The Secret Diary of Ella Beech aged 47 ¾
a.k.a A week-in-the-life meticulously written out for you, with pictures of my cat and cycle head-gear!
Hello to you all!
How are you doing? I am STILL aware that I have not posted a December schedule for paid subscribers. This is because I am having what is possibly (is this an exaggeration? I’m not sure!) the busiest Autumn/December I’ve ever had! I’m juggling two books, both of which are on extremely tight deadlines, I’ve been teaching 2-ish days a week, and I am behind on everything (apart from the books, thank goodness!) I’ve bought one Christmas present, neglected so many things, have had more than one meltdown and generally have only been able to get through without big blinkers on. I am reminded, again, of the almost there moment in Star Wars. I have my target set and have had to close my vision to everything else!
However, I’m pleased to say I’ve just sent off all the artwork that was due before Christmas, so now I can focus a little bit on Christmas, although one of the side-effects of teaching is marking, and I have a TON to get through over the Christmas holidays! Anyway, I’ll stop complaining and explaining, shall I?
Ok, so onto this post. I wrote this over a week in November. It’s taken me so long to post because of the above excuses! I was inspired to write a diary because I kept coming across diaries and enjoying them immensely. First of all there was the wonderful One Week in January by
where she documents a week in her life in the early 2000s with stunning paintings (of course, it’s Carson Ellis!). I love that, as she says in the introduction, she wanted to document everything in “boring” detail, because, even at the age of twenty-five, she was worrying about forgetting all the little details that make up daily life. I adored all the detail she put in. No detail is too boring for me! It’s all the little things that add technicolour to life, whether that is a technicolour moment of boredom, fretting, or excitement, and I loved it! Around the same time, I came across some diaries here on Substack - of course, I can’t remember where any of them were now! If I remember after I have posted, I will edit this post, or if it was you or you have read one, leave a comment!Anyway, the point is, I was inspired to write my own diary post, and here it is below. I’m being told it’s too long for emails, so if you are receiving this by email, you’ll need to click through to read the whole post.
Monday
The sun is shining for the first time “since October”1, which sounds more dramatic than it actually is, as Oct was only 10 days ago. But still, over a week of thick grey cloud begins to weigh on you, and I immediately feel light and buoyant, and start my Monday with a spring in my step.
It’s Nick’s2 turn to feed the cat and get coffee, so I get an extra 10 minutes in bed, meaning my eyes open at about 7 am. After Sonny (our cat) has eaten he rushes up to us and scratches on the door to be let in. He always makes a beeline for me, sits and purrs loudly while I say hello, then settles down into a doze. Nick often gets intensely jealous of his lounging and will look at him and say “It’s not fair” as Sonny stretches out in a particularly comfortable-looking way.
At the moment I’m trying to fit some strength exercises in every day. These fell by the wayside recently while I had that month-long cold that everyone seems to have had. But I’m feeling well again and am trying to fit them in again, so I attempt to remember to do them as I get ready: 3 wall squats held for a minute and 3 planks held for a minute3. Today I manage 2 of each.
Most mornings I meet my friend Katie for a walk and coffee. I like to think of it as my daily commute, as my journey to work consists of a trip up the stairs these days. When I’m working on artwork (like I am at the moment) where I am basically sitting all day, I feel like the walks are more important than ever. We have a pretty set routine; we walk to Pret A Manger in town and back. We’ve got to know all of the lovely Pret staff really well by now, and there’s always a friendly chat as we order. Our walk is always a beautiful one and as we pass the river every day, we often take a moment to look across the water and breathe in the day. Today the sun is glistening on the water and I am grateful to be drinking up some sunshine!
When I get back I make breakfast. I try and alternate between a fruit breakfast and toast. I would love to have toast every day, but I know the fruit one I have is good for me, and still pretty tasty. Today is a fruit day, so I chop the fruit, scatter nuts, seeds, yoghurt (told you it was healthy) and have with more coffee. Coffee is a must, health benefits be damned!
I’m at my desk a little later than usual today because my friend rings as I have breakfast. He’s in the middle of a crisis and we chat for half an hour or so. I hope it helps a bit.
I open the studio door at around 10.30. At the moment I’m in the middle of two paintings for one of the books I’m working on. They’re both there waiting for me, and in the interests of momentum, I avoid the computer and get straight to work. I like to work on two paintings at once, so you can switch between the two as you work. This has loads of benefits: it’s obviously great for drying time (I normally get to a point where I need something to dry before I continue work) and it’s also great to have something to switch to when you’re feeling stuck. I normally have a sense of what I want to do next, so I work and work until that feeling starts to fade and I lose the flow; at that point I’ll switch over to the other piece. I’ve already done about two days work on these pieces and in theory I’m doing the finishing touches on them now. I’m imagining I might finish them by the end of the day. It’s a case of passing over each piece of artwork adding in layers of detail, each time noticing I’m missing an eye, a foot, a beak, leaf, etc… they’re both quite detailed, so they’re taking a while.
