April 22, 2024 • 45 mins
Alexandra Newbould is an artist whose work you know. As a Toronto based freelance courtroom sketch artist and fashion and architecture illustrator, her work has appeared all across North America on newscasts, in newspapers and print, online and in brand marketing campaigns. She joins the show this week to talk about the challenges and rewards of being a freelance illustrator, tattoo artist and, her newest venture, working as an event artist who captures special moments in people's lives.
We talk about about the pressure of working in the courtroom and its impact on her work, how she has built a very successful business with minimal social media presence, the importance of in person networking and building connections, how delivering good work is its own networking tool and finding the balance between commercial success and artistic integrity.
This is a great episode for creatives who...
- struggle with how to network offline - Alex has done some interesting things to get noticed!
- wonder if it's possible to be successful without social media
- have an inner battle happening between creating art from a place deep inside them and creating art for commercial purposes
- have always wondered about the world of courtroom sketch artists
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Episode155: Illustrator and Courtroom Sketch Artist Alexandra Newbould
You can find Alexandra at alexandranewbould.com or on Instagram @alexandranewbould or @sketchmelikethis
You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns.
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And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast
Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love.
Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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And now let's get on with theshow.
Welcome to the Angie Looked UpPodcast.
Each week we sit down withinspiring Canadian women who
create for a living.
(01:24):
We talk about their creativejourneys and their best business
tips, as well as the creativeand business mindset issues all
creative entrepreneurs strugglewith.
I'm your host, melissaHartfield, and, after leaving a
20-year career in corporateretail, I've been happily
self-employed for 12 years.
I'm a graphic designer, anillustrator and a
multi-six-figure-a-yearentrepreneur in the digital
(01:46):
content space.
This podcast is for the artists, the makers and the creatives
who want to find a way to make aliving doing what they love.
Hello everyone, and welcome toanother episode of the and she
Looked Up podcast.
As always, I am your host,melissa, and this week, my guest
(02:10):
on the show is artist andillustrator Alexandra Newbold.
Welcome to the show, alexandra.
Thank you.
It's very nice to be here.
I am so pleased to have youhere.
This is going to be fun.
You are the first illustratorwe've had on the show.
I am also an illustrator, soit's just to be fun.
You're the first illustratorwe've had on the show.
I am also an illustrator, soit's just going to be fun for me
to get to talk to somebody elsewho does what I do.
(02:31):
I'm really looking forward toit.
Cool, for those of youlistening, this is usually the
point in the podcast where Itell you a little bit about our
guests in case you're notfamiliar with them, but in this
instance.
I think that most of you haveprobably seen Alexandra's work
because she is also a courtroomsketch artist and so your
(02:53):
sketches appear on news mediaoutlets all over North America.
So you've probably seen hersketches on the news, on print,
on online news sites.
I was watching the news lastweek and saw one of your
sketches on the newscast that Iwas watching, so you have
probably seen her work at somepoint.
(03:15):
She is also.
She's a classically trainedartist.
I believe you did your fine artsdegree at UVic, and drawing is
her life.
I can relate.
She's also a happy mom livingin the city and a little bit in
the country, and I know you'rebased in Ontario, so is it safe
to assume the city is Toronto?
(03:35):
That's right, yeah, awesome,okay, so funny little aside, I
did not know this when Iapproached Alexandra about being
on the show, but she isactually Heather Travis's cousin
.
The two of you are cousins andif you listen to the show
regularly, you know that Heatheris my semi-regular co-host.
(03:56):
So that was just a small worldmoment when we found that out.
So the first thing I askeveryone who comes on the show,
alexandra, is did you feel likeyou were creative as a kid when
you were growing up um, I did.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Yes, I did, I definitely did.
I don't even remember notfeeling like I was an artist.
My family although there's notreally a visual artist in the
(04:37):
same way that I am in myimmediate family my family, my
parents were big art lovers, soit was always museums, galleries
, talking about art, art in thehouse, art everywhere, and so I
was lucky for that and I justalways knew I loved, I just
loved to draw.
And I just remember being verylittle and being like, yeah, I'm
an artist and I love drawing,so yeah, so at what point did
you decide that this wassomething you wanted to pursue?
Speaker 1 (05:00):
education wise, because it's not actually often
that we have a classicallytrained artist or creative on
the show.
For most, it tends to be peoplewho've picked it up later in
life or they've followed apassion, but they went to school
to do something sensible.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, well, yeah, I think it's just because it was
so normalized in my family thatI was an artist and it was so.
Let's see, yeah, it was never aquestion.
I come from like my family'sacademics, so it was just I was
definitely gonna go touniversity, so that was just
(05:40):
what we did in my immediatefamily.
That was like the plan, andthen it was just like, well, of
course I'm going to study art.
Nobody ever, you know,thankfully nobody.
That was just, that was okay inmy family and completely normal
.
So, yeah, there was just noquestion about that, and I'm
sure that I'm very lucky forthat.
I, obviously, and I also.
(06:00):
It's not like I was reallyexcelling in anything else.
I mean, I mean, maybe I couldhave, but you know how school is
, it doesn't?
I don't know what else I waspicking up in school anyway,
like high school or anything.
It was just art was always mything.
So, luckily, that was just liketotally normal.
And I will say, though, that Iwent to University of Victoria
(06:21):
and that was like I don't know,99 or 2000 or something like
this, and it was academic artschool.
So there was no training in anykind of like technical training
for like art, like color theoryor painting, drawing, um, so I
I did actually go to schoollater in life to go study
(06:44):
illustration, because basicallyart school at that time where I
was going, it was conceptual art, it was there was no figurative
at all.
So I actually ended up going toillustration college later in
life.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So I was wondering about that, because when I think
of like a school that you wouldgo to to be a practicing artist
, I think of like OCAD or EmilyCarr.
So I was kind of curious, likewhy you chose you.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Well, yeah, I think it was a lack of knowledge, like
I didn't know.
No one in my family knew.
To be honest, I never hadreally thought of these two
different art worlds.
I didn't know much about theacademic art world and, um,
nobody could have told me thatmore.
I was more just like living inNew Brunswick at the time and I
wanted to go out to BC and youknow, just live the hippie dream
(07:35):
while I was in university.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Because I thought it'd be great to go there, which
it was, but no, it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Uh, it was very awkward and difficult being a
figurative artist at that time.
It was kind of a.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
So I'm guessing you didn't get much in the way of
like business training with it.
Like I know when I went to BCITto do graphic design and I know
we had to do like a wholesemester on like how to actually
function in the world as as afreelance graphic designer.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, that would have been nice.
No, I didn't get any of that.
No, uh, not at all.
Oh, that's in fact it wouldjust.
I think it it set off likeactually years of really weird
awkwardness around my artpractice actually, because I was
like the odd one out, because Iwas a figurative.
I wanted to do figurative andeveryone was like, oh my God,
(08:34):
that's so embarrassing Becauseyou know, it's like video art,
installation art, like if I haddone installation art I would
have been fine, but I didn't.
So I was always kind of at oddswith what was going on in those
studio classes and it wasreally awkward.
And I hate talking in front ofpeople and it was all just
critiques and I'm like trying todraw something, that's anyway,
(08:57):
if I'm making sense, it doesmake sense.
Yeah, it was kind of left melike, oh, and then I went and
did a whole bunch of other stuffwith my life and then decided
to go back to learn those actualskills.
Mind you, I still haven't had alot of training in business.
I kind of have had to figureall of this out the hard way.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I think a lot of artists do.
They wind up just learning itas they go, because it's not
something that's really focusedon in school necessarily,
depending on the program thatyou take.
So you just kind of learn frommaking mistakes usually.
So what led you to being acourtroom illustrator?
(09:36):
Like this is a.
This is a job that hasfascinated me since I was a
little girl.
Like the fact that there arepeople who sit in courtrooms and
draw what's going on, I justthought was the coolest thing,
and it's not something you don'trun into.
A lot of courtroom sketchartists I don't.
I don't know a ton about thelegal system, but I don't think
cameras are allowed in Canadiancourtrooms in the way that they
(10:00):
are in the US.
That's right.
So you have to.
You have to draw what'shappening?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah, yeah, and it's so.
Some and some United, some ofthe states, they go by state.
So that's why you'll see, inNew York, for example, you see
all these school sketch artcoming from like these, she's
got the all the fun jobs, theone that lives in New York City,
like Donald Trump and any starthat ends up in court.
So they don't have cameras inthere.
(10:26):
But some states do allowcameras, but in Canada, no
cameras.
And one thing that people don'trealize is it's for the media.
So I work as a freelancer forthe media outlets, so Canadian
Press, global News, ctv News,for example, cbc also, because
some people think it's a court,like the court system has to
have that, but yeah, actuallythat's what I thought it was.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
You'd be appointed by .
There's a roster of you andthis is your next case, but it's
you're actually media, withmedia credentials going on on
behalf of.
So I didn't know that.
That's, yeah, it is open to thepublic.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
All courts are open to the public.
They have to be.
It's part of our legal system.
But, um, I work for the mediaand literally it's just like an
illustration to go along withthe stories about what's going
on in court, just the same waylike a photographer.
Photographer would sell a photo, for example.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
How did you stumble onto that kind of work?
