in a workshop at Third Drawer Down in Prahran just over a week ago and was reminded of the power and humour that illustration holds. My friend Bekky Halls (aka illustrator Saint Damascus) joined me to learn some insights on the world of funny and drawing. Check out Oslo's awesome work here: Oslo's Awesome Work

I have also been fortunate enough to be featured in a beautiful Australian magazine "Bespoke" issue 14  that promotes artists and makers. I received a copy of this gorgeous magazine in my mail today!  This issue focuses on Spring and embellishments and adornments. I make mention of two of my favourite handmade jewellery designers in this magazine Tess and Trix and Emiti Order your copy of Bespoke Magazine here: Bespoke Magazine Number 14 

Here is my copy:

And here are my featured pages (I squealed loud enough to startle my cat when I opened the mail today!!):

So what's coming up this new season for this little artist? I have two pieces of work featured in an artshow called Art 4 All which is hosted by Fairfield Primary School (which by literally COMPLETE COINCIDENCE was the school I directed the musical Pinocchio for!! I love how the universe works!) I will be selling prints in the art shop at this event as well. 

I will have two print on show at this event: Here is a snippet! (you may guess that I am celebrating Spring here….)

In other news I am happy to report that I have been contracted to work on my first children's book with Jet Black Publishing. The book entitled "The Day Jake Logan Robertson Ran Out of Hugs" by A.Nicky Hjort explores the importance and the magic of hugs. It's truly a heart warmer (and might give you and your little loved one a happy tear or two). I am honoured and privileged to work with this fantastic publisher (who donate 20% of profits to charities that assist children to read and write) and to work on such a beautiful manuscript.

Here is a sneak peak of a work in progress:

Apart from all this, I am remembering to find myself in nature every week. Last week I took a trip with my partner to Apollo Bay in South West Victoria. Cape Otway and it's natural surrounds are perhaps my favourite place on earth…. Here is Hopetoun Falls (just one of the divine places I hiked this week). Hope Town indeed. Heaven on Earth!

May this season of spring spring forth your most heart felt dreams

xox

Lou

I Hope

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning."
(Albert Einstein)

I love this quote by Einstein. I have been holding onto hope this month more than ever. The big question for me is "where will all of this passion to illustrate take me?" 

But the more I have pondered on this, the more I try and let it go.
I think the important thing is really not to keep looking too far into the future. Instead it is to grasp what is in front of me right now - that is to LIVE FOR TODAY - and trust and hope that these day to day workings will gather momentum and plant seeds that will sprout so gradually and naturally that I will be standing in a field ready to be reaped before I even know it. 

So what is in front of me today?

Firstly, my studies. I am just months away from graduating. There is still much to be learnt before the end of January. There are connections to be had with my classmates as we inspire each other along. There is a wealth of information to be sought after from my teachers. There is the joy of knowing that as a student I have the right to make mistakes - and fail spectacularly if needed. It's part of the process of learning after all.

Secondly, my work as a drama teacher. Although this work is not illustration based, it is fuel for inspiration and passion. Children need you to be present and awake to reach them. And when you reach them the magic can happen. I recently directed three casts of about 60 kids in each in a musical version of the ugly duckling. Earlier this year I volunteered to create the poster for these performances. On the weekend the last show was played with the final cast. It was when I was doing one of the final runs of the show that I realised I had a group of seven year olds peering over my shoulder with concentration while waiting for their turn to go on. They were pointing at my doodles, which until then I had not noticed were on almost every page. As they waited for their turn to go on stage they excitedly waited for the page of my script to turn so that they could see the next drawing I had absent-mindedly scribbled while nutting out directing notes.

As they smiled and moved closer to inspect my work the words of one of my favourite writers - Ralph Waldo Emerson - suddenly flew before my mind's eye:

"To laugh often and much
to win the respect of intelligent people
and affection of children…..
This is to have succeeded."

The joy on these kids faces was infectious. If kids are loving what I do then I must be on track. After all, if a child doesn't like something - they will tell you! They are the best and most honest of critics.

The show poster I designed for Honk:

So what else is in front of me?

Well, this is the obvious one. My sketchbooks, my pencils, my pens, my Wacom and my computer. The artists tools. Drawing almost everyday is second nature now. I am jumping at chances to take my pencil for a walk on the page. After recently joining Twitter I started to seek out other illustrators across the globe. I found a little fun weekly drawing challenge set by a design agency in the UK - Broccoli Creative Design.  To keep my pencil moving and inspired I have entered a sketch every week called "Saturday Scribbles" based on a set theme for the last month or so. It's been fun to see my work shared and retweeted and to know that oceans away people are engaging with what I love to do.