I break for lunch at 12.15-ish because my tummy is rumbling, and decide to be nice to my future self and make soup. I make this recipe from a new recipe book I just got4. It takes about half an hour and is tasty - zingy, warming and nutty, and I have three portions left for the rest of the week. After lunch I grab the slow cooker out of the cupboard and throw some stuff into it. Our local market sells beef from the cows that graze on Midsummer Common. We don’t eat much meat these days, but this feels like a vaguely good way to do it, so I buy small packets of meat from here occasionally and I usually make a chilli in the slow cooker with it.
Because it’s such a nice day, I suggest to Nick we take a quick walk to the river and back. Although I feel like I need to get back to work, I know how important it is to top up my vitamin D for the winter, and it’s good for my spirits as well so we take a circuit to the river and back. We’re very lucky to live so close to the river, and I’m grateful all the time. We can afford it because the rent here in Cambridge is pretty affordable, and it makes up for the fact that we’re still not homeowners.
Once I’m back I check on the chilli I put in the slow cooker at lunch and realise I forgot to actually turn it on! so I switch it on, realising that it’s probably a bit late to cook properly now. Ah well, still useful to cook for later in the week!
I spend all afternoon at my desk painting. Much the same as the morning, it’s a case of making pass after pass across each spread, adding in details as I go. It’s difficult to explain my process, but I guess you could say that rather than work from one edge to the other (do people actually do this?) I work across the page in layers/passes. Each time I pass across the page I add a layer of paint or detail. The two spreads I’m working on are both pretty detailed, and as I reach the end of the day I realise I won’t finish them today after all. I leave them both with larger washes of watercolour drying - as I get to the end I might add shadow or washes of watercolour as a finishing layer, so this does mean I am getting close - as I know they’ll need a while to dry, I take the time to send a few emails, and send the tutorial times for when I’m teaching on Thursday this week.
It’s then time to cook supper (note: we split our chores so that I do the shopping and cooking every day and Nick does the washing/clearing and general upkeep of the house (as I am utterly clutter blind and would probably live in a pig sty if it wasn’t for Nick!). I realise the slow cooker chilli is not going to cook in time, so I make a quick macaroni cheese for supper. This is a regular in our house, and I can whip one up pretty quickly, even if I do say so myself. I base it on a version of this recipe5, just to remember the flour/butter/milk/cheese ratio, but omit the bacon.
I’ve booked for me and our 17 year old son to see Point Break 4K at our local Picturehouse, and we need to leave by 7, so it’s hastily thrown together, but tasty enough! It’s a lovely end to the day; I am making a concerted effort to arrange nice things like this during this period of intense work, and I’m pleased I’ve made the effort, we have a great time!
Tuesday
I’m running late from the off because I spend time in bed writing this diary from Monday6, so I don’t have time for any of my exercises! I rush off to join Katie for our 8.15 walk and am only a few minutes late! During our walk, as we discuss our plan for lunch which we arranged weeks ago to celebrate her birthday (which is today) I realise I have also booked in Art Club7 for lunchtime today! I don’t say anything to her, but when I get back, I message on Substack postponing Art Club. I lose a couple of Subscribers but I figure if people want to follow an organised person who won’t double-book, they’re probably in the wrong place!! But seriously, I always promised myself that this Substack would be a warts-and-all place for me. Close friends will know that I am not always the most organised person, and double-booking can be a danger for ol’ Ella, but actually, I am pretty proud of how well I do manage to run things here, so I try and be forgiving to myself for f*%k ups like this!
I spend the morning painting; it feels like it’s progressing so slowly now. Like the end is in sight, but at the same time, I can see so many things I still need to do. I work until 12.15 when I’m due at my friend’s house for her birthday lunch. We have a lovely time; she’s cooked a delicious veggie chilli with guacamole, and we have black bean brownies for dessert. One of the presents from her husband is membership with a chocolate subscription company. It’s fair trade, organic, all the good stuff and she gets four bars per month to sample, with lots of info about top notes, origin etc. She kindly shares two pieces from the bars she’s opened, and we have fun discussing which one is fruitier and which more chocolatey!
