The Wobbly Line ~ 20

Character sketches from the archives, still life madness and a tiny knitted blanket.

A header that sarcastically screams ‘I didn’t make this two seconds ago’.

Hello!

Welcome to The Wobbly Line ~ 20. It’s almost December which means it’s almost time for me to go home for Christmas which meeeeans I should really doing my essay about now… ANYWAY, here I am, and this is much more fun and a perfect procrastination excuse. So let’s see how else I’ve been filling my time this month (in an attempt to avoid my essay, at all costs).

November ~ agenda.

1. I made a tiny knitted blanket.

2. Video - Character sketches from the archives.

3. My thoughts on still life painting.

4. Some smaller updates :)

1. Knitting a small blanket.

This month I had a really fun day of creativity, transforming my big blue knot from last month (a huge tangle of yarn that I spent hours detangling) into a narrative. I played with the idea of narrative therapy and collage, using the concept of my big blue knot to represent my worries that haunted me at night time. It felt cathartic to process my feelings in this way, making textured paper, cutting out shapes and gluing them down. And to top it off, I knit a tiny blanket to keep my character warm and cosy. You can see the full post & video on my paid subscription.

2. Video from the archives.

Watch me create some character sketches :) This video was originally uploaded to my paid substack in February of this year.

3. Still life madness.

Other exploration this month came in the form of still life paintings, and my rambling thoughts on objects and our attachment to them. I think this was my favourite route of exploration recently, except for maybe the joy of folktale week. In a similar way to my folktale week creation my brain was swirling with ideas, but this time about objects and I created a post all about it (my brain did not communicate itself very well but man did I enjoy it). I used some lovely items I’ve got with me here in Edinburgh, and created a somewhat disjointed still life come illustration. This post, too, is available if you want to upgrade to my paid subscription.

4. Other essay avoiding pursuits.

4a. I made a snood.

Aside from the tiny knitted blanket for my collage, another thing was created out of the big blue knot of yarn; a snood! I knit my snood on the bus to uni and in other moments. It was lovely to have a small project, though I wish I had continued to knit it for a bit longer as it’s not as tall as it needs to be - it’s more like a knitted necklace. But it’s cute! And I am pleased to have done it. Maybe when I’m brave enough I’ll unravel it and try again! EDIT: I have unravelled it!!! Take 2 snood commence.

4b. A blue-eyed boy came to tea Edinburgh.

An Ed Smundy (I have no idea why I call him this) came to visit me in Edinburgh on two occasions this month. I forget how having my best friend around me makes me feel so much better, even if I do fuss a little too much. We went out for coffee dates and a nice dinner, went on a day trip to North Berwick where Ed the selkie couldn’t help but dip in the freezing cold sea (I chose to be cheerleader from the shore!), and walked and talked. I am very lucky to have this human in my life. Also, he makes very nice sandwiches so that’s basically the whole reason he’s my best mate (please see photo of me running to therapy in the rain with said saviour sandwich).

Bass rock from North Berwick.

We’re sandwichin’ here (pretend you’re from NY)

4c. Blues and oranges.

I’ve been very drawn to using blues and oranges in my work recently, more so the work I make in uni as part of my course. I’m not entirely sure what it means, or if it means anything but I get the sense that the more orange there is, the more open I am to warmth and letting in some happiness. This piece is similar to one I made a few weeks ago when I was feeling pretty rubbish and didn’t want anyone to talk to me. I have since created work with more orange, and look forward to exploring that more in December.

The end of The Wobbly Line ~ 20

Thank you for reading The Wobbly Line ~ 20! This newsletter has had way too much of my face in it. However, November has been a lovely month for me to explore creatively, and within myself too. I know December is going to be one in which I really need to get my head down, but I look forward to creating more work and sharing that with you soon. Happy holidays from me, until next time. Big love, JB x

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