Here are some of my contributions:

Theme: Moustache

Theme: Bears and Bandages

Theme: Fireworks

Theme: Frost

Soon I will be sending my portfolio out into the world to seek representation from an illustration agency. This is a little bit nerve wracking, but I am feeling that perhaps an agent might point me in the direction of actual paid work. While thinking about my hopes and my dreams I drew this picture (which prints are now available from my Etsy shop I hope - print for sale)

So what are your hopes and dreams for the day? I hope that you have hope in your own hearts.

- Lou

one two caribou!

"Courage and willingness to just go for it, whether it is a conversation or a spontaneous trip or trying new things that are scary - it is a really attractive quality"
(Alanis Morissette)

So it begins! I have just opened my first ever online shop!

Introducing.....

one two caribou - Original Prints by Lou Endicott

Here is a screen grab of my little online shop:

 













 
A few months ago I was asked by a Facebook friend if I sold prints. My answer was "Not yet" - which sounded better than no! I had for some unknown reason had the phrase "one two caribou" stuck in my head over the last few months. I love a good rhyme and a bit of nonsense so the catchiness of the phrase stuck. So when it was time to name my shop the words just fell out onto the screen.

It's been a little bit of a challenge to open this new store. On a student budget, test prints and paper are worth as much as my weekly shopping bill - so it was a risk to put the money forward before having an actual sales.

But I decided that it was worth the risk. I have belief in what I do and have had such incredible feedback from friends and strangers alike since starting this illustration journey. It was time to step it up a notch and to see myself as a professional and begin to play in the market place. 

So far, I have sold five prints. FIVE! This may not seem a lot to seasoned shop owners, but to me (only three days in) it's a cause for celebration. My best seller so far is my Back Stroke Maiden (whose creation I shared some months ago here on my blog). She has remained a favourite with me - and obviously others like her two :-)

Here she is on her side, just enjoying the water....

I go back to college on Monday after a 3 week break (which has been heavenly!) I am excited to be learning new things again but also a little nervous as this term my design course heads into the direction of multi media and coding. Not my strong point. 

But I have to trust that if I don't know how to do something I will have the courage to just ask for assistance.

Recently I decided to be a little brave and contact a Melbourne illustrator for advice and tips on working in the industry. You can check out her beautiful work here:Laura Wood Illustrations  

She most graciously replied to my email with lots of advice and even gave me the name of her printers (which I have used for my shop). I subscribe to her blog and a few days ago received a blog entry that mentioned she gets contacted by students from time to time and she wrote up even MORE tips and advice. Legendary. I hope that when I am working full time in my field my door will always be open to share what I have learnt. 

Among her pearls of advice on her recent blog posting was this one:
Where should a person start if they want to pursue this career?

Regarding starting out, my first tip for someone that is about to get out of college is to not wait until you finished college to promote yourself or find the first commissions. An art degree doesn't make any different in the illustration world, so my advice is to start now, immediately, do not wait any more time to actively start behaving like an illustrator and look for work, commissions and possible clients to contact. 

I would highly recommend you to get a proper professional website (behance is good to share stuff with other peers, but not so much as a professional window for your work to show to a client). Having one helped me enormously. 

Then you could start emailing the clients you would like to work with. A nice brief email introducing yourself with a link to your new shiny website will do. 

Most of them might not reply but some will do! And those might become your first clients...

I particularly resonated with this as it is on the same track that I feel I have been on the last few months. Apart from this blog I have a professional portfolio on The Loop, a Facebook page, an instragram account and even Twitter (though this last one is still a little confusing!)

I am feeling like I am on the right path. It's a bit rocky and the going is uphill, but the view is exhilarating and every bit of encouragement from my friends and peers helps.

I hope that wherever you are today the going is easy and the view is a delight.

- Lou

IDEAS and INSPIRATION

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

What a week it has been for this full time student of design!

The pressure has been stepped up with assignments due every day this week. Lucky for me one of those assignments has been to draw everyday for 21 days. For this assignment we were asked to choose an illustrator we admire who's style is something that resonates with our own in some way. The first week we were asked to study the artists work and make direct copies (full compositions or sections if we chose). The next seven days we were to combine imagery of two or more of the illustrators pieces. And the last seven (my favourite part) was to draw inspiration from the illustrator and create our own pieces.

