Fiona Meakin Designs - Draw With Fi

We've had more lovely reviews! If you have yet to do one you can leave one by clicking on the link mybook.to/thelittleliger You can also buy on that link too. Thank you. Jen & Fi   The Little Liger 

Did you know that the collective name for a group of robins is a round?  I didn't actually know this until I looked it up the other day! I'm now in the third year of creating my hand painted robin decorations and the noun 'round' is perfect because I paint them onto little, round, wooden slices. They are available to buy over at my gift shop, The Little Heron Available in family flocks of 3, they can also be personalised.  I hope you enjoy looking around.  Fi xx

Letting Go So You Can Be Who You Came Here To BE: So, letting go! This is purely the definition as I understand it in this moment in time.  It has taken me a long time to be able to understand how to 'let go' and what it really even means. It's a term we hear banded about all over the place and considering the education branch of my business is called Let Go & Sell Art, it's about time I got this straight in my own mind! Ha!  For me though, 'Letting Go' has been a movable feast, letting go without really letting go, and a gradual process. I'm a hanger-on-er, an over thinker, a what-iff-er! What has just hit me, however, is this statement: I LOVE to write! And bare with me, there is a link. I didn't always, and it hasn't always flown so easily. I have this blog to thank for the fact that writing has become an important part of my job and my practice as an artist. Just as important as drawing.  You see, the thing is that I ...

Here's a little look at some Valentine's Day products I currently have stocked in my shop. These fun, hand painted decorations say everything you need to tell your special someone just how you feel. Available now along with some other nautical themed gifts in my shop. Link at top of page xx

It's powerful stuff! You may feel it calling to you, even though you haven't got a clue which creative outlet will let you shine your light.  When I finished my drama degree, I was obsessed with writing a play, only I didn't have a voice - I had NOTHING to say. I kept a folder with ideas in and the start of scripts but I never wrote more than 2 pages of any! I could think of situations and characters but not a story or what was going to happen, yet I still felt compelled to try. I started to question my intellect, telling myself stories that I was the least academic member of my family, that I was thick, that I was failing! I told myself that because spelling isn't my forte I couldn't write - yet I'm writing this right now, indeed writing is now surprisingly to me, a large part of what I do.  And yet, even though I was pretty horrible to myself in the inner voice department; that little spark of creative power didn't give up, it always shone throug...

" Then it dawned on me. Have I been sort of hiding?! Have I been waiting for a 'better day?' " April Showers I'm sitting in the front porch at a little table that I'm renovating. It belonged to my grandma and is covered in sheets of paper with my daughter is drawings on. It is raining outside. True 'Manchester' drizzle. My little girl is standing at the top of the drive in the rain. But, despite my best efforts to advise her that we should wait for a 'better' day, she's not perturbed. "Come and buy a drawing!" She calls. "Drawings for sale. They're one of a kind!"  I think we have a natural sales woman here! My heart is bursting with pride at her guts and natural enthusiasm. She is only 6 and so brave to put herself out there! Would I do it?! Am I trying as hard as she is? The one problem is that she hasn't made a sale...yet. Charlotte's showed up but where are her customers? It...

Hello! It's been AGES since I posted. It has been a busy time and I decided to take some time to develop my portfolio, invest in my professional development and generally get a bit organised. I have just finished ABSPD Module 1, in which I have begun the journey of developing my characters and illustrations into surface pattern designs. The course is simply a MUST if you are considering a career in design. I can't recommend it highly enough. I will write in more detail later, but for now here is my piece for the typography competition that was open to module 1 alumni. I create character-led illustrations primarily for the greeting card and children's markets so my quirky character I drew for this piece compliments my style. I learnt how to layer up my work and create pattern repeats using Photoshop. Here's a link to the Make It In Design website www.makeitindesign.com  

