Caroline McFarlane-Watts: Start Before you're Ready!

Happy 2017 everyone! I hope that each and every one of you, whoever you are, whatever you do, and from whatever part of the world you're taking the trouble to check in at my blog.... I hope most of all that 2017 is a happy year for you.

It's not exactly a quote, but it is inspirational - Richard Branson advised others to 'start before they're ready'. It's excellent advice and I myself am so looking forward to what can be accomplished in 2017. I hope some of you have plans to try something new, or find something new in life that makes you happy. And on that note, people often write and ask me for advice on starting a career as an artist, or simply for advice on a clay technique. I want to encourage more of you to do this. Your emails will always be answered and I am happy to help wherever I can. My email is here and my website contact page is here. :)

I flew in from Blighty the other day and am fast settling back into LA life, breakfast tacos, coffee and ready to hit those 15 hour work days again quite gladly! In fact, I am already starting on a new witch character...

...But first... let's look back at 2016, with another of my annual 'year's round-ups'!

My year started with more witches for 'Good Witches Bad Witches TM', and these punctuated 2016 at regular intervals. At your request, I started creating some videos (at my Tall Tales Productions YouTube channel) of the behind the scenes, so you can see how they're made. In February I guest-starred in the Food Network's 'Cake Masters' as a miniature expert, and by June I'd worked with Buzzfeed to bring you a live miniature making demo and also a 'Tiny Tasty' parody (I shot two miniature recipes being assembled just like a Buzzfeed Tasty recipe), - one of these videos was the most watched Buzzfeed video of the week. I created new tutorials and my website was revamped and a web-store finally added. (Huge thanks to all who support my business by purchasing consumer products and prints from me). I started creating timelapse videos of me working which caught the attention of Instagram headquarters, who profiled me as one of their 3 top favourite picks out of 500 million unique users! Lucky me! I also put together my first book which most of you know will *finally* be available this Spring! I did some more illustrations, concept sketches, made more scale miniatures (some of which you'll see published in magazines this year) and some fun cartoons using Photoshop (disclaimer - the Trump / Bernie cartoon does not reflect political views at Tall Tales - see more here!). And in my personal adventures, I stayed at a chateau in France with my family, made mini trips to San Francisco, attended balls and other such silly LA events and felt like Dorothy in a surreal field of California poppies.

Happy 2017 everyone - I value and appreciate you all. Thanks so much for taking an interest in my work, and please continue to be involved, leave comments, ask questions and share your work with us as well.