It has been a busy few weeks! I have just returned from Budapest and am starting to gather the photos/ephemera/drawings I collected and have made on this trip. I thought I would share some of the most interesting pieces with you here.

Architecture

Budapest has a wealth of beautiful architecture. I took so many pictures of it all! I also did the below blind drawing. I am planning to do some more from the photos I took as I am pleased with how this one came out. Blind drawing has allowed me to enjoy drawing again. It is a loose and fun way of recording what you see. It often leads to an interesting abstraction of your subject. I highly recommend it. I was also able to pick up a couple of postcards to add to my inspiration hoard (which I am creating to take to university with me). The one below is by the illustrator Agnes Bogar.

Souvenirs

I was very pleased with the souvenirs I was able to pick up on this trip. I was looking for something more authentic and truly Hungarian. I found in a bookshop and in a market several old Hungarian passports. Aesthetically they appeal to me in several ways. Firstly, they are full of old stamps, labels and handwritten sections! The vintage photos make them so personal. Finally, this could be the beginning of a new collection for me. I am going to have fun translating them and using them as inspiration for my work.

Mapping 

Mapping was something I planned to do a lot of on holiday. In reality, I had little time for this with all of the touristing we did. I did however, pick up postcards by several Hungarian artists who explore mapping in their work, below is one of my favourites. It is by the artist who goes by the name Urban Sidewalker. It was a struggle to choose which of the beautiful postcards to bring home. I hope the postcards I collected will continue to inspire my work in the future and remind me of my wonderful trip.

Once I got home I was able to design my own postcard in response to the artwork and architecture I saw. I hope to produce more soon. I find the postcard the perfect size and shape for everything! It has become a motif in my work. There will be a blog post in the future all about postcards.