Because it's not like I said,it's not common common really
when you think about it and yeah, I, yeah, I also had forgotten.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
But when I was a kid I mean, when I was a kid I was
always like anything drawn, anyartwork, I was always, wow,
fascinated by it, and definitelyI was also fascinated by court
sketches, but I had forgottenabout it completely.
Um, I think what happened was Iwas living in Toronto, downtown
Toronto.
I had just finished the collegethat I had gone to, so that was
(11:51):
just four years of technicaltraining and it was all drawing
from life.
And we had to.
We were encouraged to drawevery single day from life,
right, things that we see.
Go out and sketch at the mall,go to the park and draw people,
see people and sketch at themall, go to the park and draw
people.
And at that time, um, it was robford, was in office in toronto,
(12:13):
so it was a big news time fortoronto and, oh, and also my
sister's, uh, criminal defenselawyer, by the way, working in
gray bruce.
So I was like, oh, maybe I'llgo and practice there one day,
just practice drawing people.
And then it kind of cametogether.
Oh, yeah, this is like a thing.
And then, when Rob Ford was inhis in an appeal court, after he
got kicked out of office backin the day.
(12:34):
Do you remember when he wassmoking crack?
Speaker 1 (12:35):
I do, he made me like very interesting.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Very exciting time in .
Toronto.
May he rest in peace.
But so I went there, I wentthere to and my brother was like
, hey, alex, go and go sketchthere and draw a picture of Rob
Ford.
And I just did, I just went tocourt and I started sketching
and, sure enough, I drew RobFord.
My brother was telling me whothe reporters were and so he
(13:00):
said, go talk to them and justgo tell them.
Like that you have a sketch.
And I was like okay, and I did,and uh, that was my first
published piece.
I got uh, rob Ford's mug righton the Toronto Star, so that's
how it all began, yep, and thenI just hustled myself out and I
kept going to court, going tocourt, going to court like I, I
did it like as a labor of loveand I would always just go.
(13:21):
And then I just started kind ofcold calling the media outlets
and doing it that way.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
And so how does it happen now they they contact you
and say we've got this course.
So, knowing now that you'reactually doing it from a media,
like you're actually hired bythe media outlet, did they give
you an idea of what they wantyou to capture?
Because court is a prettydynamic place, I would think
(13:50):
right, you don't really.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
It's not really.
I mean, if I was, if I wasdoing something that didn't make
any sense, maybe somebody wouldsay something about it.
But right from the get go Ikind of had a little bit of
direction.
I remember CTV was one of myfirst clients and they were,
like, you know, get this kind ofa moment and but you know, I
kind of just pieced it togetherand try to get as much as
possible in there.
But you know, there's very,there's very little direction.
I mean I'm, you know, if I wasjust focusing on someone's shoes
(14:14):
maybe and you couldn't reallythey might be like oh, but not
really, which is nice.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
So when you're in there, like, do you churn out
multiple sketches in a day or doyou kind of pick a person that
you're like, how do you?
Yeah, how do you.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Well, if sometimes it depends how long I'm going to
have.
So I've had to draw people whohave appeared for five minutes.
So I've had to draw extremelyquick sketches of just a person
who's like a you know big storybecause he got arrested and
something crazy happened, um, orthere could be a trial.
(14:54):
For example, right now there'sgoing to be a trial for five
weeks and it's very intense andthey're all day, so then I have
more time.
Um, you, you know, because I'mfollowing the case, you know
what's going on, so obviouslyyou know the accused, um, or if
there's a witness that day, um,I mean, I try to put as many
(15:15):
people in it as possible,judging, I mean, depending on
the time, um, that I have right,but you're definitely reading
the room.
If something interest ishappening, interesting is
happening, you want to capturethat.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Yeah, um, so kind of feeling a situation and getting
as much in as possible,depending on the time you I have
and so when you go in, when you, when you get a notice that
you're going to be at such andsuch appearance or trial or
whatever's happening, saytomorrow, like, how do you prep
for that, do you?
Speaker 2 (15:48):
you know you can't take your easel in, I'm
imagining yeah, no, I used to dopart traditionally, part
Photoshop to paint it in when Istarted was about 15 years ago.
So I would actually takepencils and paper and I would go
in there, draw everything paperand, uh, I would go in there,
(16:08):
draw everything.
Then I would go in the hallway,take a photo of my drawing,
email it to my computer and thencolor it in photoshop.
That was, um, that was what Idid.
Now I do everything on mytablet, right, um, which is
great.
I still use a layer on it thatlooks like it's a pencil.
So I'm like still sort of doingit the same way I did before.
The preparation I mean verylittle, I just make sure I know
what time it's starting, makesure I'm going to like be there
(16:30):
on time.
I can I don't.
Sometimes I should do it more.
I mean you can look at photoreference, just kind of.
You know, see, okay, who am Idrawing here.
But I mean, honestly, prettymuch mostly it's making sure my
technology is powered up andsnack because, it's really quiet
(16:51):
in the courtroom sometimes andyou get a growling stomach
sometimes, so just things likethat I mean, because you know,
you, when the way I draw is, uh,very in the moment and I just
get into the moment at thatmoment and I just go and just
just do it, yeah, well, that'sanother I just go and just do it
.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Yeah Well, that's another thing that I kind of
wondered about, because I wouldthink you have to be pretty
quick and pretty efficient withyour pencil work and there's not
a lot of time to get preciousabout your work.
Really Right, and I think a lotof I don't know, speaking from
(17:27):
personal experience I think alot of us have trouble with that
.
You know, we kind of get stuckin that perfectionist loop or
this isn't quite right, but youdon't have that option when you
have to send something in beforethe end of the day.
I would think so do you findthat freeing or do you find it
challenging?
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Yeah, definitely, definitely challenging.
Now, lately in my life, I feelthat I have a better.
Just because of the experiencethat I have at this point I'm
not having as many freak outmoments after sending them in.
(18:09):
But, believe me, it's happenedmany times where I, you know,
and there's a deadline of like 4pm, sometimes earlier, and I've
sent them in and just been like, oh my god, or I've seen it in
the newspaper the next day.
I'm like, oh my god, look atthat hand like um, especially.
Yeah, like there's work outthere that I'm just like I
(18:33):
cringe when I see it.
For sure, yeah, it's justbecause I've done it so much now
that I'm just like I'm a littlebit.
It doesn't happen as many timesnow where I'm just like
freaking out about the qualityof my work, cause, yes, you have
to send it out and yes, there'sbeen times where I've been like
that person's hand looks like atree trunk or you know what I
(18:53):
mean.
So, yeah, that's happened to mea million times, yep.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Yeah, you just have to be good with it.
It's yeah, press the button.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, it probably as an exercise.
It probably has been freeingover time because I've had many
anxiety attacks about that.
But but it's been a lesson in Idon't know.
Sometimes I just send it andI'm like I can't look, I can't
look anymore.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
So I mean you don't just do courtroom illustration,
you do other, you do other formsof illustration, you do fashion
, you do lifestyle, you do brandand advertising work.
So does that whole piece of youknow not getting too caught up
in the perfection of it likedoes it?
Do you find it frees you upwhen you do other work, or makes
(19:41):
you a little looser, or do youovercompensate when you do other
types of work?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
One thing I've had to learn is that I mean when
you're dealing with, likeadvertising work, for example,
and also courtroom sketch artalthough I think of it so
differently for some reason islike you need to know that they
need a solution to a problem andthey need a deadline, and
they're not really interested inyour emotional Not that I try
(20:07):
to talk to them about it, butit's like you have to leave
behind your emotional connectionto your artwork.
Like they need this in because,like they're just on the clock
and they just like want thedrawing in or they want the
artwork in.
You know what I mean, and foryou it's like, oh my god, like
it's got to be perfect.
Um, so that's just somethingI've been, I've had to learn in
(20:28):
all of my works, because if Idon't have a deadline, I'll just
keep going forever and ever.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think not so much on the
illustration side of what I do,because I don't do work for
clients for illustration, but asa graphic designer, I'm so used
to my work being critiqued orjust being told, no, you need to
change all that or whatever.
And it's not necessarily thatthey don't like it, it's just it
doesn't suit their purpose forwhatever they're going to use it
(20:54):
for.
And you kind of have to developthat thick skin, right, just
like, okay, it's not me, it'snot a personal attack on me and
my life choices, right, totally,it's, yeah, it's, it's very
different.
So you, you do a lot of fashionand architecture and I actually
kind of from, from myperspective, looking at your
(21:15):
work, I find the fashion andarchitecture quite similar to
courtroom sketching, like it'svery sort of minimalist lines,
very loose feeling.
And then you do brand work,where you're working with
different companies and thingslike that, like what.
I don't know if a lot of peopleunderstand what the difference
(21:38):
between doing editorial work isand doing a brand or
commissioned work, like they arequite different and yet there
are some similarities.
So maybe you could just talk alittle bit about what the two
are for you.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
So maybe you could just talk a little bit about
what the two are for you, right?
I mean, I think for me, maybe,if I have been, because I've
been able to do a lot of fun andI've been lucky enough,
fortunate enough, to be able todo some a lot of fun and
interesting projects where myown thing has been right, where
(22:14):
I haven't been like directed todeath, like if I did more
advertising, I probably would belike, oh my god, uh, it's
suffocating, but I haven't hadto do a lot of that stuff.
But just like, as you say, Imean, there's a goal, they have
a look, they have a brand.
