The British Craft Trade Fair 2016

We did it! It's been a stressful, busy and exhausting few months but our first trade fair is complete! Hooray!

What a learning experience it's been.

We arrived on the Saturday morning in beautiful sunshine to set up at The Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and straight away saw some friendly and familiar faces including Jo Dewar, Katie Pruden and Paula of The Arter. There was a great atmosphere in the exhibition hall, with everyone helping each other out when they realised they were missing something or needed help with their display. 

 

We were really pleased with how the stand looked for our first one and have come away with lots of ambitious ideas for the next one!

I was so nervous on the first official day of the show but soon relaxed into it. Being at a trade show is so different to showing your work at a retail event as buyers have a very clear idea of what they are looking for so tend to do a quick sweep of the hall rather than stop and look at all of the stands. With hundreds of talented makers on show I don't blame them though! Every time I walked to the cafe I spotted a new maker I hadn't seen before. It was great to chat to lots of galleries and shop owners interested in stocking my work and I have lots of following up to do over the next few weeks.

We had some fantastic neighbours in the Newcomers' Gallery.

The lovely Ben from The Owlery is a product based printmaker and artist who works with lino and screen print media to create textiles, ceramics and printed products. My favourites are his badger cushions.

Helen The Perky Painter was great fun and definitely lives up to her name! She produces quirky colourful paintings and digital illustrations and is also inspired by British wildlife and the countryside. I love her fruit/animal puns- Sam and I were chuckling about 'Pandapple' long after the show.

Flo Candles are natural soy candles with pure essential oils and no added chemicals. They smell incredible and we really enjoyed chatting to Emma about their philosophy of keeping the quality of their materials as high as possible. My favourite scents were 'Uplifting' and 'Embrace'.

The super talented Meghan of Meghan Downs Ceramics was the well-deserving winner of the Best Newcomer Award. It was great to see the look of pure surprise on her face as the award was announced! Keep an eye out for her in future issues of Craft & Design Magazine.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of Stacey's stand but you should also check out Stacey Moore Art. She creates gorgeous coloured pencil wildlife drawings and we came away having ordered one of her beautiful stag cushions.

I'd been in touch via Twitter with Scarlett Willow Designs before the show so it was great to meet her in person and see her stunning jewellery. She's also from Worcestershire so it was good to see another person from the Shire whilst up north!

Check out my Facebook page to see more photos from the show.

By the end of the show my head was buzzing with ideas and my notebook full of business cards and email addresses from interested buyers. Thank you so much to all of the lovely artists and buyers we met for making it such a fantastic first show! And most of all thank you to Sam for putting so much on hold for me in the run up to the show, building my stand, driving the terrifyingly large car, being at the show every day, bringing me vast quantities of cake and ice cream and being a wonderful support, always with a smile.

After the show we had a few days of well-earned relaxation time. After visiting the must-see Betty's tea room we stayed at a spa hotel in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside and topped it all off with a visit to beautiful Chatsworth.

Now to get back to work!

Primary School Art Workshop

I had an absolutely fabulous day yesterday- I went to Martley Primary School and got to work with a small group of very talented young artists to create acrylic canvas paintings of famous children's book characters for display in the school hall.

Our characters included Tracy Beaker, Smaug, Peter Rabbit, The Gruffalo, Winnie the Pooh & Piglet as well as Sophie and The BFG. I gave all of the children a laminated reference picture and explained that this is how I begin all of my paintings because you have to have something to work from. The laminating part is important too because it doesn't matter if you get it covered in paint or water!

The children then all drew a rough sketch of their design, beginning by mapping out the main shapes to make sure that they filled the paper, and then going on to add progressively more detail. I never let children use rubbers at this stage because I don't want them to be afraid of making mistakes- nobody is going to collect their sketches in and mark them so this was their time to experiment and figure out how to draw their character.

Our next step was to transfer the sketches onto large canvases. This is such a difficult skill to master and my group made a very good job of it. We did use rubbers at this stage to make sure that no unwanted pencil lines were visible beneath the paint. I helped a little with the odd positioning of eyes and marking where the head and feet should fill on the canvas.

