A Note from the Hobbit Hole

After nearly a year, the feral artist gets around to introducing herself

Photo by Lucas Gruwez on Unsplash

In light of the absolutely bonkers amount of growth Heather in the Blue Mountains has had over the last month (25 new subscribers and counting!!), I felt it prudent to pop on briefly and get everyone up to speed.

Hello!

I never posted an introduction on here when I originally started this site, I just got immediately to work, so I guess now is as good of a time as any!

My name is Heather, and I’m what you would call a “teaching artist.” That means being a teacher is as an important part of my Call in life as being an artist is. Practically, it means I split my time between teaching art and British literature to middle and high school students, and then pursuing artistic opportunities and creative adventures the rest of the time. I earned my Masters degree in Humanities, a botanical illustration certificate, and an art ministry certificate last year (2024 at the time of writing this), and finally feel like I’m exactly where God wants me in life.

As far as the art goes, I don’t really have a preferred medium unless you consider it my rampant sketchjournaling. No matter what medium I explore, I always return to the journals. My journals go with me everywhere, and are a delightful hodgepodge of sketches, poems, thoughts, prayers, and whatever else grabs my attention during the day. I am perpetually fascinated by the beautiful and the fantastical.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

New Subscribers:

Welcome welcome!

There are two main sections to my site: the regular newsletter where all the free stuff gets posted, and ‘In the Studio’ where all the paid lessons, ASMR-style drawing videos, and first-look book content (coming soon!) is.

Paid subscriptions are only $6/month, and include not just access to the paid posts, but also access to the chat where you can ask questions, discuss the paid posts, and even get help with your own artwork. (If you don’t want to upgrade your subscription but still want to give support, you can alternatively offer a one-time tip).

At the moment, you can expect a glimpse inside my sketchbook at the start of every month, followed by a paid post of some kind, and then a free feature post on an art topic I’m excited about. These aren’t the entirety of what I may post in a month — as the weather gets warmer, you can expect posts about plein air excursions, for example — but these are the regular offerings.

Going Forward:

For the next few months you can look forward to a series of featured posts lined up on various sketchbook topics both historical and pop-culture, and how they relate to how we approach our own sketchbook practice. I am excited to share my sketchbook, process, and the adventure with you all.

Thanks for being here. ❤️