1. Writing with Waterman Hemisphere ‘Starlight’ Fountain pen, Chrome-colour trims, medium nib, on Visual 200gsm watercolour paper. Also Stabilo point88 fine 0,4 blue pen and Black Pilot Calligraphy Lettering pen. Some W&N watercolour added for nib pen and back-ground.

1. ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING (1806-1861) wrote in her journal :
   “I wonder if I shall burn this sheet of paper like most oth­ers I have begun in the same way? To write a diary, I have thought of very often at far and near dis­tances of time: but how could I write a diary with­out throw­ing upon paper my thoughts, all my thoughts — the thoughts of my heart as well as of my head? — & then how could I bear to look on them after they were writ­ten? Adam made fig leaves nec­es­sary for the mind, as well as for the body. And such a mind as I have! — So very exact­ing & exclu­sive & eager & head long & strong & so very, very often wrong! Well! but I will write: I must write — & the oftener wrong I know myself to be, the less wrong I shall be in one thing — the less vain I shall be!”

I’m a great ‘journaling’ fan, which I’ve been doing since about the age of 6, as soon as I could write properly, and when my father bought me my first Parker Fountain pen.

The healing power of the written word has long since been recognised as a form of therapy and healing. Paper and pen are the tools for your creative expression, joys and sorrows alike. Journaling can be a healing process to help you get in touch with your deepest yearnings, find resolve for problems, and deal with personal issues. Whatever type of painful emotion you are experiencing (grief, sadness, fear, isolation, etc.) expressing yourself in writing can help ease your discomfort. Christina Baldwin said, “Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.”

Journaling is simply the process of regularly writing your thoughts down on paper. This can be a very profound experience. The process of journaling can support you in learning about what you’re afraid of, what you’re passionate about, and what you aspire to. There are many different kinds of journals you can choose to keep, but it is a powerful process that provides the opportunity to explore things in a measured way. It can also be fun to look back and discover how far you have come!

1. Don’t Quit
   When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
   When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
   When the funds are low and the debts are high,
   And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
   When care is pressing you down a bit,
   Rest! if you must; but don’t you quit.
   Life is queer with its twists and turns,
   As everyone of us sometimes learns,
   And many a failure turns about
   When he might have won had he stuck it out;
   Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow;
   You might succeed with another blow.
   Often the goal is nearer than
   It seems to a faint and faltering man,
   Often the struggler has given up
   When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
   And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
   How close he was to the golden crown.
   Success is failure turned inside out;
   The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
   And you never can tell how close you are,
   It may be near when it seems afar;
   So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit;
   It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
   - Unknown

1. 7th July 2011 – FEATURED in Painters Universe
2. 30th July 2011 – FEATURED in The Pen and Ink Corner
3. 10th December 2011 – FEATURED in Inspired Art
4. 11th December 2011 – FEATURED in Sketching and Drawings

From my portfolio of Sketches

Greeting card

Mounted print with Black border

Framed print