What are the rules for a library? And I don’t just mean no talking.

My watercolour illustration, of someone applying lipstick, is the closest thing I could find to someone saying Shhhhh!

How many books constitutes a library? Is it the same number the world over?

World Book Day, image of a girl reading, acrylic painting and pencil sketch. Girl sitting on a chair, back view, she is absorbed in reading her book.

Close up of my biro drawing, Between a Rock and a Hard Place which depicts a tree growing up between two rocks. The ancient tree has become trapped, which reminds me of the feeling I sometimes have of being a creative person feeling wary of venturing into the outside world. when writing a blog, it can leave you with vulnerable feelings.

My illustration is available as a giclee print from my Etsy shop.

“everyday you play with the light of the universe” is a poem by Pablo Neruda. I stitched the message, by hand, onto my life drawing. My drawing depicts three muses, drawn during one life-drawing session, which I then transferred to fabric and painted with acrylic paint. I added the stitching using my sewing machine, and some details by hand.

My copy of Iconic is a signed copy as I was lucky enough to attend a talk and a book launch by Dame Zandra at the Fashion and Textile Museum in December 2024. While Dame Zandra was giving the talk, I was sketching her (badly) unbeknownst to her. I revealed my drawing at the end of the talk and she was very excited and pleased, in fact she squeezed my arm and told me to “keep drawing, never stop.” I nearly swooned, and have tried to up my drawing game ever since!