I do have a great love of American folkart, featuring homesteads, poultry,old tractors and red barns. I am not sure exactly why but I think it’s alot to do with poultry, strong flat images, often made with chalk paint, using wood to paint on, country style interiors, traditional trades and homesteading…make do and mend, recycle and upcycle.

I wanted to create a set of notebooks with  joyful images to choose from, printed on a linen affect paper.

I have tried to produce strong compositions with symmetry,  shapes, patterns and a story within each illustration. My favorite birds are all here including guineas and runner ducks.

First I drew inspiration from various books, and read about how to structure the images  getting that nieve art look, a sense of nostalgia and recognizable elements that remind us of old time countryside. I used AI to achieve the continuity I needed, ie an old varnished look and to be able to carry on my other traditional art alongside, as AI does save time. AI takes a while to get the images correct, the layout of the subjects, the colour, light and style.  Afterwards I headed for my trusty Photoshop and made the necessary changes, adding and removing elements.

Finally formatting to be printed with my lovely husband converting them into mini notebooks.

I will be making these available on my shop in a couple of weeks.