You'd have to do exactly kindof what they want, as opposed to
being able to put your ownartistic spin on it.
(22:36):
And I've never minded that muchbecause I'm just happy to be
drawing and I just find it funto draw.
So even if I'm having to makesomething look a certain way, it
hasn't got to the point whereit's bothered me, I'm just still
happy to do it.
Got to the point where it'sbothered me, I'm just still
(22:58):
happy to do it.
But again, if I was doing, allday advertising.
I might be like not you knowwhat I mean, yes, but like
because courtroom, for example,even though it is editorial,
like I said, I get like almostno direction, which is nice.
It's like I'm just a painter inthere and I go in there and I
make my piece of artwork andnobody you know I just send it
off.
So but if it was likeconstantly Coca-Cola and Tim
(23:21):
Hortons and they were reallynitpicking all day long, I
probably would wouldn't be asfun.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
I would think also that if they're, if they're
approaching you, there must besome aspect of your style that
they appreciate, otherwise theywould choose to work with a
different artist, right?
So I mean, we've all hadclients who say they are there
for your style, but then that'snot how they behave.
(23:47):
But for the most part, I thinka lot of them are genuinely
really interested in what it isthat we put out.
But at the end of the day, theyhave a marketing goal and what
you do has to fit with that.
So it can't just be going offand doing like.
(24:07):
There has to be a reason behindthe concept that you're
presenting to them.
I guess is what I'm trying tosay.
So, yeah, very, very different,two very different types of
work.
Now you are also starting to dosome work as a tattoo artist, I
have been told.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
So yes, I am, but I will say that I'm not.
I might also not be.
I did do that.
I started tattooing.
I learned how to tattoo.
Very interesting, very cool.
I've always wanted to and Isaid now or never.
I began an apprenticeship, Idid learn how to tattoo and then
(24:48):
I took a hiatus.
I'm not sure if I I might dosome kitchen kitchen tattoos.
You're not supposed to do that,but anyway.
But honestly, I loved it, triedit.
I don't think I have enoughtime in my life to do so many
things and I think that'ssomething you have to go all in
(25:09):
and kind of decided to step backfrom it for a minute after
being in it for a year, eventhough I think it's really
interesting and cool.
But you know what?
Court's gotten so much busierand I'm working on other
projects and I kind of realizedthat I maybe can't do all of the
(25:30):
things, so I might need anotherlifetime to do that.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
I have a cousin who's just finishing up her
apprenticeship, but it's a verydifferent type of line work,
like doing as a tattoo artist,like it's very different from
what you do in court.
So was that like appealing toyou, or was that something that
you had to get used to?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Yeah, I definitely had to get used to yeah, I
definitely had to get used to it.
I do like to do these littlefinished kind of illustration-y
drawings.
It's like little cartoons, likethey have to be done.
You know, it's like one littlething and I do like the idea of
that.
It's almost like an editorial,right, like you have to have a
little concept and it's allcontained into this one thing.
Um, but yes, hard for me to,yeah, you have to be so perfect
(26:16):
and so exact.
I do.
I did like the um act oftattooing on the body.
It's kind of um, what do youcall that?
Um, oh, my gosh, meditative, Iguess a little bit.
The gotta go slow, you gottareally be in the moment.
Get kind of this like zenmoment, um, but um, yeah, to
(26:40):
tighten up all those lines, youknow, because I have a very
loose style, but I can do thattoo.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
I can do that too, but again, I need another
lifetime so many things verylittle time but yeah, yeah, it's
nice to try something that's uh, that is completely different.
Sometimes, yeah, especially,yeah, when you feel like maybe
you've been and I'm not sayingyou feel this way, but like if
you feel like you've beenpigeonholed into a specific type
(27:06):
of style or something, it'snice to just get out and do
something completely different.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
So, yeah, and the world kind of changed in the
moment that I decided to do that, till now, all of a sudden too.
I mean, this was it was over ayear ago when I decided to do
that, but like court had reallyslowed down, I just needed
something new in my life, Idon't know, and I always wanted
to try it and, like you know,I'm 45.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
So it was like you know, I got to do it now.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
So it was nice.
It came at a really nice timein my life.
It was fun.
It was fun to do for a year.
But the thing about tattooingis you need a spot to do it
right.
You can't just go.
I'm going to do this on theside.
That's why I'm not doing itright now.
I my spot, but it was neat toget out of my routine and try
something else.
Yeah, yeah, I mean, um, otherthings have just been building
(27:58):
up and so busy lately that, uh,I can't stay in one spot like
that so, um, yeah, you saidyou're doing some other projects
, can you?
Speaker 1 (28:07):
can you tell us a little bit about them, or are
they top?
Speaker 2 (28:09):
secret.
Yep, I'm, uh, I into, I'm, I'mlaunching this business now that
I am um hustling myself out toevents, weddings, um to sketch.
So, um, I will go to a weddingand sketch the wedding and
(28:32):
sketch the couple and sketch thevenue, and then I'm going to
have different packages.
I do have different packagesyou can get, you know, your
posters made or your thank youcards.
Also, all kinds of events likecorporate events, yeah, fashion
shows, even intimate events likehealing retreats, um to go do
(28:58):
drawings of the people there sothat they uh have a neat
experience and have something tolike bring home.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Yeah, that's really cool.
That's such a different way toremember something special or
important.
I love that.
Yeah, very cool.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Yeah, and it kind of combines what you know, what I
do from over the years in court,like the live schedule.
So so that, yeah, I'm doingthat, yeah, that's that's very
cool.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
So that's actually a great segue into talking a
little bit more about thebusiness side of of doing this,
because you are essentially afull-time freelance illustrator
artist.
I'm assuming that's how youmake.
Your living is freelancing so,and we don't need to get into
the specifics of your income butit's.
Where does the bulk of yourincome come from?
(29:51):
Is it the courtroom work or isthere other pieces of it that
you income come from?
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Is it the courtroom work or is?
Is there other pieces of itthat you Um?
It?
It's the courtroom, it's, it isall of it.
It's the courtroom work, and Ido some commercial projects, um,
like illustration projects,editorial packaging,
illustration.
Um, yeah, it's all of thosethings.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Yeah, you know how did you.
You've been doing this for awhile now, so you're pretty
established at what you do.
But how did you initially getthe word out?
You kind of mentioned at thebeginning there that your
brother told you to just go upand show a reporter your sketch.
But yeah, how did you get tothe point where now you are one
of the go-to people work forcourtroom illustration in
(30:36):
Toronto?
Speaker 2 (30:37):
um, yeah, good question.
I yeah, because I did it for avery long time for very little
reward.
I mean a long time ago I wouldjust do it for fun, but I always
.
I actually had a businessduring the summers which I don't
anymore.
I used to do.
I had a shop in Sobel beachwhere I did henna tattoos
actually fake tattoos and I alsohad a t-shirt shop that I
(31:00):
painted t-shirts at.
So I used to do that during thesummer and then I'd come here
and, um, do the court stuff.
But yeah, now, well, it'sbecause there were always only
like three or four of us.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
And.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
I think I just pushed my way in there and um, because
it's not like there's a lot ofwork in Toronto for a courtroom
artist.
That's why there's like onlythree, like now there's like two
or three of us.
Um, I basically pushed my wayin there, yeah and uh.
I it's just over time, I guess,I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
I don't know, and then like the brand work and and
the fashion work.
Is that people who saw yourwork, your courtroom work, that
were like, oh, that's kind ofcool, or we like her style, or
we like we like her, you know,or like, how did you?
How did you?
Speaker 2 (31:45):
because you worked with brands yes, oh, um, the
brand, oh yeah.
So, like the, the advertisingwork came through through
networking, through my brother,because he's a, because when I
first got out of the collegethat I went to and I started
working in Toronto he's a, he'sa copywriter.
(32:06):
Okay, he would start and heworked in agencies with an
advertising agency, so he wouldintroduce me to people in
advertising agencies and that'show I got my start doing that.
Yeah, and so I kind of workedin with, yeah, in different
projects like in Toronto,basically through networking, I
(32:27):
do one job and then they wouldtell someone else about it, yeah
.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
I think that's really interesting because because
today everybody feels like ithas to be social media, like
that's how you grow yourpresence, that's how you get
work, that's how you do this,and we kind of forget that old
fashioned networking is oftenthe best way.
Almost all of my work comesthrough word of mouth.
(32:55):
Just do one good thing for aclient and they tell somebody
and it's so powerful and we kindof forget that.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
I think you're right.
I think we do forget that and,um, it like it, it totally works
.
It's like the old fashioned wayI mean anything.
I mean, yeah, social media canbe important, but I mean maybe
LinkedIn is good.
I kind of have, I don't likeLinkedIn and I need to use it
more.
(33:23):
It gives me anxiety.
But like Instagram, for example, it's great to have your
portfolio on there.
I don't know, but I've alwaysfound it kind of like an energy
and time sucker.
Unless now I'm much morecareful, I don't bother at it,
I'll post up and then not.
I don't, I just don't like toget lost in it.
But I mean you have to.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
I think networking, talking to people, word of mouth
, I mean that is kind of that'sso important, I think important
when you're a creative for hireyeah because, because very often
those, those bigger brandclients, and then the people,
the.
