Fiona Meakin Designs - Draw With Fi

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...