Issue No. 1 - Top five things I want to do as an artist in 2023

My artist wish list for 2023

It’s a little late for new year's resolutions but I thought it was about time I organised some of my thoughts and ideas around what I want to do in the studio this year. This list is just artist/studio stuff, so things like posting consistently on socials won’t be here (and probably won’t happen, lol). I am putting this out here in public as I hope that having this list here will help me stay focused.  

I saw somewhere that someone had listed their top 10 things to achieve in 2023. For me, 10 is way too many as I like to be open to new ideas and not put extra pressure on myself when it’s totally not necessary. So here is my 1 to 5 and I will leave 6 to 10 to be confirmed as I get new ideas as the year progresses.

1 - Experiment with different mediums. If you follow my Instagram you would have seen I recently organised my pencil set. This is because I am sketching more and want to continue building this habit (see no.5). I also purchased some lovely water-based oil paints last year, which are still in the box so I want to start playing with them. While I don’t see myself suddenly using oil paint as my main medium or becoming an illustrator, I think trying new things is an important part of my process so I want to continue to experiment. You never know where this might take me.

Image - A box set of Cobra Water Mixable Oil and mediums.

2 - Try ink and paint making. I already use a lot of natural pigments in my work however these come in the form of pre-made, store-bought paints. Some of these are handmade by some wonderful people (I will give more details on this in future articles). The next step in this evolution is to make my own inks, watercolour and hopefully even acrylic paints. Not only will this help me work towards a zero-plastic studio but it will also open up a whole new world of colours and gradients that I can use in my work.

Image - Book 1: Make Ink by Jason Logan. Book 2: The Organic Artist by Nick Neddo.

3 - Build my photography work into my portfolio and online store. I have had a passion for photography since school, I even did work experience with a local photographer. On my recent trip to Kenya, I took almost 5000 photos with my camera and a bunch more with my phone (Haha). Typically after a photography session, either at home or abroad, I sort through my snaps, pick out a top 10 or top 20 (something manageable), edit them and then that’s it, they sit in a file where no one sees them. So this year I want to change that and put my photographs out there for you guys to see and maybe even buy in the form of prints.

Autumn leaves, Kyoto, Japan. Tired Lion, Masai Mara, Kenya. Salt Lake, Lake Tyrell, Australia.

4 - Release a collection of work on paper. When I first started Studio MelSky I painted exclusively with watercolour on paper. Much has changed since then and now I work predominantly on canvas however all my work begins on paper with watercolour/pastel/pencil in the form of rough sketches. I have recently started playing with inks and acrylics on paper which is making some interesting textures that I am excited about. I love working on beautiful Arches paper as well as some yummy handmade paper from Khadi papers. While these ideas are still in their early stages I hope that my next collection will be on paper as I will be able to offer original work at a great price point and without frames so they will also be available for global shipping. Out of my top five, this one is the most progressed and I will have more to show you soon.

5 - Last but not least, build a daily sketchbook habit. I am very keen to develop my sketching habit into a daily routine and I will be sure to share it with you along the way. This starts with me taking my sketchbook everywhere and when at home just taking a moment from my list of tasks to doodle. I want to experiment with different mediums and subjects and see where my sketching takes me. Hopefully, in building my sketchbook habit, I can share some tips with you on what I learn along the way.    

I took my sketchbook on my recent trip to Kenya.

I would love to hear what is on your list for 2023! Let me know in the comments. 

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