After an extensive search and bookmarking dozens of sites and reading through books and editorials and asking friends and fellow art makers for recommendations I found my artist to study. Her name is Sophie Blackall. She is an Australian who now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She has illustrated many children's books (and won awards) and recently had a book published called "Missed Connections". I purchased this book (it became an instant treasure) and truly set the wheels of inspiration in motion. Not only are the pictures delightfully unique, engaging and just so plain beautiful to me, but the subject matter was the stuff of pure idea generation. The illustrations are inspired from an online column called Missed Connections. Here, people leave messages after having a fleeting moment with a stranger that got their heart racing. In posting, they hope this small connection can turn into something else (if indeed the object of their affection reads the column and chooses to respond!) Check out her work here: Sophie Blackall  And by all means, purchase her beautiful book!

I decided to run with the theme of this lovely artist's work and turned to my own town for inspiration. Those who live in Melbourne would be familiar with the mX - a free daily publication handed out at peak hour at inner city train stations. There is a column in the paper called "Here's looking at you".  On this site commuters post up little notes to state a moment of affection they had with a stranger in the hope the stranger will read and contact the publication so that the two can get together to explore what may be. So I went through my newspaper cupboard (yes, I have a cupboard of newspaper to put under the kitty litter tray) to pour over these little love notes. And the inspiration flowed right from here. I chose to create my own original pieces with water colour (no digital work).

Here are my seven illustrations:

I enjoyed creating these illustrations so much that I decided set up a Facebook page for my illustrations.  Please check it out and let me know what you think: Lou Endicott - Illustrator  

(I should mention I have an Instagram account now too! Cats Are Baby Dragons (Inspiration and Illustrations by Lou) )

I have a large community on Facebook that I regularly connect with so it made sense to create a page with my illustrations to share for those who check their accounts daily. The response has been very encouraging to say the least! Many kind words have been shared and I am feeling more and more like this path is the path I am meant to be on.

It's such a beautiful feeling to be actively pursuing a dream as an illustrator and sharing this with others. After all, an illustrator is only an illustrator when they can engage an audience and create a response. Until then, I am simply drawing for my own satisfaction. Which is nice and all, but not the full gamut of the power I feel the pencil can wield. I feel in sharing my work and my dream the power of manifestation can only grow...

I hope wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you are honouring your own dreams and sharing them with those who recognise the magic that you have within.

- Lou

Swing set of Silly

MAKING ROOM FOR NONSENSE AND PLAY

“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” 
Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Ahhh.... nonsense.  One of my favourite concepts of being human. Children play at this game well. They know that it serves more than to pass time. They know that play is an essential part of nonsense. Just being there in that moment of time. It's not an experience as in something that happened in the past. Its EXPERIENCING. Being right there in that moment. Catching the wind in the face. Laughing from the belly. Feeling the rush of blood flowing through the body.

And enjoying the silliness.

Someone once said to me "life is rarely as serious as we believe it to be". We spend too much time worrying and fretting. The first three months of my course this year I think I spent a lot of time with my head down mumbling under my breath "this is toooooo hard!!" I didn't leave room for play or for the spontaneous. 

I am making a dedicated commitment to being easier on myself and to find a healthier balance of work, downtime and play time. To remember that balance is the key to a life well lived. As Dr Seuss says:

"You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.And never mix up your right foot with your left." 

 (from Oh! The Places You'll Go!)

So to remind me of this balance and this sense of play today I drew a picture of a girl on a swing set. Her pup looks up at her enjoying the sight.

How long has it been since YOU swung on a swing set?  

LITTLE IDEAS WITH LOTS OF HEART

DOODLE IS NOT A DIRTY WORD

"Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas"
(Henry Ford)

I am a huge believer in the power of doodling. That is drawing with no other purpose other than for the feeling of drawing itself. You never know what might appear. My enthusiasm for this process is growing every day and every week. I love seeing people at train stations, or cafes or restaurants going through this process of mind alteration. Because I know that it has value.

Here is an interesting TED talk on the power of doodling: Sunni Brown: Doodlers, unite!

So I thought I would share the process of a doodle I did yesterday in class. The class was an interesting one. All about the advertising campaigns and strategies. So my intent of doodling was not to relieve boredom but to let creative ideas flow through. At the end of the class I had a meeting with a group of other students to discuss an assignment on promoting a product. By then my ideas were really starting to flow and I by the end of our meeting I had drawn up preliminary sketches for billboards for this new product.