Back to work for a long stretch in the afternoon. I’m listening to the Jackson Brodie books by Kate Atkinson. I’ve already read them all, but I wanted something to listen to while I worked, and I knew they would be a good re-listen. I read them years ago, when they first came out, so I can barely remember them - the benefits of a crap memory! Also, I knew that Kate had released a new Jackson Brodie book so I thought it would be fun to re-read them all before I read it! I like to listen to audiobooks as I work, you need something that feels like an easy choice and will keep going. I don’t want to decide which podcast episode to listen to next when I am in the flow. I’m on book 3 already, and at this rate, I’ll finish them quickly. Any recommendations for good books to listen to, let me know in the comments below!
Not much to say about the painting this afternoon, other than it feels like I am edging really close to finishing now and I get to the point where I scan one of them in. Scanning can help me to see them differently, and decide what I might want to do next. It’s a bit of a faff as each piece is around a2 in size, meaning I have to scan in 6 parts, thanks to my A4 scanner. Thank goodness for Photomerge! Do you know about photomerge? Go to file>automate>photomerge, add the pieces of scanned work, and hey presto! A merged file! The first time I discovered this i practically did a dance of joy!!.
Supper today is the chilli from yesterday, I remembered to switch the slow cooker on today at lunch, so it’s beautifully cooked. I chuck some potatoes in the oven at 6, and we’re ready to eat at 7. We like to eat early in our house. (Is that early?). We watch a bit of tv together and then bed.
Wednesday
Up at 6.45. Manage 3 wall squats, 2 planks. Walk with Katie. Porridge with fruit for brek. At desk by 9.30. I am making the final touches to the artwork now. It’s a case of raking over the artwork, scanning for little unfinished bits, adding pieces of colour where needed, tweaking skin tone, adding leaves. Teeny tiny bits now.
I just have time to scan one spread before Art Club starts. Yes, the Art Club that I postponed from yesterday. I host a monthly Art Club/date here on Substack. An hour of painting intuitively and playfully, which I guide everyone through during the hour. It’s always enjoyable, and lovely to have a regular gang who come. You can see all the replays here.
The afternoon is bitty, as I am scanning the artwork, and at the same time I get some other jobs done. I upload the late replay for last month’s Picture Book Club8 and write the post to accompany it. I also make a start on my tax calculations. I’ve been worrying about how large the bill will be so I know I need to at least work out what I owe. We’re not talking mega bucks here, and I do have money saved, but it will be good to actually work out what I owe. Last year I did my calculation in May and I think I paid the bill straight away! I must do that again next tax year. What else? Emails, some admin for teaching tomorrow.
At the end of the day, I finally send the artwork off to the publisher, which feels good. I’m getting through the artwork for this book slowly but surely, and it feels good!
Thursday
Up early with an efficient morning routine because I’m teaching today. I have to leave by 8.30 to get there in time to have time to drop things off in staff room and be in class on time. Today I’m working on the Masters module, with the full-time group. The Masters Module is the last module on the MA and is twice as long as the previous ones. The students are expected to complete at least two sequences. A sequence might be a picture book, a concertina book, a set of illustrated Tarot cards, even an animation, as long as it is a sequence of images. Most days when I teach it’s back-to-back tutorials. Sometimes I run workshops, do talks about my work and I’ve done a few lectures. This is just a regular day of tutorials which run all day until around 3. I see students for 20 minutes each and have to remember to set my timer so I don’t run over9! I did quite a bit of teaching last academic year and have taught this particular cohort since their first module and it’s so wonderful to see them flourishing in this module; It’s wonderful to see them doing exciting experiments in the print room, in their sketchbooks and having breakthroughs through this hard work! They are a lovely, enthusiastic, bunch, and it’s been a pleasure to teach them!
I have lunch in the staff room and one of the lovely parts of the day when teaching is sitting in the staff room at lunch and chatting with the fellow tutors and module leaders. Today I’ve remembered to bring my own lunch, which is leftovers from the week. It’s always nice to have lunch ready to go when you’re teaching, although I am partial to a salad box from the local health food shop - Arjuna. They do delicious salads with quinoa, lots of chopped salad, normally some nuts and seeds, sometimes on an exciting day they have falafels and hummus!
I finish the day at 3-ish and cycle home. I normally try and get a bit of work done when I get home, although it can be hard to switch my focus. I often have notes to write up from the day’s teaching too, which can eat up that time.
Teaching is crazily exhausting. I couldn’t believe it when I first started. I think it’s partly about learning to hold back some of your energy. When I first started teaching, because I was so eagerly trying to help the students, it was utterly draining. I am trying to teach myself to have that helping, eager teacher’s energy, and at the same time, not completely deplete my own reserves too. I succeed better at this some days than others
I hear back from the publishers on the artwork I sent yesterday while I’m teaching, so when I get home I read through the email carefully to digest it all. I then mock up the changes they have requested in Photoshop to see if I am understanding correctly. I send that off and then head down for supper and some telly.
