Ocean Grove web designer Laura Timberlake set herself the task of drawing or painting something every day for six months – the result is a spectacular calendar and diary printed in time for 2021.
“I wanted to challenge myself to try new things and increase my skill levels,” she said.
“They weren’t all necessarily good drawings or paintings, but the point was to keep pushing myself. I came out of the six months with a new love of using pencils for illustration.
“I was gifted a ‘draw something every day’ book. It’s meant to go for 365 days, but because I chose to use better quality paper and stick it in the book, I couldn’t fit anymore in after six months.
“The timing worked out though, because I needed to start working on my 2021 product designs and had plenty of artwork to choose from.”
With 2020 being a horror year for everybody thanks to COVID-19, Laura said the symbolism of a 2021 calendar might bring “change and a fresh start”.
While lockdown restrictions have eased significantly in regional Victoria, Laura said working on the calendar was therapeutic during the worst times.
“The best way to describe it is that I feel incomplete if I go too long without doing anything artistic,” she said.
“It is relaxing because it’s completely absorbing. I tend to lose track of time – one minute I’m looking at a blank sheet of paper, and three hours later I’ll have a finished work.”
Once all the drawings were complete, Laura approached several businesses for printing quotes, before deciding on one she had worked with before in Melbourne.
“I recently discovered they have a Geelong branch though, so I’m hoping to get future products printed there,” she said.
The response so far has been positive, Laura said.
“This is the first year I’ve created a diary, and one of my regular customers surprised me by ordering 10 as Christmas presents,” she said.
“It makes me happy that people are enjoying something I made.”
Laura’s calendars and diaries are stocked at NewsXpress Ocean Grove, and a notebook she designed is stocked at Just Landed in the Grove. The calendars and diaries are also available at lauratimberlake.com.au.