It's a little tricky to see the sketches at this stage but that is only because the children did such a good job of drawing out their outlines lightly with their pencils.

After morning break we painted our background colours. There were so many different styles from all of the reference pictures that we covered lots of different colour mixing skills to create the more natural colours found in Beatrix Potter's illustrations to the vibrant primary colours in Nick Sharratt's quirky style. It was a bit of a rush (a large piece like this would usually take me a week and we had a day to finish!) but we finished our background colours in time for lunch.

After lunch we focused on colour mixing again to create the right shades for our characters and used smaller brushes to add details and make sure that we didn't have any white gaps left on the canvases. Finally, once the paint began to dry, the children used fine liner pens very kindly lent to us from Oak Class to add finishing touches and really make the paintings stand out from a distance.

I'm sure you'll agree that the children did an absolutely fantastic job. I was blown away by their talent and what they managed to achieve in just one day. A huge thank you to my group of artists and to all of the staff at Martley for letting me borrow the children from their classes for the day. They were an absolute pleasure to work with.

What I'm Working On: March

I've had a particularly busy start to the year because I will be attending my first trade show (BCTF, Harrogate) in just under a month's time. I had heard great things from the lovely makers I met during art markets last year and decided to register my interest in the show at the start of the year, thinking perhaps I could learn more about it and apply for 2017. I then received a phone call from the lovely Margeret who organises the show telling me she had taken a look at my work and would be delighted to have me in the Newcomers Gallery this year. I was absolutely delighted and a little apprehensive as I am very much a planner and this only gave me a short window of time to prepare for the show.

Invitations have been sent out to galleries and shops.

Since then I have been redesigning my packaging for my products- smartening up my fine art prints with printed labels and information cards on the backs, creating catalogues of my work, designing new packaging for my pocket mirrors and altering my pricing so that it is suitable to sell at a trade show without making a loss to name but a few! So far I would thoroughly recommend taking part to any other makers out there as there is a wealth of information to help you prepare for the show and it really helps to guide you to a more professional set up.

I'm now surgically attached to the Newcomers' Guide

Sam has very kindly agreed to help me build my stand and come along to the show with me and my next job is deciding exactly how I'd like the stand to look. The Newcomers are allocated a 2m by 1m area which is actually quite a tricky space to fit lots of stock into so I will be having an experiment with ideas this week.

I have also been working on a time-lapse series of videos showing how I create one of my paintings. My mission is to double my range of work by the time h.Art rolls around and this is the first of those pieces. He's not finished quite yet, so part three will be appearing soon!

I will be attending loads more art markets this year- please see the list below and am also delighted that I will now also be at the May Farmer's Market at The Talbot at Knightwick on the second Sunday of the month.

Where to find me this year.

And finally here are a few images from my sketchbook:

Independent Makers

I don't know about you, but 2015 went by in a flash for me. It was a busy year of starting at the the Hereford Art Markets, taking part in September and December h. Art events, visiting the Bologna Children's Book Fair and creating more books with my fantastic friend Alice Brunt. It was also a year of falling in love with a wonderful boy, a fantastic family holiday in Scotland and attending many, many weddings (perfect excuse to catch up and dance the night away with old friends!).

The sad end to the year is that the gorgeous ladies of the arter (Paula and Rachael) have made the difficult decision to close their beautiful home of handmade in Stratford. In the current climate it's getting more and more difficult for creatives to make a living. Paula and Rachael, with the help of Paula's gorgeous son Rory, have supported Mum and I right when we were starting out and we love them very much and wish them the very best with their next adventures.

It is one of my missions in 2016 to support independent shops and makers more. There's a fantastic campaign at the moment called Just A Card which aims to do just that. It's pretty much what it says on the tin- if a gallery or artist makes you smile and you love their work, try to spend a couple of quid on a card to support them if you can so that they can continue making beautiful things. As someone who spends hundreds and hundreds of pounds to be featured in various markets and events, believe me this can make all of the difference and help to cover costs.