Friday
You’ve heard all about my morning now. Wake. Walk. Eat.
I check my emails when I get to the studio and I’ve heard back from the publishers on my mock-ups and they’re good to go, so now it’s a case of painting up the changes. Because I paint everything by hand, any changes have to be repainted. I have tried making the changes in photoshop in the past, but they just don’t look right to me, and I prefer to hand paint and then paste into the spread in Photoshop. This time I’ve been asked to brighten my colours and add in more details. Each book is so different. For my last book, the publisher was asking me to take out details, but this publisher loves detail (which I really love too) so I’m hoping this will play to my strengths. I’ve always been a maximalist - not always good, as it can lead to clutter and mess - but with just the right level of editing/curating it can be really fun and engaging. I’m hoping this will be the case for this book I’m working on.
I list out all the things I have to re-paint, I then make a page (in InDesign) where I collect together sketches of all of the things I am going to paint and print it all out. I also make new sketches for a few things, and scan and print those too.
It’s like a mini-repeat of the week all over again: I begin optimistically; I enjoy painting the new bits; go through a buoyant stage where it feels exciting and fresh; then as I get to the point where I’m going round and round finishing off all the details I begin to worry about time. I need to get this artwork finished by the end of this week to stay on schedule! I finish all the painting mid-afternoon and then it’s a case of scanning and photoshopping it all in, which is quite a delicate operation. When I paste extra details into a larger spread it’s important to me that I preserve the edges of my artwork. Because I paint in layers, I like that you get this soft edge, sometimes with different colours shining through, so it’s quite tricky to cut out the artwork whilst preserving that edge. This time I’ve tried a new method to help with this - I have painted everything on a background that matches the one I am pasting it onto; this does help, although the colour match isn’t exact.
By the end of the day I am desperately finishing it off whilst Nick and Dylan begin to ask about supper. So we decide to order pizza from our local food truck - a Friday treat, as well as saving me some extra time to finish the work off! As is often the case for me, I am working right up until the time we are due to pick up the pizza. I manage to finish it and send just as Nick and Dylan are getting very impatient! It always takes me a while to send, as I have to write out an email, explaining what I’ve done, saving the files so they can be emailed, and sending the larger layered files as psd files.
Then we reward ourselves for a busy week with pizza and a movie.
The End!
Did you enjoy this week-in-life? Would you be interested in more? Each week can be completely different as an illustrator, so maybe it would be interesting to dip into a different week? Let me know! I’m tempted to write about how this is a more gentle version of a week-in-the-life…. Oh go on then, I WILL… If you are reading this and thinking how lovely it all sounds, I am reminding you that since I wrote this post, the pressure has been building and building, I’ve had more than one breakdown, many freak-outs, probably more double-bookings, and have generally run around like a headless chicken. But this is why I left work! I wanted this technicolour madness, so I am doing my best to embrace it all, the peaceful studio moments AND the moments of tears and tantrums!
Until next time!
Ella xx
Did you enjoy this? This is a free post to all subscribers, but if you enjoyed it, maybe you would enjoy becoming a paid subscriber? I really appreciate every single paid subscriber (and if you are already subscribed, thank you, from the bottom of my heart). All subs help me to continue making illustrated books, and creating posts here on Substack. And as well as supporting me, you get benefits too. What?! Yes, you heard me! You get access to my big catalogue of paid posts, and access to my monthly Zoom sessions, Art Club and Picture Book Club. And if you can’t attend live, all sessions are recorded and posted afterwards.
this is how they’ve been reporting it on the radio!
my husband
Advice given by the late great Michael Mosley. Have you listened to his Podcast Just One Thing? So much great advice. I was really sad to hear when he died.
One: Pot, Pan, Planet: A Greener Way to Cook for You, Your Family and the Planet by Anna Jones. I love her recipes, have you tried them?
Sorry, I can only find a Times link for this. I really recommend Lucas Hollyweg’s book Good Things To Eat that this recipe is from. It’s one of the recipe books I go back to regularly.
a meta excuse if ever there was one!
Art Club, for the uninitiated is a monthly Zoom meet-up I run for my paid subscribers. You can watch all of the replays here.
Picture Book Club is another monthly Zoom meet-up I run for my paid subscribers. You can watch all of the replays here.
any students reading this can testify to this! 😉
Perfect title!! 🤭
Ooh I loved this SO much. Felt like I was back there reading Adrain Mole as a kid but this was so much better 🤣