But the people who have budgets, they're not necessarily
scrolling through instagram, no,looking for someone.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
So they want to know that there's someone who can do
the job and they're availableand someone else can vouch for
them and yeah yeah, that they'renot wasting their time on
somebody who's going to wastetheir time.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
So that's yeah for sure.
One other thing I just wantedto talk to you about because
this is something that doesn'tget talked about very often in
the creative world is thedifference between creating on
demand for a client and creatingbecause the mood strikes.
And there's a lot of people outthere who just they just they
(34:34):
love to paint, they love to draw, they love to write music, do
whatever, but it's on theirterms, because they're just
doing it, because they love it.
But when you have to create ondemand for a client, it's a
whole different vibe.
Right, Like you don't.
You don't get to have a bad dayand get up, Like when, when you
(34:55):
have to go sit in court and sendin your sketches at the end of
the day, you don't get to justsay I'm not in the mood for this
today.
Right, Like you've got to turnthat work out.
And the same when you're doingclient work.
And I think that a lot ofpeople don't realize how
different and how difficult thatcan be some days.
Um, especially if you're notfeeling the groove or you're not
(35:17):
feeling inspired or whatever.
Um, like, how do you, do youhave anything when you're having
one of those days where you'rejust like I don't, I don't feel
it, I'm not feeling it, Like,how do you get yourself to the
end of the?
Speaker 2 (35:30):
day I'm trying to think, I mean, it doesn't happen
with court and it's because Ijust love drawing.
Like I'm just sitting theredrawing and it's just I.
I I've never kind of been like,oh, I have to do this with that
.
I'm trying to think of someclient work.
It doesn't really happen to methat often.
(35:55):
I hate to say it.
That's awesome, though Iprobably.
I love like, if I'm I lovedrawing, I love making art, I
maybe I haven't had to do thingsthat are terrible.
Somehow I've managed to avoid.
It literally never happens withcourt.
I, just because I love drawingand I, I it's like an act that I
love to do and it's not hard.
(36:17):
I don't want to say it's not,it's not hard for me to make
myself do that.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Um gosh, honestly, honestly, god, it doesn't really
happen to me that much you didmention, though, that when you
do court like you're, you're notgiven a lot of direction.
Do you find that probably helps, like the fact that you're just
able to?
Speaker 2 (36:31):
I'm sure, of course, of course.
Of course I don't often have todeal with like annoying things,
so yes, it does.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Yeah, so on that note , like what do you create when
there's nobody telling you whatto do?
Like you don't have a courtcase, you don't have any client
work?
Like what do you just do forfun?
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Um for artwork, yeah, or any kind of creativity.
Yeah, I actually just um, Ioften go out and draw um, just
people in life or buildings orthings like that I go to or
things like that.
I go to life drawing sessions.
That's for fun and it's prettynerdy I go to.
(37:22):
Sometimes I'll go out at nightto see a band at a bar and I'll
just draw there.
No problem with that.
I draw from life, so and Ienjoy it.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
Do you?
Get a lot of people when you dothat, just stopping to, to,
yeah yeah, I do, I do, yeah,yeah, I do.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
I like to drop people , like playing musical
instruments and stuff, and thensometimes I'll send it to them
and make them happy and, um, yes, people always come up to me
and talk to me that's a greatway to to advertise myself also.
It is yeah, people they likethat.
Um, yeah, lately I I mean, Iused to paint a lot when I was
(38:02):
in university.
I would paint more lately likeactual paintings with paint, and
sometimes I do that.
But I'll do it.
I'll do it for a couple weeksand then I won't do it for a
while.
Um, I don't, I think, becauseI'm drawing from life and I like
to draw things that I'm lookingat.
I never get bored of it like Ifind it fun.
I don't know.
(38:23):
It's a project that I'm workingon, something that I'm doing,
so I never have to really forcemyself to do it that's true.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Life is always changing, so you're never um.
And if you go outside, this isanother thing, people.
If you go outside, this isanother thing, people.
If you go outside, there's likethis whole world happening out
there and there's some reallycool stuff, and if you can sit
down and and take a moment tocapture it yeah, do you ever do
a lot of this?
Is something like one of mybucket list.
(38:50):
Things to do is just to justtake an entire vacation where I
just get to pull out my sketches, plunk myself down wherever I
am probably have to do it on myown and pull my sketchbook out
and just sketch.
Yeah, I want to sketch likethat would be a dream vacation
for me.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Me too, I do that, I do I do that.
I do that on vacation.
I am I'm trying not to be, butI'm kind of a loner and I like
to just go and draw.
So I go to Panama a lot well,not a lot, not as much as I'd
like to, but every year I go toPanama because I used to live
there and, um, I did my son andI go down there, for example,
(39:30):
and I definitely just take dayswhere I go out to the street and
just draw.
I do, I do do that.
Um, I was in Mexico recentlyand, uh, I had too many things.
I was there for a wedding and Ihad too many.
Um, it was wonderful, I wasaround people, we were doing fun
things, but I need to go backto the town I was in and just go
(39:51):
by myself and draw, yeah, forthe time.
So, yes, I agree, I would loveto do.
I love to do that I could takethe whole vacation and just be
by myself and draw, and thatwould be wonderful, yeah, yeah,
exactly.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
So you are also a mom , so like does your son.
Uh, is he interested in art anddrawing?
Is he creative in that way too,or he?
Speaker 2 (40:13):
is, yes, he is.
He's.
Actually it's fun because hehas totally turned out to be an
artist.
Um, he's 18 now, so he's a man,but, um, his father is very
good at drawing and, um, I'm anartist and my son is, yeah,
totally, totally a mix of thetwo of us.
(40:34):
He's, um, he's actually goingto the college that I went to
after I did the university andcame back here and went to
college, and so he is, in fact,following in my footsteps and
it's quite fun because I'd neverhad, um, definitely creative
people in my family.
Like it was just another time.
You know what I mean.
The women in my women in myfamily, like my mom and my, uh,
(40:56):
her mother, were amazing atsewing and making dresses and
clothing, so they were artists.
They are artists in that way,but anyway, I never had anybody
to to talk about, like visualarts, and so it is fun that
doing that and we have that incommon and I can kind of give
him some direction.
Uh, that's a little bit.
Yeah, he's totally into it.
(41:18):
He draws all the time.
He's amazing.
Yeah, he's a far head fromwhere I was at his age.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
That is very cool.
Yeah Well, this has been great.
It's been great to chat withyou.
You have, so you've got yournew business that you are in the
process of setting up.
So is that website live yet, or?
Speaker 2 (41:41):
it's going to be my same website and I'm building it
behind the scenes.
So my website is there and youcan see that and contact me, and
by the time this comes out,it'll have my information on my
new little parties Awesome.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Big parties.
Yes, we will put a link toAlexandra's website in the show
notes, but it'salexandranewboldcom or ca?
Com, and Newbold isN-E-W-B-O-U-L-D, but there will
be a link to it in the shownotes.
And is there anywhere else?
People can find you online ifthey want to see your work.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
Yep, so I have Instagram as well, which is also
my name, alexandra Newbold, andA-L-E-X-A-N-D-R-A-N-E-W-O-U-L-D
, as you said, and then my otherone for the new business is
sketch me like this the handleis at sketch me like this.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Sketch me like this.
We will put links to both ofthose in the show notes so
people can go check out yourwork and see what you're doing
with this new business whichsounds really fun, by the way
like it's great, what a greatjob to just go out.
Great, I've done a weddingalready.
Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
What a great job to just go out.
Great, I've done a weddingalready.
Yeah, it's great, I've done awedding already and it's fun.
I'm putting a little package.
We're gonna do like five littlevignettes and then they're
going to go back to the guestsas like on the thank you cards.
So that's gonna be like a fullservice.
I'll provide things like that.
That's lovely.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
Yeah, yeah, then there's so many ways you could
grow that as well.
Yeah, I mean, I'm going to doeverything.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
I'm saying weddings are a popular thing, but like
literally everything, I'm evengoing to be doing like I could
attend.
I'm going to attend birthsagain, like healing circles,
like fun parties, you knowanything.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
So, yeah, want alexander to come draw your life
right.
Hit me up, hmu.
Well, thank you so much forbeing on the show today.
It was such a pleasure to haveyou and um satisfy all my
nerdiness about courtroom yeah,totally I'll always be posting
(43:54):
that stuff too, so you canalways.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
I should post more.
It's very.
It's just always so dark everytime I start to write about what
was going on.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
Yeah, I know, I would think that like some of those
trials have to be pretty heavybecause you can't help but
absorb what's being talked aboutwhile you're sitting there a
lot of darkness.
Yeah, I know, for me, drawing isactually how I focus on
conversations.
So I, if I was sitting there, alot of darkness, yeah, I know,
for me, drawing is actually howI focus on conversations, so I,
if I was sitting there drawingthis, I would be so in tune to
(44:21):
what was being said.
I, I think, a lot.
So, um, yeah, wow, very cool.
And for those of you listening,um, yeah, keep an eye out on
your local news or um, on thenewspapers or online, and you
will probably see alexandra'ssketches pop up, yeah, pretty
frequently, and they always havethe artist credit, so you'll
(44:42):
know it's hers, um, and we willhave all the links to everything
in the show notes.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
It was such a pleasure to haveyou and um appreciate your.
It was really great.
It was a lot Awesome.
That is it for this week,everyone.
