All aboard !
Let's go, there are good days after the storms
Hello and welcome to this first 2026 letter on Minima Insula !
What’s in there?
What’s Cooking : News and plans for the first part of 2026, including a Friendly Demons update
Witches and Perfectionism: Answering a student question
Candlelight Gatherings: dates and links for the upcoming sessions
What’s cooking in the galley
It’s been a somewhat messy and stressful start of the year, as these past two weeks I was mostly busy resolving administrative headaches that have been following me since December. The parcel containing the sample copy of Friendly Demons, that I needed to review before the book goes to print, got lost. Another printer messed up an order and refused to take responsibility. And, last but not least, my shop was suspended on January 1st (happy new year!) and at risk of being deleted entirely because of an automated procedure on Etsy that should never have applied to me.
I’ll spare you the details and the many struggles incurred. I’m glad and relieved to say that, as of last night, all of these issues are now resolved. My shop is happily back to normal, and I have completed the final review of Friendly Demons. If you’re new to Minima Insula and don’t know what I’m talking about, Friendly Demons is my upcoming non-fiction book about creative fears, mindset and self-care for creatives. The book is now being printed (exciting! scary!), which should take about 3 weeks. Then another month will be needed for the books to travel to Edinburgh by sea. There are too many uncertainties about the delivery date for me to announce the book release just yet, but as soon as it is ready to ship, I will share a release date, pre-order links and related events. It won’t be long now.
While I’m making progress with the book release, I am also setting some time aside to create (and avoid being entirely consumed by admin and emails). I have one major project that I want to work on this year: I’ve been planning to illustrate The Night of the Minotaur since I wrote the story-poem back in 2021. But before I jump into that big ship, I will publish a little poem inspired by my visit to the island of Iona last summer. I have another little book that I’d love to make before starting on the Minotaur, which will help me make the transition to the ambitious project, but I’ll tell you more as things progress. I’m hoping to complete at least one of the books for the upcoming Artists’ Bookmarket (14 & 15 February, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, free entry).
Finally, I’ve got some lovely thing cooking for Minima Insula. Every month, I write one in-depth post for paid members (in addition to any occasional free posts like this one), and make the first part available to all. It’s a balance that I think works pretty well for everyone, whether you’re a paid or free subscriber. Let me know (via email or comments) if you have feedback on this way of operating. The January letter will be about artist blocks, polymaths, and how my relationship with drawing has evolved since I started working as an illustrator. A tricky but interesting subject! Another letter on the horizon, that I’ve been working on for a little while, will be about self-publishing.
Witches and Perfectionism
This month I’m starting a new feedback session on my Book Illustration Course. For the duration of the course, each student chooses a story from a selection of fairytales to illustrate. One of them was struggling with the first assignment, and asked me the following question:
“I’m doing Hansel and Gretel and I can’t stop fixating on the witch’s face. Do you have any advice on how to stop fixating over every imperfection?”
I thought it might be useful to share my reply below, slightly edited for this newsletter:
The first question you need to ask yourself is this: is the witch the most important, the most interesting part of your illustration? If the answer is no, don’t focus on her. You can represent a scene from multiple points of view, focusing on other elements or characters. You can also suggest the witch more than you show her (for instance using shadows or silhouette). Suggesting is often more powerful than showing for scary scenes.
However, if the witch’s face is an important part of your illustration, as I suspect it is, and you’re struggling to design it in a way that you’re satisfied with, try to identify what is the issue. Here are a few questions that can help you:
- Is it an issue with anatomy and proportions? Look for reference pictures to study and draw from, they’ll help you understand the face structure.
- Are you struggling because you don’t know what kind of character the Witch should be? You can think or journal about it. When reading the story, what is your personal connection to the story? What does it remind you of? What are the themes or details that stand out for you? You can also approach the story from an angle that you’re curious about (for instance you could set the tale into a specific time period or culture that you like).
- If it’s purely frustration with drawing, just focus on another part of the illustration and come back to the witch later. Solving other characters or questions will help you figure out the witch in time. If you’re struggling to do anything, give yourself a break, go for a walk, and go back to the drawing once you’ve given yourself a chance to relax.
Please remember that we’re here to learn and experiment (and hopefully have some fun). What you do doesn’t have to be perfect. First of all, perfection doesn’t exist: everything is subjective. And if it did exist, we’d have nothing to discuss and nothing to learn... how boring!
Right now, you just need to do your best with where you are now. I’ll be here to help you progress.
I hope that helps !
Candlelight Gatherings
These gatherings started as a place to create and connect with other creatives, a gentle and accessible way to remedy the isolation and loneliness that many illustrators (and other creatives) often suffer from. Each month, I propose two sessions on zoom:
quiet focus: where we work in silence on our own projects: also called accountability group or body doubling. Ideal if you need to write or develop a project or practice that you’re struggling to prioritize.
cosy chat: a time to share the things we do, love, or struggle with in a relaxed and supportive environment, while keeping our hands busy with drawing or crafting.
The dates and links for the next three months are below.