STOP THE PRESS: I have a studio! 🥳🥳🥳

I am so absolutely delighted to now have my own watercolour art studio, in Edinburgh! I’ve moved into one of the shared studio spaces in Leith Makers. There’s a exhibition and events space upstairs and also a shop that sells gift cards, fine art originals, ceramics, jewellery and all kinds of things. The shop only sells items that have been created locally, either in Leith, Edinburgh, or the Lothians. I really love that it’s a space so rooted in its community.

I also really love that I can leave all my art supplies out and not have to tidy everything away at the end of my time making art. In my “watercolour art studio” at home, aka my dining table, everything would always need tidied away at the end of the session, and fetched back out again when required. It’s not a lot of time, but when I think about the things that add friction to a process that’s definitely one of them. Being able to walk into my new studio and just start is easy and wonderful.

What am I using my studio for?

Apart from the sheer joy of leaving my art supplies lying out and open for as long as I like… I am also doing things like:

• Practicing my watercolour flat washes. I know, I taught a whole class about this, but I’m experimenting with creating different textures to use in other projects. Paints can all behave differently so I’ve been having fun testing the different dark colours I have on a different paper types to get the best textures.
• Making little lino-cut characters (like the sun you can see below 🌞)
• Experimenting with ‘gestural marks’ using different materials
• Developing ideas for new paintings and books

What’s next for me this year?

• Mindfultober 2024 is coming up quick – Mel Rye and I will be running this again with 2 new hosts. Have a look at last year’s Mindfultober information if you want an idea of what to expect.
• I’ve also got a new Mindful Skillshare class in the works, “Loose Watercolor Painting for Self-Care: The Art of Mindful Mark-Making“. That is due for release in October. In the meantime, have a look at my earlier mindful watercolour class: A Mindful Approach to Practicing Watercolor: Values, Palettes & Brush Control
• For the first time ever, I’ll be creating a small run of Christmas cards to sell through Leith Makers. I often make cards for family and friends, but this is the first time I’ll be offering them for sale.
• And lastly, I’m working on getting my board book, “Socks” published. I got the idea for this book from my tiny niece’s antics. I knew my usual watercolour style wouldn’t capture the right energy, so I developed a naïve style for this story. I used Poscas and gestural marks to capture a baby’s energy and worldview. I’m looking for a literary agent, so please get in touch if this is you!

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If you don’t me, hi! I’m Shelley Skail, I’m an artist and illustrator. I also teach art and self-care art practices.