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Illustrator

Stirling Castle

When Joel and I visited Stirling Castle on our trip to Scotland, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was going to be good, but I had no idea of the staggering amount of restoration that has gone into making this castle one of the best (if not the best) in the country.

Not only have the exteriors been restored and meticulously maintained, but the interiors have been completely recreated to represent the decor of the 1500s, complete with knowledgeable costumed staff. Partnering with a vast team of master artisans, everything from the painted walls and ceilings down to the textiles and tapestries have been re-created using techniques of the day. It is a truly impressive thing to see.  This collaboration must have been a massive undertaking, but the end result is spectacular. It’s amazing that they managed to pull it together.

The beauty of a restoration like this is that it really gives you a sense of the history of the place. When Joel and I visited Wales last year, we saw many a castle ruin; none of them were restored. While I’m a fan of ruins, it’s very difficult to image how it would have looked back in the day. Stirling Castle, being restored, gave you a real sense of history and of stepping back in time.

Highlights include the medallion ceiling, the replica tapestries and the “boat” ceiling in the great hall.  I will be inspired by my visit to Stirling Castle for years to come.

Sketches from Scotland

Joel and I recently returned from spending 3 weeks in Scotland. We saw many castles, mazes, big houses, puffins, weird and awesome landscapes, glens, highlands, rode horses, experienced volatile weather and rain. So. Much. Rain. Which is not at all conducive to outdoor sketching! Prior to our departure Joel and I had said we were going to sketch on this trip like it was our job; every other day. But due to rain, generally cold weather and midges (biting insects) we only managed half a dozen sketches! It was difficult to get a two-hour window without any of the aforementioned things to sit down and sketch.

I love how moody the landscape is in Scotland. I took many reference photos which you might see popping up in my work later on this year.

Here’s what we came up with:

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Doune Castle, where Monty Python & the Holy Grail and scenes from Outlander were filmed. A nice example of a restored 13th-century castle.

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Random house, just outside Pitlochrie.

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Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness. I’d say skip this one if you’re not into ruins crawling with tourists. We were told not to sit on the grass here…which did not please me.

 

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Lovely Tudor building in Peebles, in the Borders.

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The kitchen at Glaschoille House, in the Knoydart Peninsula. We were waiting to go back to the mainland after two days on horseback and had an hour to kill. Midges prevented me from sketching outdoors so here is the one and only indoor plein air sketch!

 

 

 

Brand new portfolio

There have been many changes business-wise in my life in the past 3 months. First of all, I decided to go on hiatus from Papillon Press, my letterpress stationery business after 6 years of doing it (read more about it on the PP blog). One of the main reasons for stepping back is that I realized I needed to fulfill my dream of becoming a published illustrator (or at least try to) and running the business full-time was preventing me from doing that (one only has to look at the sporadic entries on this blog for proof of that). Thus I’ve completely revamped my portfolio to reflect a variety of editorial illustrations.

www.chantalbennett.com

I haven’t had this much fun drawing in years and am looking forward to making drawing my full-time job.

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Lots more illustrations on my website.

Sketches of Wales

I went to the UK when I had just graduated from high school in 2001 and have always wanted to return, so Joel and I decided this year to take a trip back there. We focused mainly on Wales (with a little Devon thrown in) and basically did a roadtrip around it.

I loved, loved, loved it.

There was endless inspiration for plein air sketching, and the only things standing in our way from sketching all day were a) time (we packed our itinerary) and b) weather (cold and sunny, a couple days of rain). We saw castles, manor houses, cliffs, moors, countless english gardens, B&Bs, sheep, sheep and more sheep, ponies, seaside villages, rolling hills, mountains, ancient forests, ancient towns, really ancient ruins (Roman ruins), amazing Victorian décor…the list goes on. I drank too much beer and had too many scones and am now vowing to find clotted (or Devonshire) cream in this part of the world so I can have  a “cream tea” at home (look it up).

If you are interested in seeing Joel’s- and you should be – head over to his blog

Thatched cottage and windy road near Chagford, in Dartmoor National Park

Chantal sketching

Ruins of Skenfrith Castle, Wales.

The beautiful village of Beddgelert, in northern Wales.

The view of Beddgelert we were sketching

Seaside village of Porthgain, Wales

Rhiannon

In preparation for mine and Joel’s trip to Wales this spring, I have be re-reading the Mabinogion (collection of Welsh folktales). I’ve always been inspired by Celtic mythology to create my illustrations, so I’m hoping that a trip to the actual place will add another layer of inspiration to my work.

This is Rhiannon on her white horse when she is first glimpsed by Pwyll.
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