In celebration of National Stationery Week, I am re-posting a blog post from a little while back, on the importance of traditional means of communication. In case you didn't know, the national event is on until the 3rd of May. Why not send a letter, card or postcard using traditional 'snail mail' instead of a text or tweet? Here is a sneak peek at one of my latest card designs available at the Fi&Me shop CARDS AND COMMUNICATION Last Saturday morning a postcard addressed to my 2 year daughter fluttered onto our door mat. It was from her Aunty and Uncle (or Aunty and Ankle as she calls them!) How exciting! Although not addressed to me, this card was right up my street – the star of the postcard being a teddy bear in various locations around Cornwall (check out my Monkey Tour blog post). This image whisked me back to my childhood, remembering that Lucy always used to like sending these kinds of postcards to her school friends. D...

This is just a really quick post to let you know about my business Fabby Doodle where I run art, craft and drawing workshops. I have spruced up the website so just wanted to post the link on here. www.fabbydoodle.weebly.com As always I welcome constructive feedback, and would also love to know if there's anything I can help you with drawing-wise :) Have a great day, Fi x

I'm in the really early stages of creating a new body of work and thought I'd share a glimpse at what I'm doing. I'm not sure which direction I'm going in with these yet but having fun creating and approaching my work from a slightly different angle.  There I was busily drawing cats ( because it just felt right) and all of a sudden these little faces started appearing. They are inspired by my children Charlotte and Fern. I'm also returning to pencil (I had sort if forgotten about pencil but I think I'm falling in love again) and really enjoying it! It's the small things folks...the small things! ;) Hope you like this little sneak peek and I'll update the blog with my progress as it happens. Have a lovely day :) Fi x www.fionameakin.weebly.com

 Cute cat brooch by Lucy for fi&me   "Rooted in drawing is the desire to create..."  If, like me, you are on a creative journey, you might want to ponder this question? Is being creative essentially about finding the essence of what you love to do? For me the drive to create has always been found in drawing. Whatever medium I use to craft and create this is where I always return. For the most part, it feels like home. But it can feel, on occasion, a slightly scary place because it is exposing. What if I'm found out?   That my human characters aren't perfectly figurative, that proportions might be out? That really I'm not THAT good! Aaargh! See how quickly self-doubt can escalate! Ha! (Quickly beats those 'mind monkeys' off with a stick!) I truly believe that practicing, and more importantly, enjoying the process of honing a skill is the key to being successful at it, regardless of the end result. When Lucy and I st...

Doodles With Daddy...#1 So, officially, in our household I'm the artist. But hang on a minute, how dare I covet that title! My other half has over 20 years experience in print, graphics editing and retouching. Granted, he doesn't tend to draw anymore but that's not to say he can't or never did. For a lot of people drawing is something they used to do as children, reserved for a place in the past. Who has time to draw (unless you're lucky and it's your job) with the busy constraints of life today? Our 5 year old daughter gets a lot of enjoyment out of drawing and over the last few months i have seen that this drive in her has rekindled my partner's passion for doodling. It's joyful to watch the two of them giggling away over funny faces, or a particular challenge that Daddy has set. Perhaps as a professional artist I am in some ways less spontaneous when it comes to picking something to draw, a bit more safe! Paul's choices are inspired...pantom...

Pardon the pun but I take my hat off to all those parents who are able to get their children to wear  a hat to school! My little girl won't wear hers at the moment. This morning was one of those lovely crisp winter mornings but boy was it on the chilly side. Inspired by all the wonderful winter knit wear I saw at this morning's drop off I have created a quick sketch. Enjoy x www.fionaillustrates.com

Fi & Me   handmade. illustrated. vintage Excitingly, we have a brand spanking new design for our online shop at Fi & Me! You can visit http://www.fiandme.bigcartel.com/products  to see our products. Summer seems to have revitalised our passion for all things handmade and illustrated, helped along by the beautiful weather and our involvement in a new market Romiley Artisan Market , Stockport. I am due to have baby number 2 in the next few weeks so have been busy alternating between nesting, making puppets (more on the in another post) and sewing owls! I will be taking a break for maternity leave so Fi & Me will be in the very capable hands of my sister Lu. I will hopefully still get time to do the odd drawing over the next 9 months before I return to work. Sarah Sunshine Parties Another exciting piece of news is that some of my illustrated characters are now featured on the gorgeous Sarah Sunshine Parties website.   For part...