I think the initial doodle that I did in class - which had nothing to do with the assignment, just put my creativity into first gear and allowed ideas to enter into my mind quicker. When I came back to the doodle later while on the train home, I decided to add in ink. I lost track of time and space drawing the hair at this point. I have to draw more hair! So much fun! I was pretty happy with this sketch by now. So much so that I decided to come home and add colour and an environment to this doodle.  Here is the process:

The pencil doodle:

And then the train doodle (adding ink and pencil shadows):

And then added colour:

I could have left it at that. I liked the pop of red against the cool green. But I decided to put her in an environment suited to her body pose.
Here she is:

I call her "Backstroke Maiden". I think she's rather lovely. Peaceful and going with the flow.

MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH CHILDREN

INSPIRATION COMES IN ALL SIZES

"Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up"
(Pablo Picasso)

So yesterday I told of a small boy Luke (aged 7) coming to my door selling raffle tickets. We got into a great discussion about drawing and he set me the challenge of drawing a tarantula and a bushmaster snake. If you haven't read it check it out so that this new post makes a bit more sense chronologically: All Things Creepy and Crawly

After I put the pictures up on the blog I took the originals, put them in an envelope and walked to Luke's house. I wasn't sure exactly of where he lived, but he had given me a house number.  So I rang the bell. Luke's Dad answered the door. And pretty soon I was chatting with Luke and his Mum and Dad and his little brother Liam. 

It's an odd and wonderful thing to find yourself standing in a neighbours house because a small boy changed the course of your day. I think we were all a bit inspired by the power a young boy can have to create inspiration and joy.

They were delighted to hear about the exchange and the challenge that Luke had set me. They also were impressed that I responded to the challenge so quickly! "You have to come and see this..." His Mum said. So I was led into the lounge room to see a coffee table COVERED in drawings that Luke had done since meeting me a couple of hours before hand. Apparently Luke had been talking about me for those hours as he drew and wanted to do his BEST work so that the drawings he put in my letterbox would really showcase what he could do as an artist.

I asked if I had permission to put his pictures up here on my blog. At this point he re-examined them and decided that a few more touches would be needed before they went on the internet.

So....

Today my door bell rang again. And there is Luke and Liam and his Mum. Apparently, to Luke,  I am (in his own words) "My best friend on the whole block!" And in my new buddies hand was a large white envelope with writing on the front.....

Apart from the words themselves (which I immediately treasured), I loved the drawing of the insect in the bottom right hand corner. Almost like a picture mark for the artist himself. Flying bravely forward with delight!

Inside the envelope are the best treasures yet: Luke's own response to the challenge complete with the final touches he promised. They are magnificent (and if I may dare say -  a little terrifying in their accuracy). 

First up, the tarantula. I love the shapes that Luke used to put this picture together. In fact I am AMAZED just how accurate this drawing is. The large back abdomen, the arched legs (complete with perfectly sized and proportioned sections on each leg), the fang (with a drop of venom), and the overall texturing. "You wouldn't want to get one of those needles in your eye!" Luke warned me with a giggle. Indeed not.

Did I mention that Luke is just seven?
The mind boggles.

His enthusiasm and commitment to create this spider (and all of his other pictures) is truly an inspiration. And his drawing skills are second to none.

Be warned... this picture of a tarantula is definitely NOT for the faint of heart!

Next we have the Bushmaster Snake. We see the ferociousness of the snake in it's facial expression and it's dynamic ready-to-move wavy form. It's definitely NOT to be messed with. The leaves and the twigs give this beauty an environment in which to live and to slither about. The red diamonds on the back of the snake scream out "Danger!" 

The whole page is taken up with this scene. Sometimes when I am drawing I tend to stick to a corner of the page or to be quite precious with small and fine strokes. Not Luke. He boldly makes his marks across the whole page. I think I can learn from this...

And here is another picture he gave me to "look up on the internet". This time it's a lizard. An Australian Monitor lizard to be exact. Goanna's fall under the umbrella of monitor lizard. They are beautiful yet fierce reptiles. I think Luke captured both of these qualities exceptionally well.

And finally, Luke's "most special" drawing of all. This last picture is of a completely new creature. Luke has lent me this picture as he would like me to copy it. 

"It's called a Roller Boller" Luke said.
"I'll have to research this creature on the internet" I told him when he showed me. 
"No. You can't do that Lou. Because it came out of my imagination. So there's no stuff about it anywhere. You just have to look at the picture." 
And look at the picture I have. I promised I would take great care with this picture as it's clearly a prototype for something never seen before. 

Between you and me readers, this picture is my favourite.

So without further ado, I give to you the contents of one remarkable seven year old's imagination...

Introducing: THE ROLLER BOLLER.....

I couldn't resist putting some colour in to Luke's amazing drawing:

So there you have it. 
My weekend of inspiration and creative imaginings all thanks to my new best friend on the block.

Luke and me at the front door.

The artist and his work.