Hi Reader! :)

I hope you're doing well out there! Today, we are gonna have a more laid back issue: I've been running around all the time during the previous week, and didn't make much progress on the book. But I have a lot of things that inspired me, and that I want to share with you.

First off, something a bit more personal than usual: last week I was on a business trip with my company to meet my colleagues and kick off the new year.

The specifics don't really have a place in my art newsletter, but there I got some news that mean that, in short, I will be okay: I can expect stability for the future, and to continue my art on the side for a long time 🌸

I'm looking forward to document and share this future journey with you!

Studying roofs in their natural habitats

It's no secret: I have an obsession with roofs.

More specifically, I'm very inspired by Haussmannian architecture; the kind you can find in Paris and derived in a ton of cities in Europe. I love the details, the infinite amount of variation, and how familiar it feels to me.

So as I went in my business trip to Paris, I couldn't pass on the opportunity to get some new references!

Nowadays, when I draw something familiar to me, I don't really bother looking up reference for everything I do.

As you do more studies and observe the world around you, you start building a "vocabulary" of shapes and details that you can then recall and use not only to draw better from imagination, but also better understand new references.

But as I went through the illustrations for the book I realized how much I would really need to go back to the basics and enrich my vocabulary for this purpose.

Now is not the time to grind and get those new studies done, but it doesn't hurt to collect more inspiration!

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Those details might look boring to most people; and maybe that's why my fascination is so strong.

When you start diving deeper into ordinary things you usually ignore, they become more rich, more vibrant, and soon enough life as a whole starts getting more colorful.

My aunt is an amateur pastel artist, and she shared with me that now that she started painting rivers and all the little reflections at the surface, she sees them completely different in real life. At 75 years old, her perception of reality has now forever changed.

This, precisely, is why the practice of art is so beautiful to me.

On my detour in Lyon and the little I managed to do there

After my business trip I barely managed to catch my train for my weekend: Lyon!

I joined my girlfriend there, and we really enjoyed the city that I never before visited in such depth. I also took a lot of pictures from there!

Our plan was to go to a concert of a k-pop band, Ateez, but I had an additional goal in mind: pull out my laptop, and be super productive while we waited in line.

But unfortunately, we are in winter, the queue was outside, and we underestimated the challenge of staying still for almost 10h in this weather. After painfully sliding my hand on the freezing surface of my graphic tablet, I had to reevaluate my short term goals if I didn't want to die of cold.

So just as I anticipated last week, I couldn't really do much progress on the book, but I'm sure you understand the dire situation I was in, right.

In case you're wondering, thankfully the concert was worth it, and actually quite inspiring! I never saw before a show that combines so much dance, music, special effect, storytelling, props and costumes, all of that packed into more than 2.5 intense hours.

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I wasn't the most familiar with their work, but even if you are not the target audience you can admire the craftsmanship!

So, what did I actually do before freezing?

I managed to complete the 3 transition drawings that will be incorporated throughout the book. At first I planned to have more, but some turned into full fledged illustration or just got replaced by a bit of extra space.

As I'm sure you understand, this week served also more as a transition; all of that before we dive into the finishing touches on the illustrations.

I am now back in my warm apartment, ready to make more art for you guys!

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Thank you for reading this special issue of my newsletter! A bit different from my usual one, but I hope you enjoyed it. Stay safe and cozy, and above all,

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Take care,
- Nighten