We will be back in another twoweeks with another brand new
episode and we will talk to youall then.
(45:05):
Thank you so much for joiningus for the and she Looked Up
Creative Hour.
If you're looking for links orresources mentioned in this
episode, you can find detailedshow notes on our website at
andshelookedupcom.
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more business tips, profiles ofinspiring Canadian creative
(45:27):
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(45:48):
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(01:03):
And now let's get on with theshow.
Welcome to the Angie Looked UpPodcast.
Each week we sit down withinspiring Canadian women who
create for a living.
(01:24):
We talk about their creativejourneys and their best business
tips, as well as the creativeand business mindset issues all
creative entrepreneurs strugglewith.
I'm your host, melissaHartfield, and, after leaving a
20-year career in corporateretail, I've been happily
self-employed for 12 years.
I'm a graphic designer, anillustrator and a
multi-six-figure-a-yearentrepreneur in the digital
(01:46):
content space.
This podcast is for the artists, the makers and the creatives
who want to find a way to make aliving doing what they love.
Hello everyone, and welcome toanother episode of the and she
Looked Up podcast.
As always, I am your host,melissa, and this week, my guest
(02:10):
on the show is artist andillustrator Alexandra Newbold.
Welcome to the show, alexandra.
Thank you.
It's very nice to be here.
I am so pleased to have youhere.
This is going to be fun.
You are the first illustratorwe've had on the show.
I am also an illustrator, soit's just to be fun.
You're the first illustratorwe've had on the show.
I am also an illustrator, soit's just going to be fun for me
to get to talk to somebody elsewho does what I do.
(02:31):
I'm really looking forward toit.
Cool, for those of youlistening, this is usually the
point in the podcast where Itell you a little bit about our
guests in case you're notfamiliar with them, but in this
instance.
I think that most of you haveprobably seen Alexandra's work
because she is also a courtroomsketch artist and so your
(02:53):
sketches appear on news mediaoutlets all over North America.
So you've probably seen hersketches on the news, on print,
on online news sites.
I was watching the news lastweek and saw one of your
sketches on the newscast that Iwas watching, so you have
probably seen her work at somepoint.
(03:15):
She is also.
She's a classically trainedartist.
I believe you did your fine artsdegree at UVic, and drawing is
her life.
I can relate.
She's also a happy mom livingin the city and a little bit in
the country, and I know you'rebased in Ontario, so is it safe
to assume the city is Toronto?
(03:35):
That's right, yeah, awesome,okay, so funny little aside, I
did not know this when Iapproached Alexandra about being
on the show, but she isactually Heather Travis's cousin
.
The two of you are cousins andif you listen to the show
regularly, you know that Heatheris my semi-regular co-host.
(03:56):
So that was just a small worldmoment when we found that out.
So the first thing I askeveryone who comes on the show,
alexandra, is did you feel likeyou were creative as a kid when
you were growing up um, I did.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Yes, I did, I definitely did.
I don't even remember notfeeling like I was an artist.
My family although there's notreally a visual artist in the
(04:37):
same way that I am in myimmediate family my family, my
parents were big art lovers, soit was always museums, galleries
, talking about art, art in thehouse, art everywhere, and so I
was lucky for that and I justalways knew I loved, I just
loved to draw.
And I just remember being verylittle and being like, yeah, I'm
an artist and I love drawing,so yeah, so at what point did
you decide that this wassomething you wanted to pursue?
Speaker 1 (05:00):
education wise, because it's not actually often
that we have a classicallytrained artist or creative on
the show.
For most, it tends to be peoplewho've picked it up later in
life or they've followed apassion, but they went to school
to do something sensible.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, well, yeah, I think it's just because it was
so normalized in my family thatI was an artist and it was so.
Let's see, yeah, it was never aquestion.
I come from like my family'sacademics, so it was just I was
definitely gonna go touniversity, so that was just
(05:40):
what we did in my immediatefamily.
That was like the plan, andthen it was just like, well, of
course I'm going to study art.
Nobody ever, you know,thankfully nobody.
That was just, that was okay inmy family and completely normal
.
So, yeah, there was just noquestion about that, and I'm
sure that I'm very lucky forthat.
I, obviously, and I also.
(06:00):
It's not like I was reallyexcelling in anything else.
I mean, I mean, maybe I couldhave, but you know how school is
, it doesn't?
I don't know what else I waspicking up in school anyway,
like high school or anything.
It was just art was always mything.
So, luckily, that was just liketotally normal.
And I will say, though, that Iwent to University of Victoria
(06:21):
and that was like I don't know,99 or 2000 or something like
this, and it was academic artschool.
So there was no training in anykind of like technical training
for like art, like color theoryor painting, drawing, um, so I
I did actually go to schoollater in life to go study
(06:44):
illustration, because basicallyart school at that time where I
was going, it was conceptual art, it was there was no figurative
at all.
So I actually ended up going toillustration college later in
life.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So I was wondering about that, because when I think
of like a school that you wouldgo to to be a practicing artist
, I think of like OCAD or EmilyCarr.
So I was kind of curious, likewhy you chose you.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Well, yeah, I think it was a lack of knowledge, like
I didn't know.
No one in my family knew.
To be honest, I never hadreally thought of these two
different art worlds.
I didn't know much about theacademic art world and, um,
nobody could have told me thatmore.
I was more just like living inNew Brunswick at the time and I
wanted to go out to BC and youknow, just live the hippie dream
(07:35):
while I was in university.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Because I thought it'd be great to go there, which
it was, but no, it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Uh, it was very awkward and difficult being a
figurative artist at that time.
It was kind of a.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
So I'm guessing you didn't get much in the way of
like business training with it.
Like I know when I went to BCITto do graphic design and I know
we had to do like a wholesemester on like how to actually
function in the world as as afreelance graphic designer.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, that would have been nice.
No, I didn't get any of that.
No, uh, not at all.
Oh, that's in fact it wouldjust.
I think it it set off likeactually years of really weird
awkwardness around my artpractice actually, because I was
like the odd one out, because Iwas a figurative.
I wanted to do figurative andeveryone was like, oh my God,
(08:34):
that's so embarrassing Becauseyou know, it's like video art,
installation art, like if I haddone installation art I would
have been fine, but I didn't.
So I was always kind of at oddswith what was going on in those
studio classes and it wasreally awkward.
And I hate talking in front ofpeople and it was all just
critiques and I'm like trying todraw something, that's anyway,
(08:57):
if I'm making sense, it doesmake sense.
Yeah, it was kind of left melike, oh, and then I went and
did a whole bunch of other stuffwith my life and then decided
to go back to learn those actualskills.
Mind you, I still haven't had alot of training in business.
I kind of have had to figureall of this out the hard way.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I think a lot of artists do.
They wind up just learning itas they go, because it's not
something that's really focusedon in school necessarily,
depending on the program thatyou take.
So you just kind of learn frommaking mistakes usually.
So what led you to being acourtroom illustrator?
(09:36):
Like this is a.
This is a job that hasfascinated me since I was a
little girl.
Like the fact that there arepeople who sit in courtrooms and
draw what's going on, I justthought was the coolest thing,
and it's not something you don'trun into.
A lot of courtroom sketchartists I don't.
I don't know a ton about thelegal system, but I don't think
cameras are allowed in Canadiancourtrooms in the way that they
(10:00):
are in the US.
That's right.
So you have to.
You have to draw what'shappening?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah, yeah, and it's so.
Some and some United, some ofthe states, they go by state.
So that's why you'll see, inNew York, for example, you see
all these school sketch artcoming from like these, she's
got the all the fun jobs, theone that lives in New York City,
like Donald Trump and any starthat ends up in court.
So they don't have cameras inthere.
(10:26):
But some states do allowcameras, but in Canada, no
cameras.
And one thing that people don'trealize is it's for the media.
So I work as a freelancer forthe media outlets, so Canadian
Press, global News, ctv News,for example, cbc also, because
some people think it's a court,like the court system has to
have that, but yeah, actuallythat's what I thought it was.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
You'd be appointed by .
There's a roster of you andthis is your next case, but it's
you're actually media, withmedia credentials going on on
behalf of.
So I didn't know that.
That's, yeah, it is open to thepublic.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
All courts are open to the public.
They have to be.
It's part of our legal system.
But, um, I work for the mediaand literally it's just like an
illustration to go along withthe stories about what's going
on in court, just the same waylike a photographer.
Photographer would sell a photo, for example.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
How did you stumble onto that kind of work?
Because it's not like I said,it's not common common really
when you think about it and yeah, I, yeah, I also had forgotten.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
But when I was a kid I mean, when I was a kid I was
always like anything drawn, anyartwork, I was always, wow,
fascinated by it, and definitelyI was also fascinated by court
sketches, but I had forgottenabout it completely.
Um, I think what happened was Iwas living in Toronto, downtown
Toronto.
I had just finished the collegethat I had gone to, so that was
(11:51):
just four years of technicaltraining and it was all drawing
from life.
And we had to.
We were encouraged to drawevery single day from life,
right, things that we see.
Go out and sketch at the mall,go to the park and draw people,
see people and sketch at themall, go to the park and draw
people.
And at that time, um, it was robford, was in office in toronto,
(12:13):
so it was a big news time fortoronto and, oh, and also my
sister's, uh, criminal defenselawyer, by the way, working in
gray bruce.
