Sketchtember into Autumn
Top tips to enjoy the season
Hello, I’m Clare, a self-taught artist, I split my time between Dorset and Cornwall, UK.
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Hello Creative Souls 🧡
Welcome to my September newsletter. I am sat here typing with the patio doors open enjoying some late summer sunshine. There’s a family of robins pottering around the borders and one particularly brave soul that is sitting on the garden wall, singing his autumn song. The weather over the last few days has been glorious and so I have taken every opportunity to get outside. Lots of wandering and pondering, taking things slow and enjoying the changing of the season. This newsletter correlates with the autumn equinox, which falls at 13:43pm GMT, Sunday 22nd September 2024. This is the moment when the centre of the sun is directly above the equator. To celebrate the equinox I will be writing down my new intentions, making a few wishes and depending on the weather, I will sit by the fire in the garden, placing my intentions into the fire, releasing them up into the sky, travelling on the smoke from the flames.
The month of September has given us some delightful autumn days, full of inspiration, enabling me to create some lovely art in my sketchbook. I set myself a challenge at the beginning of September, to create a sketch in my sketchbook every day for the month. So far, so good, as there is so much to see and collect whilst out in nature or in the garden. The challenge is called Sketchtember and I have been sharing my sketchbook pages over on TikTok and releasing shorts over on my YouTube channel. It doesn’t matter what you sketch or how you sketch, the aim is to take just a few minutes out of your day to be still and focus on something that brings you joy. It has worked really well for me, I have been using a pencil to do the initial sketch, then black ink over the top, and then finishing off with some colour using my Derwent Inktense pencils. I must say, having not really understood how to use the pencils originally, practising every day means I now feel more confident using them and absolutely love them! However, it has left me hankering for more colours, so watch this space.
Talking of the garden, the flowers are still going strong, the bees are loving the autumn sedums which are a lovely pink colour. Although the bees have had a lot to contend with here, being picked off by hornets and struggling with the environmental issues that see their numbers in decline. However, like everything in nature, they still show up. My Emily Brontë rose bushes are still producing beautiful scented roses and I have noticed that my Cafe au Lait dahlia has finally flowered.
My veg beds are in desperate need of a tidy and a mulch ready for winter. My parsnips and beetroot have been successful this year, having suffered a big disappointment with my first seeding of carrots not taking and then the second lot were rather small and deformed, possibly due to the soil being too rich. I also didn’t thin them out, so I am to blame for not giving them the attention they deserved. As gardeners we live and learn I guess and at times, in my defense I just didn’t have enough spoons to contend with digging and tending to the beds. My lovely neighbours have provided us with cucumbers and courgettes throughout the summer and then yesterday afternoon another lovely neighbour brought me a bowl of still warm tomatoes from her greenhouse. They taste so good! Not like shop bought tomatoes!
I am sure many of you witnessed the super moon, which is also called the Harvest moon this week; it was so bright and shone like the sun. I set up my spotter outside to get an even closer look; it was magnificent, seeing all the craters and asteroid impact sites dotted across the surface. There was also a partial lunar eclipse. However, here in the UK, the eclipse was at 3:34pm on a Wednesday afternoon, the 18th September, so no chance of witnessing it.
So, that’s me all caught up dear reader, however, do read on to find out how I will be embracing the new season and my top 5 tips for getting the best out of this autumn. I will also add one of my sketching shorts at the end for you to enjoy. 💜
There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!
Percy Bysshe Shelley
My 5 Seasonal Suggestions:
Mood Boards:
At the beginning of September, in preparation for the autumn season I decided to make myself a mood board. Nothing elaborate or fancy, just a few words and pictures printed onto A4 paper. Things that represent the autumn season to me and how I want to romanticise the upcoming months. I used Canva, which already had mood board templates, all I needed to do was find the right photos and drop them in. Canva has a selection of photographs and artwork that you can use. You can also upload photographs from your photo library. There is also Pixabay and Unsplash, where you can download royalty free photographs. I added text and an inspirational quote in autumnal colours. My mood board contains inspirational things that make me feel motivated and cosy. See my list below:
* Ideas for future artwork or creative projects.
* Seasonal fruits and veg, of course pumpkins and mushrooms feature here.
* The Autumn trees and woodland paths.
* Seasonal wildlife.
* Baking & sweet treats.
* Books and movies.
Alongside my mood board I did an autumn “Ta Daaahhhh” list:
This consisted of things I would like to do, a kind of bucket list. I included things like:
* Go blackberry picking.
* Sit outside by the fire and star gaze.
* Bake apple and blackberry crumble with the blackberries that have been picked.
* Go for bike rides.
* Put an autumn wreath on the door.
* Get an autumn themed mug.
You get the gist, your list will be very different to mine. I printed the mood board and list off and put it up on my art room wall.
Autumn woodland walks:
Collect leaves, nuts, seeds, seed pods and feathers that you may find on the forest floor. Keep your eyes peeled for mushrooms and toadstools as well. Bring back your nature finds and make a space on a windowsill or sideboard to display your treasures. I like to record my findings in my sketchbook. September is a great time to start a nature journal.
Make a list of cosy reads:
This is the perfect time of year to sit in your favourite chair, get a warm blanket and read a book or two. I tend to have several on the go as I like to have a fiction book, a non fiction book and reference books, depending on what kind of painting projects I am working on.
My fiction book recommendation for this autumn is; The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden. My non fiction book is, Wilding by Isabella Tree.
If you have any book recommendations I would love to know about them, so please leave a comment below.
It’s time to dust off the puzzles:
I love finding a new puzzle with an autumnal picture to get me in the cosy mood for darker evenings. There are always pre-loved puzzles to be found in charity shops that don’t cost the earth. I love the Ravensburger puzzles with such lovely artwork and themes. Why not set one up on the coffee table or kitchen table where you don’t have to rush at finishing it. I find visitors to the house love to get involved.
I hope you find some inspiration from my suggestions, I know the mood-board and my ta daahhh list has really helped me to focus on what I want to achieve this autumn and they look fab printed off and up on my studio wall. It’s with some sadness that I say goodbye to the summer, however, I have a renewed optimism for the autumn season which has so much to offer and opens up a whole new window of opportunities.
Let me know how you like to honour the changing of the season and any books that you would like to recommend to your fellow reader.
Until next time dear reader, do what brings you joy this autumn and stay naturally curious.
Autumn Blessings,
Clare 🍄🧡🌻
Lovely post, Clare. What beautiful flowers (and your hedgehog is so cute!!!). I've heard that Cafe au Lait dahlias bloom really late. They're beautiful, but I've never tried them. I'm glad you got some flowers before the end of the season! Some things work in the garden and some things don't. Often it's out of our hands. Hope you have a lovely rest of the month!
Thank you Clare for taking me by the hand and gently leading me into autumn…