My Folktale Week 2024: Behind the Scenes

Hello, my lovely friends! One of the most exciting highlights of this month was Folktale Week 2024 (November 18 - 24). Maybe because I spent most of the month drawing for it, or maybe because it was my very first time participating in this annual art challenge, but I feel so excited with this experience and I like the final paintings I've made. So let me take you behind the scenes to share my creative process and some lessons I’ve learned.

November 4 - 10: Looking for inspiration, lots of sketching, finalising idea

Preparing for Folktale Week felt both exciting and daunting at first. I decided to use one of my favourite stories, Hansel and Gretel, as the foundation for my narrative. I decided to make mice as my main characters as I love painting them a lot and it felt like a right choice.

The sketching process took about a week of full-time work, including weekends. I explored various compositions and story twists, revising and refining until everything felt in the right places. The final layout and the winter atmosphere of the story brought me a lot of joy - but I also realised that with more practice, I might work much faster. But I’m happy with the time I spent on it as I learned a lot during the process and I just loved working on it.

November 11 - 20: Exploring Colours and creating final paintings

The next stage was all about colours. I tested different palettes, using both just a piece of watercolour paper and my pre-painted colour swatches. These swatches were incredibly useful - they let me preview dry colours without wasting paint and helped me quickly assess whether different combinations worked well together.

Once I chose my palette, I transferred all drawings onto Arches cold-pressed paper. This was the first time I used this paper and I loved its texture and natural colour. I started by painting large, lighter areas in batches across all the pieces. This method saved time, as I could work on other illustrations while layers dried. Plus, this helped me to stay consistent with the colour shades as I just mixed larger amounts of paint and used it in all places needed throughout the series.

From there, I added layers and details one painting at a time. The process took about ten days, with my working hours varying between short sessions and marathon ten-hour days. I was a bit worried I would not make it all in time but eventually, I finished my last painting on Wednesday 20 which was perfect as I had a few days for just writing posts and taking a break.

Reflection

Participating in Folktale Week 2024 was an incredibly rewarding experience. It challenged me to think creatively, refine my techniques, and work on a larger project than I normally did for the last months. It also connected me with a beautiful community with lots of amazing illustrators and artists who brought so much inspiration and support these days.

If you took part in this year’s challenge, I’d love to see your work and hear your stories! Feel free to connect with me on Instagram so we can celebrate and support each other’s artistic journeys.

Wishing you all a cosy and creative end to the month!

Anna