This Week's Visual Journal

Part 1 of the Timelapse with a focus on sports day, packaging brown tape, my live with Stacie, postcards and Bonne Maman jam jar.

• the general buzz that comes with the end of this academic year

• going live with Stacie Martinez here on Substack on Bastille Day. Here is the replay (free for all) in which we chat about Paris, places to see, the French retreat next May and our summer plans: Bastille Day Drawing

• the best homemade strawberry milkshake yet (made with hand picked strawberries as seen in this post)

• writing this pen pal forum and feeling the excitement when I posted it (more on this below)

• finally making time to fill in the summer bingo sheet (avail. in the Summer Gazette which has lots of fun links, club news, as well as special treats: a gifted word-search sheet to print at home) though I’m not finished yet, still need to add a few more dreams for this summer

• the roses elegantly leaning over the neighbours’ fence

• sports days, school shows and kids’ parties

• confetti at said parties

• watching the kids write thank you cards to their teachers

• meeting Italy retreat participants individually on Zoom (the retreat is coming up rapidly after the summer break, 14-19 SEPTEMBER 2026), every single one of them seems sooooo lovely, I cannot wait to hang out and continue our chats in Italy

• being at the post office, sending post cards to the first 5 to participate in the postcard pen pal forum this week as well as other paper treats - I love our post office and the folks who work there, I also love seeing what stamps will be used (this week we had King Charles and moths)

Part 2 of the Timelapse: adding more journaling and lettering a seasonal quote by Louisa May Alcott, drawing Le Consulat and our neighbours’ roses.

For this bit, I used some light orange posca pen which I had in the studio from years ago. The idea was to make the tape look a little like some lace. Think it’s quite cute!

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After months of overthinking it, this week I launched a pen pal forum for paying club members! Dozens of members have taken part and many postcards are already in the post across the world! I went down this rabbit hole and stayed there for quite a bit. Next trip to London will involved an extended in-person visit to the Postal Museum. And I think a few folk from this club might be interested in joining! I also took a trip to my local post office to send a postcard to the first 5 to take part, as well as some birthday cards and paper bundles for Portugal retreat pals. More on the pen pal forum here.

Drawing Session: Summer Hike in Derbyshire with incredible print designer and illustrator Sara Boccaccini Meadows

Date: Monday 20th July 7pm BST

For any paying club members, this Monday is our last drawing session before the summer break. Celebrate the end of term with us by drawing summer hikes in the rolling hills of Derbyshire with me and Sara Boccaccini Meadows. Bring along your favourite materials and a cool drink! Sara will share her creative process and tips to fill up your sketchbook page. Together we will all draw landscapes from gorgeous photography on Zoom. Sara has recently started a Substack called A Sketch in the Meadows. Find out more about Sara’s stunning work here. I can’t wait for this and I hope you can join too!

Sign Up: For this event, please sign up for here.

• a chat celebrating summer colours with my friend Raj

• 25 Ways to Fill Up Your Summer Sketchbook

• a chat celebrating gardens with my friend Emma

• previous visual journals in which I share a painting of Cezanne and an obsession with cherries or another one which was very orangey!!

SUMMER PAUSE: I’m going to pause all paying subscriptions from Monday 3th August until Monday 24th August - I will be out of office/studio for a summer break. If you are a paying subscriber, you get full access to all the archives free of charge for that whole period - it’s a great time to catch up on any sessions/challenges/series you’ve missed. Sadly no-one can join the club during that period but we’ll be back full force, with a sharpening pencils session on time for 1st September!! More info in the gazette!

The Time Foragers’ Club is an opportunity to meet, grow, celebrate the seasons and create together!

🍋 Carve out time to be creative with us in the club

📮 Find out what’s included in the Founding Members’ subscription

🍊 Catch more behind-the-scenes peeks over @helen.c.stark