One aspect of the Ipswich Library craft fair I rather enjoyed was having an afternoon sitting still. That might sound a bit odd, but I rarely get any length of time to just sit around. Outside the day job, my free time is usually spent on the ‘second job’: graphic design and formatting images and text for Zazzle and Cafepress. Any moments beyond that I can be found dashing about town, seeing people, being attached to my computer emailing people, and trying to be president of a social/charity club. So, I took a sketchbook to the library and spent a good part of the afternoon doodling, which was almost blissfully relaxing! I’d forgotten how much I used to draw at school, where breaks and lunchtimes turned into just such free moments and the computer rooms were always occupied by people playing games and thus inaccessible. I would insert some flimsy promise about setting aside more time to draw at about this point in the post, but I really don’t know where I’d find that time. I’ll have to content myself with carrying a notebook with me, just in case I stumble into a blank hour by accident.
Being a Christmas craft fair, the Krampus was the subject of quite a few of the doodles. I’d started cutting a lino block a few days earlier with the aim of hand-printing some Krampus cards, but didn’t manage to finish it in time for the fair, so hopefully I’ll have some to send out in time for next year. I also sketched out some layouts for some hare-themed lino prints and wintery scenes, so (alongside the actual craft fair) it was a productive day all round.
I’ve not tidied them all up yet, but here’s one using the little Krampus over at Zazzle:
I’ve been interested in the Krampus and other Germanic traditions ever since visiting Austria a couple of times many years ago. We went to two museums: one contained a photographic gallery of the region’s traditional costumes and performances, and the other was filled with wonderful artefacts, including a room filled with huge, hairy, horned monsters, taller than a man and intended to be worn as costumes during such performances (I nearly jumped out of my skin the first time I stepped through that door, they had such a looming presence in the room). Unfortunately my german was not good enough to make sense of all the descriptions at the time, but I believe I took photos in the hope that one day I’d be able to read them. I’d love to go back at the right time of year and see them in action!
For more information about the Krampus and the sinister side of Christmas, visit Krampus.com.
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