I’m feeling incredibly grateful today. We’ve just reached 50 members here in Smidgen of Calm, and honestly… thank you doesn’t quite feel big enough. Welcome @Julie Burns !!! 🙌🏻💜 This little corner of the internet was created to be gentle, encouraging and creatively nourishing a place where showing up as you are is enough. Seeing it grow into a warm, supportive community means more to me than I can put into words. Thank you for: - being kind - sharing your creativity - taking part (in big ways and quiet ones) - supporting not just this space, but each other Smidgen of Calm really does feel like a little pocket of safety on the internet and that’s because of you. Here’s to slow creativity, shared moments, and whatever unfolds next 🤍 I’m so glad you’re here.

So after a wander in these beautiful streets I settled my gaze here and created this sketch 🙌🏻 I need to decide if I will add colour and how 🤔 Suggestions welcome !

Lately I’ve been revisiting my old printing plates etching plates, lino cuts, collographs and it’s reminded me why I never throw a single one away. 🙈🥰 Each plate holds decisions. Hesitations. Happy accidents. Moments where I learned something by doing. Even when a print doesn’t turn out how I imagined, the plate itself becomes a piece of artwork a record of the process, not just the outcome. I love that about printmaking. It asks you to slow down, to respond, to work with the material rather than against it. I’m currently deep in the middle of writing and building a printmaking course, and this reflective rummage through my plates has been part of that process. I’ll be diving a little deeper than “how to make a print” into why certain marks work, how different plates behave, and how to read what a plate is telling you when something doesn’t go to plan. Printmaking rewards curiosity. And patience. And a willingness to learn as you go. If you’ve ever looked at a print and wondered how on earth did they do that? or felt the pull of ink, pressure, and texture I think you’ll really enjoy what’s coming. More soon 🐝✨

Today would have been my dad’s 86th birthday. I lost him in September, and as you can imagine, days like today invite a lot of quiet reflection. The very first Smidgen Post has been created with that feeling in mind. This artwork is about reflection pausing, remembering, and holding space for the people who shape us. It reflects his life, and the way I still feel him with me, especially when I’m making art. The pic below is of him and me on his 70th birthday and amazingly he flew me round our local area in the plane behind, it was an experience that will stay with me forever 💜✈️ If you choose to join Premium, this is what you receive: - ✉️ The Smidgen Post a monthly piece of original artwork, sent with care - 🌿 A slower, more intentional creative space to return to each month - 💛 Artwork made with meaning, not mass-produced, always personal This first print is already waiting inside Premium, ready to be claimed. It feels really special to be sharing this one it’s gentle, thoughtful, and full of heart. If it resonates with you, you’re very welcome to join us. Sometimes art says the things we can’t quite put into words. A smidgen of calm, Kate

Today I’ve been authenticating artwork signing, numbering, and stamping each piece so it carries its own little mark of care and intention. 🙌🏻🙏🏼 These are the final touches that turn a print into something truly special, and it feels so lovely to be at this stage. If you’d like to receive your own authenticated piece of art through the post, you can do so by upgrading to the Premium tier. Each month, a small pocket of calm arrives on your doorstep 💌 Thank you, as always, for supporting my work and this gentle little community we’re growing together.🌱💜🫶🏻