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With those boring bits covered let move onto some art talk…

January’s Art Adventure : Thailand

This trip was absolutely amazing and will definitely feed my creativity for months to come. For three weeks I traveled around Thailand, from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai right in the North of the country, down to Bangkok, the chaotic capital. I temple hopped, hiked and even tried my hand at some yoga. Of course sketching as I went.

Most temples in Thailand are beautiful buildings that could almost be their own art galleries as well as the sacred and religious spaces they already are. They are interesting spaces for storytelling too. The murals inside tell stories that range from religious tales, to folk tales and even some modern popular figures (Like Elvis!) can be seen too. I came across some carvings of a mythical creature called a Magara (part crocodile, dolphin and elephant) and couldn’t wait to share it with you. I think this will make a great, if not slightly odd, character in future collages!

I’ll pop some photos of the trip and some of my sketches just below…

I was inspired by sooo many places whilst traveling, but Wat Huay Pla Kang, Chinag Rai really caught my imagination, with its huge white dragons on either side of the stairwell. So, I of course had to draw them, and turn them into a little paper puppet.

You can find a video of this on my instagram (Or click the link here).

Below is your own Wat Huay Inspired Dragon for you to print, cut out and enjoy!

Studio Update!

Back in the Studio my practice has really moved back to traditional collage. By this I mean fewer digital tweaks and much more making by hand. Digital collage is great for speedy deadlines and detail but I have found it so freeing to riffle through my large box of textures, books, and old magazines again. I am a collector at heart after all, always scouting out interesting images and little knick-knacks. Which is why collage really is my perfect medium.  

After the finding of the materials, the cutting and sticking starts… My collages this January have featured a little Bear and a little Crow. I am going with the creative flow on these two characters, exploring different story and composition ideas, but I feel a picture book may be on the horizon…

Two of my favourite pieces involving Bear and Crow can be seen just below.

Side Note - Shop Update!

I have been slowly moving products from my Etsy Shop to a new shop on my website. It will have everything that was available before, with room for lots of new cards, prints and original artworks. It will be open from the End of February. Follow my instagram for more updates. In the meantime my Etsy shop will stay open.

Find the link to my Etsy shop below…

Thank you so much for reading my newsletter and supporting my artwork.

Lots of love

Emily

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Email: emily.luke@btinternet.com

Website: www.emilylukeillustration.com

Instagram: @emily_lukeillustration

Pinterest: @Emily Luke