England sketchbook days 3 to 12, Tolkien2019 in Birmingham, and Alan Lee

Welcome to new Patron, James! Welcome! :)

Sorry for not updating - life was busy and at times hectic. On 2 August, I was this close to cancelling everything. Due to my blasted eye disease, which makes it almost impossible for me to tell a 2 from a 3 on my smartphone screen, I had misread the dates for our hotel stays in Deal and in the Peak District, and we were well on our way north and stuck on the M25 when I saw that we had checked out in Deal a day early, and were driving to the Peak District without somewhere to stay. (Mind, the guy at the hotel in Deal might have brought this to my attention, but chose not to). I had a near-nervous breakdown at the Subway's of a "Welcome Break" services, and the thought of carrying on frightened me to bits. 

Well, we did carry on. We found a room in a B&B in Penistone ("users also searched for Condom, Middlefart, and Why"), and after nearly ripping my head off, my family did enjoy the newfound additional day in the Peak District. 

The next day, I was relaxed again to enjoy the walk around Agden Reservoir, with plein-air painting of a little bridge in Low Bradfield, and a later sketch from a little church in High Bradfield. 

The next day, we went for a walk to Ladybower Reservoir. One of my favourite landscape elements is stones, and Derwent Edge had a few absolutely spectacular ones in store for me. 

We also came across this little fellow squawking on the heath for its family (soon reunited). 

On our last day in the Peak District, we went to Hope Valley with its many caverns and more wondrous stone and rock structures. One of them is Blue John Cavern, the only known place in the world where the semi-precious stone Blue John is found. And it is found literally by the wayside. Jana pocketed so much that she can get into serious jewellery business. 

Outside Blue John Cavern, we ran into none other than Tolkien artist Anke Eissmann, who was also getting in some Peak District prior to the Birmingham conference! What a village the world can be. 

The next day, it was time to go to Birmingham. That again proved stressful - while the date was correct this time, I had missed all the information about parking and unloading in Birmingham (and the impossibility thereof). In the end, we had to carry all my boxes to the conference hotel from the parking lot, in, of course, torrential rain. The weather had been rather nice thus far, but just like Loughborough in 2012, I seem to be unable to get my stuff to any venue without breaking a sweat because of downpours. 

But then! As soon as we had set up and found our hotel (which, most wonderful of surprises, featured a washing machine in our own hotel room; I had never seen that before), Tolkien2019 could begin. And was it EVER wonderful. I didn't realise I would meet so many of you there, either! Five days packed with talks, conversations over tea and beer, meeting old and new friends. Jana participated in the masquerade and won one of the prizes! (The costume was made for her by German artist and cosplayer Elif Siebenpfeiffer). 

Being in the centre of Birmingham meant I could raid the local art shop - the low pound rate meant that I was able to pick up Daniel Smith watercolours at half the price of what I pay for them in Germany. I replenished my stocks a little. 

My personal highlight of the event - and Jana forgives me that it isn't her - was meeting, and talking to, Alan Lee. He has been one of the greatest art inspirations of my life since I was seventeen, and to meet him, and talk to him, was amazing. He is the kindest person you can imagine. We were both on a panel on Illustrating Tolkien (which, I hear, will be available on the Tolkien Society's Youtube channel over the next week or so) along with Ted Nasmith, Anke Eissmann, and Jay Johnstone. Afterwards, Alan came up to the dealers' room and looked at my work, and we ended up talking about watercolour paper and swapping favourite brands. <3 

I'm still unpacking it all (mentally and physically). On Thursday, my parents are taking us for two days at Disneyland in Paris; afterwards, I will finalise the artbook - and more good news! I got the go-ahead for merchandise with the Tolkien2019 T-shirt design, so that is coming, too. <3