So I was like, oh, maybe I'llgo and practice there one day,
just practice drawing people.
And then it kind of cametogether.
Oh, yeah, this is like a thing.
And then, when Rob Ford was inhis in an appeal court, after he
got kicked out of office backin the day.
(12:34):
Do you remember when he wassmoking crack?
Speaker 1 (12:35):
I do, he made me like very interesting.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Very exciting time in .
Toronto.
May he rest in peace.
But so I went there, I wentthere to and my brother was like
, hey, alex, go and go sketchthere and draw a picture of Rob
Ford.
And I just did, I just went tocourt and I started sketching
and, sure enough, I drew RobFord.
My brother was telling me whothe reporters were and so he
(13:00):
said, go talk to them and justgo tell them.
Like that you have a sketch.
And I was like okay, and I did,and uh, that was my first
published piece.
I got uh, rob Ford's mug righton the Toronto Star, so that's
how it all began, yep, and thenI just hustled myself out and I
kept going to court, going tocourt, going to court like I, I
did it like as a labor of loveand I would always just go.
(13:21):
And then I just started kind ofcold calling the media outlets
and doing it that way.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
And so how does it happen now they they contact you
and say we've got this course.
So, knowing now that you'reactually doing it from a media,
like you're actually hired bythe media outlet, did they give
you an idea of what they wantyou to capture?
Because court is a prettydynamic place, I would think
(13:50):
right, you don't really.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
It's not really.
I mean, if I was, if I wasdoing something that didn't make
any sense, maybe somebody wouldsay something about it.
But right from the get go Ikind of had a little bit of
direction.
I remember CTV was one of myfirst clients and they were,
like, you know, get this kind ofa moment and but you know, I
kind of just pieced it togetherand try to get as much as
possible in there.
But you know, there's very,there's very little direction.
I mean I'm, you know, if I wasjust focusing on someone's shoes
(14:14):
maybe and you couldn't reallythey might be like oh, but not
really, which is nice.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
So when you're in there, like, do you churn out
multiple sketches in a day or doyou kind of pick a person that
you're like, how do you?
Yeah, how do you.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Well, if sometimes it depends how long I'm going to
have.
So I've had to draw people whohave appeared for five minutes.
So I've had to draw extremelyquick sketches of just a person
who's like a you know big storybecause he got arrested and
something crazy happened, um, orthere could be a trial.
(14:54):
For example, right now there'sgoing to be a trial for five
weeks and it's very intense andthey're all day, so then I have
more time.
Um, you, you know, because I'mfollowing the case, you know
what's going on, so obviouslyyou know the accused, um, or if
there's a witness that day, um,I mean, I try to put as many
(15:15):
people in it as possible,judging, I mean, depending on
the time, um, that I have right,but you're definitely reading
the room.
If something interest ishappening, interesting is
happening, you want to capturethat.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Yeah, um, so kind of feeling a situation and getting
as much in as possible,depending on the time you I have
and so when you go in, when you, when you get a notice that
you're going to be at such andsuch appearance or trial or
whatever's happening, saytomorrow, like, how do you prep
for that, do you?
Speaker 2 (15:48):
you know you can't take your easel in, I'm
imagining yeah, no, I used to dopart traditionally, part
Photoshop to paint it in when Istarted was about 15 years ago.
So I would actually takepencils and paper and I would go
in there, draw everything paperand, uh, I would go in there,
(16:08):
draw everything.
Then I would go in the hallway,take a photo of my drawing,
email it to my computer and thencolor it in photoshop.
That was, um, that was what Idid.
Now I do everything on mytablet, right, um, which is
great.
I still use a layer on it thatlooks like it's a pencil.
So I'm like still sort of doingit the same way I did before.
The preparation I mean verylittle, I just make sure I know
what time it's starting, makesure I'm going to like be there
(16:30):
on time.
I can I don't.
Sometimes I should do it more.
I mean you can look at photoreference, just kind of.
You know, see, okay, who am Idrawing here.
But I mean, honestly, prettymuch mostly it's making sure my
technology is powered up andsnack because, it's really quiet
(16:51):
in the courtroom sometimes andyou get a growling stomach
sometimes, so just things likethat I mean, because you know,
you, when the way I draw is, uh,very in the moment and I just
get into the moment at thatmoment and I just go and just
just do it, yeah, well, that'sanother I just go and just do it
.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Yeah Well, that's another thing that I kind of
wondered about, because I wouldthink you have to be pretty
quick and pretty efficient withyour pencil work and there's not
a lot of time to get preciousabout your work.
Really Right, and I think a lotof I don't know, speaking from
(17:27):
personal experience I think alot of us have trouble with that
.
You know, we kind of get stuckin that perfectionist loop or
this isn't quite right, but youdon't have that option when you
have to send something in beforethe end of the day.
I would think so do you findthat freeing or do you find it
challenging?
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Yeah, definitely, definitely challenging.
Now, lately in my life, I feelthat I have a better.
Just because of the experiencethat I have at this point I'm
not having as many freak outmoments after sending them in.
(18:09):
But, believe me, it's happenedmany times where I, you know,
and there's a deadline of like 4pm, sometimes earlier, and I've
sent them in and just been like, oh my god, or I've seen it in
the newspaper the next day.
I'm like, oh my god, look atthat hand like um, especially.
Yeah, like there's work outthere that I'm just like I
(18:33):
cringe when I see it.
For sure, yeah, it's justbecause I've done it so much now
that I'm just like I'm a littlebit.
It doesn't happen as many timesnow where I'm just like
freaking out about the qualityof my work, cause, yes, you have
to send it out and yes, there'sbeen times where I've been like
that person's hand looks like atree trunk or you know what I
(18:53):
mean.
So, yeah, that's happened to mea million times, yep.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Yeah, you just have to be good with it.
It's yeah, press the button.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, it probably as an exercise.
It probably has been freeingover time because I've had many
anxiety attacks about that.
But but it's been a lesson in Idon't know.
Sometimes I just send it andI'm like I can't look, I can't
look anymore.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
So I mean you don't just do courtroom illustration,
you do other, you do other formsof illustration, you do fashion
, you do lifestyle, you do brandand advertising work.
So does that whole piece of youknow not getting too caught up
in the perfection of it likedoes it?
Do you find it frees you upwhen you do other work, or makes
(19:41):
you a little looser, or do youovercompensate when you do other
types of work?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
One thing I've had to learn is that I mean when
you're dealing with, likeadvertising work, for example,
and also courtroom sketch artalthough I think of it so
differently for some reason islike you need to know that they
need a solution to a problem andthey need a deadline, and
they're not really interested inyour emotional Not that I try
(20:07):
to talk to them about it, butit's like you have to leave
behind your emotional connectionto your artwork.
Like they need this in because,like they're just on the clock
and they just like want thedrawing in or they want the
artwork in.
You know what I mean, and foryou it's like, oh my god, like
it's got to be perfect.
Um, so that's just somethingI've been, I've had to learn in
(20:28):
all of my works, because if Idon't have a deadline, I'll just
keep going forever and ever.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think not so much on the
illustration side of what I do,because I don't do work for
clients for illustration, but asa graphic designer, I'm so used
to my work being critiqued orjust being told, no, you need to
change all that or whatever.
And it's not necessarily thatthey don't like it, it's just it
doesn't suit their purpose forwhatever they're going to use it
(20:54):
for.
And you kind of have to developthat thick skin, right, just
like, okay, it's not me, it'snot a personal attack on me and
my life choices, right, totally,it's, yeah, it's, it's very
different.
So you, you do a lot of fashionand architecture and I actually
kind of from, from myperspective, looking at your
(21:15):
work, I find the fashion andarchitecture quite similar to
courtroom sketching, like it'svery sort of minimalist lines,
very loose feeling.
And then you do brand work,where you're working with
different companies and thingslike that, like what.
I don't know if a lot of peopleunderstand what the difference
(21:38):
between doing editorial work isand doing a brand or
commissioned work, like they arequite different and yet there
are some similarities.
So maybe you could just talk alittle bit about what the two
are for you.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
So maybe you could just talk a little bit about
what the two are for you, right?
I mean, I think for me, maybe,if I have been, because I've
been able to do a lot of fun andI've been lucky enough,
fortunate enough, to be able todo some a lot of fun and
interesting projects where myown thing has been right, where
(22:14):
I haven't been like directed todeath, like if I did more
advertising, I probably would belike, oh my god, uh, it's
suffocating, but I haven't hadto do a lot of that stuff.
But just like, as you say, Imean, there's a goal, they have
a look, they have a brand.
You'd have to do exactly kindof what they want, as opposed to
being able to put your ownartistic spin on it.
(22:36):
And I've never minded that muchbecause I'm just happy to be
drawing and I just find it funto draw.
So even if I'm having to makesomething look a certain way, it
hasn't got to the point whereit's bothered me, I'm just still
happy to do it.
Got to the point where it'sbothered me, I'm just still
(22:58):
happy to do it.
But again, if I was doing, allday advertising.
I might be like not you knowwhat I mean, yes, but like
because courtroom, for example,even though it is editorial,
like I said, I get like almostno direction, which is nice.
It's like I'm just a painter inthere and I go in there and I
make my piece of artwork andnobody you know I just send it
off.
