Search Results

We all know I love books, both reading and creating them. But what did I love reading last year? This post is inspired by amazing lady Leonie Dawson's best books of 2022 blog post - which you can read here and you should, because there are some brilliant books on her list! I really enjoy looking back at what I've read during the year and in 2022, I read 51 books! My target was 25 books! Not bad ey?! So what did I read? Well, all sorts! I re-read the Harry Potter series for the first time in a decade. As a family we have worked our way through a lot of the Famous Five series, started the Paddington Bear novels and discovered Simon Farnaby's Wizard series. I discovered Dara McAnulty and in turn discovered more about myself, learned about Tom Waits, sailors in Lord Nelson's day and the Sitwells of Renishaw. I took up basket weaving and learned that Ice Cream is indeed for Breakfast. It's a lengthy post, so grab yourself a hot drink and let's take a look at my faves shall we? Fiction Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens/Peter and Wendy by J.M.Barrie After watching Peter Pan and the Tinkerbell films may times, I was curious to read the original books that inspired the films. I really enjoyed the books. They do vary from the story we are used to but that is no bad thing. The story is really well written too. This isn't one for young children though as it does get violent! Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson This is at least the second time round of reading this book. Full of humour, loosely based on Winterson's experiences and really well written. I loved it just as much this time round as I did the first time I read it. Famous Five: Five go to Smuggler's Top by Enid Blyton We're reading my old Famous Five books and of the eight or so that we read last year (we're now on book 12!), this one was definitely my favourite. I find a lot of the book plots can be guessed early on, but this one was full of twists and turns throughout. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Bennett Another book I kept from when I was little. I read this in 2021 for the first time in many years and loved it so much I read it again in 2022. Rooted in Yorkshire and surrounded by nature, this story really resonated and I felt really free reading it. So beautifully written, I think from a mental health perspective, there is a lot to be learned from many of the characters and their journeys throughout the book. It's on y list to read again this year! James Herriot: Vet in Harness by James Herriot A really well written collection of heart warming animal anecdotes based on real life veterinary stories. There's a lot of wisdom and humour and I didn't want to put this one down. I loved reading about the different animals and their usually trouble filled stories. A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond (Illustrated by Peggy Fortnum) Talking of trouble filled stories, is there a more lovable character who gets themselves into more trouble than Paddington? This book was full of really funny stories that kept us all laughing. A special mention goes to Peggy Fortnum who captures Paddington's haphazard personality so well in her illustrations. They really add to the story too! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K.Rowling I really enjoyed revisiting this series again. Though Harry does get a bit whiney and I do miss the Hogwarts based stories of the first few books, I couldn't put this down. There's always a weird sense of emptiness reading the last book in a series though, don't you think? Like, where's the next book please...? Non-Fiction Tom Waits - Innocent When you Dream by Mac Montandon A collection of interviews from Tom Waits spanning his many years in the music industry. They give as good an insight as you will get without an autobiography by the man himself. Jack Tar by Roy & Lesley Adkins I love a bit of naval history and this was a really interesting book to add to that. However, it's very graphic in places and I couldn't even read the chapter on medical procedures! A great insight to the British navy and great warships of old though. Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty This was really eye opening book for me as Dara talks about autism and how he sees and connects with the World around him. This really hit home and got me thinking about my own experiences. I actually read this for an illustration competition, but it's a book I like to keep dipping back into. Don't you just love books like that? Happy Gut, Happy Mind by Eve Kalinik Another eye opening book for me as I do have digestion struggles and anxiety struggles too. Learning that the two were linked fascinates me. So many tips and information on how to make the two work with each other. Some fab recipes in there too! Ice Cream for Breakfast by Laura Jane Williams A brilliant book about how it's okay to release that inner child of yours, despite being an adult! Making life more fun, like when we were kids. So there you have my round up of my favourite books that I read last year! An unashamedly arbitrary mix of books, and most that I picked off our bookshelf! The rest I borrowed either from the library or my Mum! :) My target for this year is 35 books! I am excited to see what books I'll be getting stuck into this year. Leave a comment and let me know which books you love. What should I be reading this year? What's on your reading list for 2023?

