A Letter from Julia

The Unexpected Adventure of Three Woodland Friends

Hello Reader, it's lovely to be back in your inbox!

The last time I wrote to you, one of my Petal Pals had started moving.

This time, three woodland friends have turned a simple canvas order into an international adventure involving a mysterious blue background, a journey to Australia, one replacement fox, and a hedgehog who apparently cannot be trusted with logistics.

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It Began with a Question About Blue!

The story started with my art teacher, Tatyana Deniz, a wonderful human and fellow creative from the Happy Creators Collective, who asked whether the blue backgrounds on my folk owl, fox, and hedgehog matched.

It sounded like a simple question.

I had used the same shade of blue on all three, but when I looked more closely, I discovered the hedgehog's background had a subtle texture layered over it. The color was technically identical, yet the texture made it look ever so slightly different from the other two.

And so began a little session of artistic detective work.

I removed the texture, matched the backgrounds properly, and placed the three illustrations side by side.

That was when I realized they were no longer three separate woodland drawings.

They belonged together.

Three Friends Set Off for Australia

Once their backgrounds matched, the owl, fox and hedgehog suddenly felt like a proper little collection.

The owl looked calm and sensible. The fox looked ready for adventure. The hedgehog looked completely innocent.

Tatyana loved the finished trio and asked whether she could order them as a coordinated canvas set for her home in Australia.

There is something wonderfully surreal about watching an idea travel from your sketchbook, onto a canvas, and then halfway around the world.

I was thrilled.

The Woodland Friends, however, seemed determined to make their journey rather more eventful than necessary.

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A Few Unexpected Detours

Behind the scenes, there were a couple of twists.

The hedgehog caused some confusion while the canvases were being prepared, he wanted to feature in all three (rude), while the owl behaved impeccably, as expected.

Then, after the trio arrived in Australia, we discovered the fox's packaging had been damaged during the journey. A replacement was arranged, and the fox set off on a second international voyage.

Eventually, all three friends arrived safely.

The owl had remained calm throughout. The fox had collected an impressive number of travel miles. The hedgehog was still pretending none of this had anything to do with him.

When Artwork Finds a Home

Then came the part that made the entire adventure worthwhile.

Tatyana shared a photograph of the three canvases hanging together in her bedroom, surrounded by blue and orange details that suited them perfectly. She said they created "a magical entry into the room."

My brain still cannot quite wrap itself around the fact that artwork that began as a drawing on my iPad is now part of someone's home on the other side of the world.

It is one thing to finish an illustration.

It is another thing entirely to see someone choose it, display it, and make it part of their everyday surroundings.

That photograph will always be a special one for me.

The Hedgehog Strikes Again!

You might think that would be the end of the story.

You would be wrong.

I recently ordered my own canvas samples of the owl, fox and hedgehog so I could see and photograph the finished pieces for myself.

The owl arrived. The fox arrived. The hedgehog did not.

He finally turned up a day later, presumably after stopping to gather mushrooms and attend to important hedgehog business along the way.

At this point, I have accepted that the hedgehog is not simply part of the Woodland Friends collection.

He is the plot.

From My Sketchbook to Their World

This little adventure reminded me that the story of an artwork does not end when the drawing is finished.

Sometimes that is only the beginning.

A simple question about a shade of blue brought three separate illustrations together, inspired a new canvas collection, and sent a small group of woodland characters on a journey I could never have imagined when I first sketched them.

That is one of the things I love most about creating. You never quite know where a small idea might lead.

Before I go, I would love to know:

Which Woodland Friend would you trust
to carry the map on an adventure?

You can reply directly to this email, I read every one. I have my own suspicions, and the hedgehog is not currently on the shortlist. 🌿🦊🦔🦉✨🌿

Until next time,

Julia

P.S. Curious to see how the Woodland Friends look together? You can meet the owl, fox, and occasionally the troublesome hedgehog in the Folk Woodland Friends Trio 🦊🦔🦉

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From My Sketchbook to Your World