First there was Sharky and George, a couple of gold fish. Then came Baldrick a little hamster with a penchant for sleep. Somewhere along the way I think we had some stick insects and the odd colony of sea monkeys. Now   we share our house with the very beautiful Zeta (aka Cat Face!) or rather she allows us to live here with her. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had our ups and downs; she’s bought many a mouse in, in various states of aliveness, the odd frog and occasional mole (eek!)   Anyway, I thought I would search for some other crafters and illustrators who are featuring pets in their art practices. Hope you enjoy having a look as much as I did finding them. Wow! Spot the difference By TimeTravelersWares on etsy   Wooden wedding topper with pet cat By iislands on etsy Boston Terrier earrings by Pooch Tags on etsy  Custom couple portraits by Rose Hudson on etsy

Blue skies over the UK!   Last Monday was one of the most memorable Bank Holidays I have had for a while. I took my daughter to Mayday in The Meadow, a wonderful event near the town that I live in. Attractions included traditional Maypole dancing, worm charming, a huge bubble machine, pancake stall and to top it off the weather was unusually hot. Here in the North West of England we are used to the odd cloudy, rainy day to say the least! Yum yum!   I am involved with a local community organisation called Project Cherrywell, consisting of 6 ladies who call ourselves the Cherrywell Cherries! We tend to meet on Thursdays with a wonderful community organiser called Laura, who is highly motivated, supportive and positive and together we plan events to raise money to refurbish a community space with the intention to turn it into a vibrant community café. On Monday we ran the pancake stall and held consultations with the attending public in order to gage and idea...

I'm really behind with my BEDM challenge but I'm determined to complete it! Here goes...      I've not had a particularly healthy tea this evening, but when I am in ’getting fit’ mode, there is no better way for me than Pilates. I get a lot of my ideas for illustrations and off-shoot projects when I take part in a class and that must be down to the meditative nature of it. Plus, I have a great, motivational teacher. If you’re interested you can read about Joseph Pilates, the founder at the link below. Joseph Pilates

Today's challenge is to write about my five favourite blogs. Each blog provides something slightly different along the lines of illustration, the first two I mention, Lynne Chapman's and Holli Conger's are the staple blogs I always refer to. A good blog should obviously resonate with your interests. My favourites offer that glimmer of hope that becoming an illustrator (with a lot of hard work and determination, and obviously very good work)  IS  possible. Never Give Up on Your Dreams! An Illustrator's Life For Me I began following Lynne Chapman's blog after she visited our local library during a summer festival that our town holds. Lynne's passion and enthusiasm for illustrating, sketching, sketch crawling and anything creative is completely infectious. She visits a lot of schools and library and talks animatedly and entertainingly about her work. She even drew a Koala character in front of the children's very eyes which astonished them! She is a ...

Well, today's blog should have been yesterday's but my day was jam packed (it mostly involved making chocolate brownies. From a packet I may add!) and was nicely topped off with an evening wedding reception so I'll do two blog entries today instead... BEDM 4 to follow a bit later! A usual Friday morning involves me getting my little girl over to pre-school for the morning and I have 3 hours to get 'stuff ' done! Now, 'stuff ' can involve a number of things. It should involve me knuckling down and getting on with art work, designs or the next stage of business planning for fi&me but invariably there is a MASSIVE piles of laundry or washing up to do. If I ignore it, it calls to me, it taunts me until I crumble!   I wonder how many of us fight this battle? How do you manage your time? In an ideal world I would have a studio space in an alternative location. I have toyed with the idea of a shed but it gets pretty cold here in the winter. Som...