An introduction to my online store and where you can find some of my favourite Sheffield artists and creators. Hello again! So, what do I actually sell then? Well, while I have a mix of different products, they are mostly linked by Sheffield and Derbyshire and my love for the nature and history of both areas. They feed into a lot of my illustrations and paintings. I will add a little disclaimer that not all artworks are of Sheffield or Derbyshire locations. Some buildings are just too amazing not to draw! All artworks were made in Sheffield though. So I am going to talk you through some of my favourite products from my shop that would make perfect Christmas presents, and the inspiration for them. Shall we get to it? What's in My Shop and Where can you Find it? My online shop is on Etsy.com and you will find it here at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NicolaEllenDraws I sell a range of different prints and original artworks, each listed with their own heading below. Clicking the links below will get you to the section you want to see. Historic Building Illustration Prints Oil Pastel Landscapes Skyscape and Landscape Paintings Printable Sheffield Art Historic Building Illustration Prints Pictured: Bishops' House, Samuel Worth Chapel, Tapton Hall I have been drawing historic buildings from around Sheffield for a number of years now. What started as a mini project to learn more about the City and its history, turned in to a full set of illustration prints as I discovered a love for architecture and drew my favourite buildings along the way. The buildings I illustrated are also some of the best loved buildings in Sheffield with some incredible history. This is a collection of a5 prints, with an a4 print of Bishops' House too (as pictured above). These are perfect for home galleries, mixing and matching your favourite buildings, or matching your wedding venue with your wedding photos. Click on the button below to see the full collection! Printable Sheffield Art Pictured: Mylnhurst, Dunstanburgh Castle, Carbrook Hall Now I don't know about you, but I am not always the most organised shopper and I have been known to buy things last minute, despite my best efforts! If you are the same, have no fear - with a printable version of the building illustrations in the section above, you can beat the post and print out an illustration from the comfort of your own home! You receive the illustration by email once you've finalised the order. How convenient is that? All you need is a printer and a decent piece of paper to print it out onto. Oil Pastel Landscapes Pictured: Winnats Pass, Burbage Rocks, Moss Valley Fields I love to capture the movement and colours of nature and one of my favourite ways is with oil pastels. They have such a beautiful texture and fluidity to them that makes drawing nature a dream. There are two collections of varying sizes of oil pastel landscapes in my shop. The first is a series of landscapes from the Moss Valley in Derbyshire (all roughly A5 in size, but all varying in exact size). The Moss Valley has some really beautiful streets with stunning views. The houses and farms here have obviously been here a long time and are stunning set against the fields and trees of the valley. These artworks were inspired by a rainy Spring time walk in the Moss Valley, where everything looked at it's best and fresh from the rain. The second collection is of some of my favourite views in Sheffield and Peak District landscapes. These range between A4 and A2 in size. The creamy textures of the oil pastels bring these scenes to life. The two pictured above are from the Peak District, one of Winnats Pass and the other Burbage - two really dramatic scenes that were really fun to recreate. Skyscape and Landscape Paintings Pictured: Evening Sunset, Shepherd Wheel, Heather on the Moor I love to create to different sizes of canvas and the three above very greatly in size. Depending on the size of wall space you have, there is something for everyone. Shepherd Wheel is a tiny box canvas that would fit in your hand whereas the Heather on the Moor canvas is going to take much more space up on your wall. There's a lot of texture to these too, just like with the oil pastel drawings. The skyscapes are inspired by stunning Autumnal sunsets, you know the ones that light up the sky and disappear really quick? They were a lot of fun to create and capture in acrylic paint. They are on board canvasses and can be framed. They make a great standout piece of art on any wall. There are so many great artists and creators in Sheffield and I have created a Pinterest board of them... I mean it is in progress because I keep discovering new local artists. However, do check it out for more gift ideas! https://www.pinterest.co.uk/NicEllenArtist/a-very-sheffield-gift-guide/ That is all for this week and I hope it has given you some Christmas gift ideas and an insight to what I do outside of commissions. Thank you for taking to time to be here. If you'd like to keep up with news from the studio and receive exclusive discounts for my shop, sign up to mailing list below and I will send you an email every 2 months, along with a free illustrated desktop calendar. There'll be a festive email coming next week! You can find me over on Instagram in between newsletters and blog posts: Instagram/nicolaellenillustration Have a lovely week :) xx

Hi there, I'm Nicola Ellen. I am an online shop owner, an illustrator and mixed media artist! I create playful and colourful collages of wildlife and worlds that I'd love to live in. I also have an Etsy shop of my prints and original works. I am inspired by nature's colours and movement and I feature a lot of my surroundings in my fun illustrations. I create buildings illustrations, mostly of historic and well-loved places in Sheffield, which I sell as A5 and A4 prints in my online shop. They are alongside original canvasses and oil pastel drawings of nature, sunsets and the Moss Valley in Derbyshire. I love to be outdoors, adventuring and exploring the beautiful Derbyshire countryside on our doorstep and anywhere along the coast. I'm usually scribbling away in a sketchbook when I'm out, taking in all the surroundings. These then feed into my illustrations. When I am not creating I love to read, jigsaw and spend time exploring with my family. I want to give you a peek into what it's like to be an illustrator, shop owner, and show you how to create in some of the ways that I do! Sound good? :) As Christmas is just around the corner, I will post a little gift guide in my next post too. In the meantime... I have a newsletter that I send out every 2 months - (you get a discount for my shop when you sign up and with each email you get a desktop calendar and hear of sales and pre-sales first!) Click the button below to come and join us More regularly I post on social media, so if you're on instagram or pinterest, you can find me there! Thank you for taking the time to read my intro. I will be back next week with a gift guide ready for the holiday season! Have a lovely cosy week Nicola Ellen xx