With that in mind, here are a couple of my favourite makers from the last year:

Foxglove Bears

The insanely talented Sharna Rothwell of Foxglove Bears makes the most beautiful bears I've ever seen. Just take a look at her page to see examples of her work. They make the perfect present to commemorate a beloved pet. I have purchased two commissions from Sharna- a Ryan the Gosling for Harvey and a Truffle the rabbit for Sam. If there's a dry eye in the house when you hand over one of these presents I'll eat my hat.

Between the Smith gang we have quite the collection:

Katie Keith

I met Katie during one of the Hereford Art Markets this year. As well as being a thoroughly lovely person, she makes stunning cushions and home accessories using traditional hand-dying and hand-printing techniques. Dad gave Mum one of her dragonfly cushions for Christmas and it was very much a hit!

More to be added to the list soon!

The Winter Edition of Werifesteria Press!

It’s that time of year again – Christmas music is floating on the breeze, your nose is twitching with the smell of mulled wine and mince pies which are in frequent supply, and you can finally watch Christmas films on repeat, guilt-free! All we need now is some cold, crisp weather and we’ll be shaping up for a perfect Christmas. 

This is just one of the best times of year, and one of the best things about the festive period is having the chance to curl up with a good book in front of the fire, with a cup of something warming and a plate of cinnamon-y treats within arm’s reach.

On that note, we are delighted and very excited to announce the winter edition of Werifesteria Press!

Following on from the autumnal volume, ‘Flight’, we have been hard at work putting together a visual feast. Motivated by our own love of Christmas, this issue is called ‘Yule’, and is inspired by some lesser-known (but no less lesser-deserving) Christmas traditions and stories. We also share our own family traditions!

We have filled its pages with little nuggets about mistletoe and the mighty oak tree, together with a story about one little girl’s Christmas wish. There is also a tiny reappearance of the little Ivy fairy we met in Yuletide Tale - see if you can find her…

'Yule' will be available at £9.50 from Saturday at the h.Art Christmas Open Weekend, details below. If you don't yet have your copy of 'Flight', both volumes will be available together for £18. Hope to see you there!

Guest post by Alice Brunt

Christmas Events and Gift Guide

It's that time of year when the Smith women are in full Christmas prep mode! Mince pies have been baked and much mulled wine consumed in the planning of Christmas art events.

Here are some festive dates for your diary in the run up to the big event. Read on for my Christmas gift guide too!

You can find me in many places this Christmas!

CHRISTMAS h.ART WEEKEND
On the 5th and 6th of December, Mum and I will be having an open studio weekend at Goose Farm, Lulsley, WR6 5QW.
We are open from 11am to 5pm on the Saturday and Sunday.
Join us for handmade Christmas gifts, decorations and cards and why not indulge in a mince pie and glass of mulled wine?! The event was a great success last year and we had lots of feedback that we had put people in the festive spirit in time for Christmas!

HEREFORD ARTS MARKET
I will also be at the Hereford Art Market in High Town, Hereford on the 12th and 13th December.
9am-5pm on the Saturday and 10am-4pm on the Sunday with more prints, gifts and stocking filler presents.

You can also find my work at THE ARTER in Stratford Upon Avon
http://www.thearter.co.uk

As well as through Louisa Wyatt at THE MEWS INTERIOR DESIGN COMPANY
http://www.mewsinteriordesign.co.uk/home

Christmas Gift Guide Here are a few gift ideas for you this Christmas.These will be available at all art events as long as stocks last. You can also order from me directly by replying to this email or using my Etsy shop. CHRISTMAS CARDS I have three new Christmas card designs available this year. Which is your favourite?

SPECIAL GIFTS My archival quality fine art prints are mounted and signed ready to be framed in standard sized frames. They come in both small and large sizes in all Woodland animal designs.

STOCKING FILLERS I have a new range of pocket mirrors with gift bags that make a perfect small gift for someone.  My recycled notebook packs are also still available.

NEW COLLECTABLE QUARTERLY ANTHOLOGY 'Werifesteria Press Volume Two: Yule' will be launched during the h.Art open weekend. This volume is based on a festive theme and features on mistletoe, the yule log and Christmas tomtes all feature to name but a few! Keep an eye out on my blog for more pictures once these arrive from the printers.

I very much hope to be able to wish you all a very happy and healthy Christmas in person over the next few weeks. Love Kate x