So but if it was likeconstantly Coca-Cola and Tim
(23:21):
Hortons and they were reallynitpicking all day long, I
probably would wouldn't be asfun.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
I would think also that if they're, if they're
approaching you, there must besome aspect of your style that
they appreciate, otherwise theywould choose to work with a
different artist, right?
So I mean, we've all hadclients who say they are there
for your style, but then that'snot how they behave.
(23:47):
But for the most part, I thinka lot of them are genuinely
really interested in what it isthat we put out.
But at the end of the day, theyhave a marketing goal and what
you do has to fit with that.
So it can't just be going offand doing like.
(24:07):
There has to be a reason behindthe concept that you're
presenting to them.
I guess is what I'm trying tosay.
So, yeah, very, very different,two very different types of
work.
Now you are also starting to dosome work as a tattoo artist, I
have been told.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
So yes, I am, but I will say that I'm not.
I might also not be.
I did do that.
I started tattooing.
I learned how to tattoo.
Very interesting, very cool.
I've always wanted to and Isaid now or never.
I began an apprenticeship, Idid learn how to tattoo and then
(24:48):
I took a hiatus.
I'm not sure if I I might dosome kitchen kitchen tattoos.
You're not supposed to do that,but anyway.
But honestly, I loved it, triedit.
I don't think I have enoughtime in my life to do so many
things and I think that'ssomething you have to go all in
(25:09):
and kind of decided to step backfrom it for a minute after
being in it for a year, eventhough I think it's really
interesting and cool.
But you know what?
Court's gotten so much busierand I'm working on other
projects and I kind of realizedthat I maybe can't do all of the
(25:30):
things, so I might need anotherlifetime to do that.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
I have a cousin who's just finishing up her
apprenticeship, but it's a verydifferent type of line work,
like doing as a tattoo artist,like it's very different from
what you do in court.
So was that like appealing toyou, or was that something that
you had to get used to?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Yeah, I definitely had to get used to yeah, I
definitely had to get used to it.
I do like to do these littlefinished kind of illustration-y
drawings.
It's like little cartoons, likethey have to be done.
You know, it's like one littlething and I do like the idea of
that.
It's almost like an editorial,right, like you have to have a
little concept and it's allcontained into this one thing.
Um, but yes, hard for me to,yeah, you have to be so perfect
(26:16):
and so exact.
I do.
I did like the um act oftattooing on the body.
It's kind of um, what do youcall that?
Um, oh, my gosh, meditative, Iguess a little bit.
The gotta go slow, you gottareally be in the moment.
Get kind of this like zenmoment, um, but um, yeah, to
(26:40):
tighten up all those lines, youknow, because I have a very
loose style, but I can do thattoo.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
I can do that too, but again, I need another
lifetime so many things verylittle time but yeah, yeah, it's
nice to try something that's uh, that is completely different.
Sometimes, yeah, especially,yeah, when you feel like maybe
you've been and I'm not sayingyou feel this way, but like if
you feel like you've beenpigeonholed into a specific type
(27:06):
of style or something, it'snice to just get out and do
something completely different.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
So, yeah, and the world kind of changed in the
moment that I decided to do that, till now, all of a sudden too.
I mean, this was it was over ayear ago when I decided to do
that, but like court had reallyslowed down, I just needed
something new in my life, Idon't know, and I always wanted
to try it and, like you know,I'm 45.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
So it was like you know, I got to do it now.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
So it was nice.
It came at a really nice timein my life.
It was fun.
It was fun to do for a year.
But the thing about tattooingis you need a spot to do it
right.
You can't just go.
I'm going to do this on theside.
That's why I'm not doing itright now.
I my spot, but it was neat toget out of my routine and try
something else.
Yeah, yeah, I mean, um, otherthings have just been building
(27:58):
up and so busy lately that, uh,I can't stay in one spot like
that so, um, yeah, you saidyou're doing some other projects
, can you?
Speaker 1 (28:07):
can you tell us a little bit about them, or are
they top?
Speaker 2 (28:09):
secret.
Yep, I'm, uh, I into, I'm, I'mlaunching this business now that
I am um hustling myself out toevents, weddings, um to sketch.
So, um, I will go to a weddingand sketch the wedding and
(28:32):
sketch the couple and sketch thevenue, and then I'm going to
have different packages.
I do have different packagesyou can get, you know, your
posters made or your thank youcards.
Also, all kinds of events likecorporate events, yeah, fashion
shows, even intimate events likehealing retreats, um to go do
(28:58):
drawings of the people there sothat they uh have a neat
experience and have something tolike bring home.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Yeah, that's really cool.
That's such a different way toremember something special or
important.
I love that.
Yeah, very cool.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Yeah, and it kind of combines what you know, what I
do from over the years in court,like the live schedule.
So so that, yeah, I'm doingthat, yeah, that's that's very
cool.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
So that's actually a great segue into talking a
little bit more about thebusiness side of of doing this,
because you are essentially afull-time freelance illustrator
artist.
I'm assuming that's how youmake.
Your living is freelancing so,and we don't need to get into
the specifics of your income butit's.
Where does the bulk of yourincome come from?
(29:51):
Is it the courtroom work or isthere other pieces of it that
you income come from?
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Is it the courtroom work or is?
Is there other pieces of itthat you Um?
It?
It's the courtroom, it's, it isall of it.
It's the courtroom work, and Ido some commercial projects, um,
like illustration projects,editorial packaging,
illustration.
Um, yeah, it's all of thosethings.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Yeah, you know how did you.
You've been doing this for awhile now, so you're pretty
established at what you do.
But how did you initially getthe word out?
You kind of mentioned at thebeginning there that your
brother told you to just go upand show a reporter your sketch.
But yeah, how did you get tothe point where now you are one
of the go-to people work forcourtroom illustration in
(30:36):
Toronto?
Speaker 2 (30:37):
um, yeah, good question.
I yeah, because I did it for avery long time for very little
reward.
I mean a long time ago I wouldjust do it for fun, but I always
.
I actually had a businessduring the summers which I don't
anymore.
I used to do.
I had a shop in Sobel beachwhere I did henna tattoos
actually fake tattoos and I alsohad a t-shirt shop that I
(31:00):
painted t-shirts at.
So I used to do that during thesummer and then I'd come here
and, um, do the court stuff.
But yeah, now, well, it'sbecause there were always only
like three or four of us.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
And.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
I think I just pushed my way in there and um, because
it's not like there's a lot ofwork in Toronto for a courtroom
artist.
That's why there's like onlythree, like now there's like two
or three of us.
Um, I basically pushed my wayin there, yeah and uh.
I it's just over time, I guess,I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
I don't know, and then like the brand work and and
the fashion work.
Is that people who saw yourwork, your courtroom work, that
were like, oh, that's kind ofcool, or we like her style, or
we like we like her, you know,or like, how did you?
How did you?
Speaker 2 (31:45):
because you worked with brands yes, oh, um, the
brand, oh yeah.
So, like the, the advertisingwork came through through
networking, through my brother,because he's a, because when I
first got out of the collegethat I went to and I started
working in Toronto he's a, he'sa copywriter.
(32:06):
Okay, he would start and heworked in agencies with an
advertising agency, so he wouldintroduce me to people in
advertising agencies and that'show I got my start doing that.
Yeah, and so I kind of workedin with, yeah, in different
projects like in Toronto,basically through networking, I
(32:27):
do one job and then they wouldtell someone else about it, yeah
.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
I think that's really interesting because because
today everybody feels like ithas to be social media, like
that's how you grow yourpresence, that's how you get
work, that's how you do this,and we kind of forget that old
fashioned networking is oftenthe best way.
Almost all of my work comesthrough word of mouth.
(32:55):
Just do one good thing for aclient and they tell somebody
and it's so powerful and we kindof forget that.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
I think you're right.
I think we do forget that and,um, it like it, it totally works
.
It's like the old fashioned wayI mean anything.
I mean, yeah, social media canbe important, but I mean maybe
LinkedIn is good.
I kind of have, I don't likeLinkedIn and I need to use it
more.
(33:23):
It gives me anxiety.
But like Instagram, for example, it's great to have your
portfolio on there.
I don't know, but I've alwaysfound it kind of like an energy
and time sucker.
Unless now I'm much morecareful, I don't bother at it,
I'll post up and then not.
I don't, I just don't like toget lost in it.
But I mean you have to.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
I think networking, talking to people, word of mouth
, I mean that is kind of that'sso important, I think important
when you're a creative for hireyeah because, because very often
those, those bigger brandclients, and then the people,
the.
But the people who have budgets, they're not necessarily
scrolling through instagram, no,looking for someone.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
So they want to know that there's someone who can do
the job and they're availableand someone else can vouch for
them and yeah yeah, that they'renot wasting their time on
somebody who's going to wastetheir time.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
So that's yeah for sure.
One other thing I just wantedto talk to you about because
this is something that doesn'tget talked about very often in
the creative world is thedifference between creating on
demand for a client and creatingbecause the mood strikes.
And there's a lot of people outthere who just they just they
(34:34):
love to paint, they love to draw, they love to write music, do
whatever, but it's on theirterms, because they're just
doing it, because they love it.
But when you have to create ondemand for a client, it's a
whole different vibe.
Right, Like you don't.
You don't get to have a bad dayand get up, Like when, when you
(34:55):
have to go sit in court and sendin your sketches at the end of
the day, you don't get to justsay I'm not in the mood for this
today.
