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My Blog
Welcome to my blog, where I chat about maps, art, nature and sustainability. I'll give you the stories behind the art, 'how to's and interviews, both with other artists and the authors I work with. Do you have something to say and would like to be a guest author on my blog? Let me know below!
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Feature Friday: The Art of Lord of the Rings Artist, Daniel Reeve
Feature Friday is back! Once a month I'll be introducing you to the work of an artist who has been a great source of inspiration for me...
Dec 22, 2023

How To Draw An Illustrated Map Part 3: Formatting the compass rose
Join me as I delve even deeper into teaching you how to draw your own illustrated map. Part three concerns the compass rose and the...
Dec 20, 2023

Imaginary Worlds: the Allure of Fantasy Maps in Literature
Fantasy is my favourite genre of novel. I read it fanatically, almost to the exclusion of any other genre, I've edited it with the...
Dec 15, 2023


Creating Depth: A Beginner's Guide to Making Basic Shapes Three-Dimensional
When you're making a map, sometimes you need to give it a little depth, so here's a practical, beginner's guide to making basic shapes...
Dec 13, 2023


How To Draw An Illustrated Map: A new instructional blog and video series
Have you ever wanted to draw your own illustrated map? (If you don't really know what one is, click here for an explanation). Well, my...
Dec 8, 2023


How To Draw An Illustrated Map Part 2: Adding decorative details to your compass rose
You've joined me for the second installment in my how to draw an illustrated map series. Today, I want to show you how to add decorative...
Dec 6, 2023


Why I Left Etsy
So, I don't know if you noticed, but I left Etsy. I know. It might be a mistake. It might be the best thing I've ever done. Who knows at...
Dec 1, 2023


How To Draw An Illustrated Map Part 1: How to draw a compass rose
Welcome to part one of my series teaching you how to draw an illustrated map. This lesson teaches you how to draw a basic compass rose,...
Nov 29, 2023


Shop Personalised Illustrated Maps
I've just made something new, and I'd love to tell you about it. It's been in the works for months, and I've slowly been developing the...
Nov 24, 2023


What is Giclée Printing?
Here at Howell Illustration, all of my art prints are giclée prints. But, I hear many of you ask, what is a giclée print? And why should...
Nov 17, 2023


Quitting Social Media and Charting a New Path on Youtube
In the ever-evolving world of online content and connection, change is not just an option; it's often a necessity. And that's precisely...
Nov 10, 2023


Announcing: I'm Leaving Social media, the whys and wherefores
Yes, I am officially announcing that I'm leaving social media and yes, there is one glaringly obvious reason that, to be perfectly...
Nov 3, 2023


conquering creative block: unleash your inner muse
This is the final post in my creative block series. And let's all admit it: you're here for the results, right? Have all of my tips and...
Oct 27, 2023
My Top Tips for Getting Over A Creative Block
I'm no stranger to a creative block. They creep up on me and suddenly my mind is one big blank. It happened this morning in fact, just...
Oct 16, 2023


Beginning Again: A New Chapter in Art Blogs
I'm pretty good at writing new chapters. I have always wanted to write a book, and I have had ideas for, and started so many, that I...
Sep 29, 2023


The True Cost of Etsy
I've been on Etsy for quite a number of years now, and I'm here to break down the true costs of using the platform. By which I mean the...
Jul 4, 2022


How to be More Sustainable as an Artist: Replacing Your Fineliners
One of the things I've noticed about art supplies is that not very many of them are sustainable. They are often made out of plastic,...
Aug 19, 2021


The Creative Process: Part II
Over the past few weeks, I've been sharing processes and sneak peeks behind creating The Bird Book: A Curious Compendium of 50 Wild...
May 18, 2021


The Bird Book: An interview with author Dr Meriel Lland
Welcome to part three of my sneak peek behind the scenes of The Bird Book. And who better to interview for my next guest blog than one of...
May 13, 2021

Illustrating for A Publisher: The Creative Process Part I
One of the things I've noticed about having worked in publishing is this: everyone in publishing knows the processes behind a book, and...
May 11, 2021
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