Right, Like you've got to turnthat work out.
And the same when you're doingclient work.
And I think that a lot ofpeople don't realize how
different and how difficult thatcan be some days.
Um, especially if you're notfeeling the groove or you're not
(35:17):
feeling inspired or whatever.
Um, like, how do you, do youhave anything when you're having
one of those days where you'rejust like I don't, I don't feel
it, I'm not feeling it, Like,how do you get yourself to the
end of the?
Speaker 2 (35:30):
day I'm trying to think, I mean, it doesn't happen
with court and it's because Ijust love drawing.
Like I'm just sitting theredrawing and it's just I.
I I've never kind of been like,oh, I have to do this with that
.
I'm trying to think of someclient work.
It doesn't really happen to methat often.
(35:55):
I hate to say it.
That's awesome, though Iprobably.
I love like, if I'm I lovedrawing, I love making art, I
maybe I haven't had to do thingsthat are terrible.
Somehow I've managed to avoid.
It literally never happens withcourt.
I, just because I love drawingand I, I it's like an act that I
love to do and it's not hard.
(36:17):
I don't want to say it's not,it's not hard for me to make
myself do that.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Um gosh, honestly, honestly, god, it doesn't really
happen to me that much you didmention, though, that when you
do court like you're, you're notgiven a lot of direction.
Do you find that probably helps, like the fact that you're just
able to?
Speaker 2 (36:31):
I'm sure, of course, of course.
Of course I don't often have todeal with like annoying things,
so yes, it does.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Yeah, so on that note , like what do you create when
there's nobody telling you whatto do?
Like you don't have a courtcase, you don't have any client
work?
Like what do you just do forfun?
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Um for artwork, yeah, or any kind of creativity.
Yeah, I actually just um, Ioften go out and draw um, just
people in life or buildings orthings like that I go to or
things like that.
I go to life drawing sessions.
That's for fun and it's prettynerdy I go to.
(37:22):
Sometimes I'll go out at nightto see a band at a bar and I'll
just draw there.
No problem with that.
I draw from life, so and Ienjoy it.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
Do you?
Get a lot of people when you dothat, just stopping to, to,
yeah yeah, I do, I do, yeah,yeah, I do.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
I like to drop people , like playing musical
instruments and stuff, and thensometimes I'll send it to them
and make them happy and, um, yes, people always come up to me
and talk to me that's a greatway to to advertise myself also.
It is yeah, people they likethat.
Um, yeah, lately I I mean, Iused to paint a lot when I was
(38:02):
in university.
I would paint more lately likeactual paintings with paint, and
sometimes I do that.
But I'll do it.
I'll do it for a couple weeksand then I won't do it for a
while.
Um, I don't, I think, becauseI'm drawing from life and I like
to draw things that I'm lookingat.
I never get bored of it like Ifind it fun.
I don't know.
(38:23):
It's a project that I'm workingon, something that I'm doing,
so I never have to really forcemyself to do it that's true.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Life is always changing, so you're never um.
And if you go outside, this isanother thing, people.
If you go outside, this isanother thing, people.
If you go outside, there's likethis whole world happening out
there and there's some reallycool stuff, and if you can sit
down and and take a moment tocapture it yeah, do you ever do
a lot of this?
Is something like one of mybucket list.
(38:50):
Things to do is just to justtake an entire vacation where I
just get to pull out my sketches, plunk myself down wherever I
am probably have to do it on myown and pull my sketchbook out
and just sketch.
Yeah, I want to sketch likethat would be a dream vacation
for me.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Me too, I do that, I do I do that.
I do that on vacation.
I am I'm trying not to be, butI'm kind of a loner and I like
to just go and draw.
So I go to Panama a lot well,not a lot, not as much as I'd
like to, but every year I go toPanama because I used to live
there and, um, I did my son andI go down there, for example,
(39:30):
and I definitely just take dayswhere I go out to the street and
just draw.
I do, I do do that.
Um, I was in Mexico recentlyand, uh, I had too many things.
I was there for a wedding and Ihad too many.
Um, it was wonderful, I wasaround people, we were doing fun
things, but I need to go backto the town I was in and just go
(39:51):
by myself and draw, yeah, forthe time.
So, yes, I agree, I would loveto do.
I love to do that I could takethe whole vacation and just be
by myself and draw, and thatwould be wonderful, yeah, yeah,
exactly.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
So you are also a mom , so like does your son.
Uh, is he interested in art anddrawing?
Is he creative in that way too,or he?
Speaker 2 (40:13):
is, yes, he is.
He's.
Actually it's fun because hehas totally turned out to be an
artist.
Um, he's 18 now, so he's a man,but, um, his father is very
good at drawing and, um, I'm anartist and my son is, yeah,
totally, totally a mix of thetwo of us.
(40:34):
He's, um, he's actually goingto the college that I went to
after I did the university andcame back here and went to
college, and so he is, in fact,following in my footsteps and
it's quite fun because I'd neverhad, um, definitely creative
people in my family.
Like it was just another time.
You know what I mean.
The women in my women in myfamily, like my mom and my, uh,
(40:56):
her mother, were amazing atsewing and making dresses and
clothing, so they were artists.
They are artists in that way,but anyway, I never had anybody
to to talk about, like visualarts, and so it is fun that
doing that and we have that incommon and I can kind of give
him some direction.
Uh, that's a little bit.
Yeah, he's totally into it.
(41:18):
He draws all the time.
He's amazing.
Yeah, he's a far head fromwhere I was at his age.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
That is very cool.
Yeah Well, this has been great.
It's been great to chat withyou.
You have, so you've got yournew business that you are in the
process of setting up.
So is that website live yet, or?
Speaker 2 (41:41):
it's going to be my same website and I'm building it
behind the scenes.
So my website is there and youcan see that and contact me, and
by the time this comes out,it'll have my information on my
new little parties Awesome.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Big parties.
Yes, we will put a link toAlexandra's website in the show
notes, but it'salexandranewboldcom or ca?
Com, and Newbold isN-E-W-B-O-U-L-D, but there will
be a link to it in the shownotes.
And is there anywhere else?
People can find you online ifthey want to see your work.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
Yep, so I have Instagram as well, which is also
my name, alexandra Newbold, andA-L-E-X-A-N-D-R-A-N-E-W-O-U-L-D
, as you said, and then my otherone for the new business is
sketch me like this the handleis at sketch me like this.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Sketch me like this.
We will put links to both ofthose in the show notes so
people can go check out yourwork and see what you're doing
with this new business whichsounds really fun, by the way
like it's great, what a greatjob to just go out.
Great, I've done a weddingalready.
Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
What a great job to just go out.
Great, I've done a weddingalready.
Yeah, it's great, I've done awedding already and it's fun.
I'm putting a little package.
We're gonna do like five littlevignettes and then they're
going to go back to the guestsas like on the thank you cards.
So that's gonna be like a fullservice.
I'll provide things like that.
That's lovely.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
Yeah, yeah, then there's so many ways you could
grow that as well.
Yeah, I mean, I'm going to doeverything.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
I'm saying weddings are a popular thing, but like
literally everything, I'm evengoing to be doing like I could
attend.
I'm going to attend birthsagain, like healing circles,
like fun parties, you knowanything.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
So, yeah, want alexander to come draw your life
right.
Hit me up, hmu.
Well, thank you so much forbeing on the show today.
It was such a pleasure to haveyou and um satisfy all my
nerdiness about courtroom yeah,totally I'll always be posting
(43:54):
that stuff too, so you canalways.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
I should post more.
It's very.
It's just always so dark everytime I start to write about what
was going on.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
Yeah, I know, I would think that like some of those
trials have to be pretty heavybecause you can't help but
absorb what's being talked aboutwhile you're sitting there a
lot of darkness.
Yeah, I know, for me, drawing isactually how I focus on
conversations.
So I, if I was sitting there, alot of darkness, yeah, I know,
for me, drawing is actually howI focus on conversations, so I,
if I was sitting there drawingthis, I would be so in tune to
(44:21):
what was being said.
I, I think, a lot.
So, um, yeah, wow, very cool.
And for those of you listening,um, yeah, keep an eye out on
your local news or um, on thenewspapers or online, and you
will probably see alexandra'ssketches pop up, yeah, pretty
frequently, and they always havethe artist credit, so you'll
(44:42):
know it's hers, um, and we willhave all the links to everything
in the show notes.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
It was such a pleasure to haveyou and um appreciate your.
It was really great.
It was a lot Awesome.
That is it for this week,everyone.
We will be back in another twoweeks with another brand new
episode and we will talk to youall then.
(45:05):
Thank you so much for joiningus for the and she Looked Up
Creative Hour.
If you're looking for links orresources mentioned in this
episode, you can find detailedshow notes on our website at
andshelookedupcom.
While you're there, be sure tosign up for our newsletter for
more business tips, profiles ofinspiring Canadian creative
(45:27):
women and so much more.
If you enjoyed this episode,please be sure to subscribe to
the show via your podcast app ofchoice so you never miss an
episode.
We always love to hear from you, so we'd love it If you'd leave
us a review through iTunes orApple podcasts.
Drop us a note via our websiteat and she looked upcom.
Or come say hi on Instagram atand she looked up.
(45:48):
Thanks for listening and we'llsee you next week.
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