Latest News June 2026
As ever, I have been super busy. I have so many ideas for illustration subjects, social media reels, and other ways to publicise my work. I had lots of plans for my retirement, but many of them have taken a back seat for the time being. Hopefully, I’ll become a little less obsessed in the near future and settle into a more balanced routine.
New Work
I have been commissioned to draw a wedding venue in Basingstoke as an anniversary gift, and a private home in Surrey.
My project recording Southampton pubs in ink continues. The Duke of Wellington is available now.
I’m also working on a piece featuring doorways, which have always fascinated me and will be the subject of a blog entry in a few weeks.
Competition
The June competition closed on the 8th, and the winner was Jo Dean. Jo didn’t think her house was quite suitable for the prize of a free illustration, so she will instead receive an A4 framed print of her choice.
Social Media
One of the hardest things I’ve found is simply letting people know that I’m here.
Having a website is a little like having a market stall in the middle of nowhere. Unless people know where you are, they’re unlikely to stumble across you. Trying to find the right words and terms to persuade search engines that your work deserves to be featured can often feel like a fruitless task. And there are a lot of artists out there competing for attention.
When people do discover my work, they are invariably impressed, and historically the majority of my commissions and sales have come through word of mouth. In the modern era of social media, however, it’s important to keep your name in front of people. The algorithms seem to favour those who post content most frequently. With that in mind, I’ve been trying to post something every day. At the same time, I’m conscious that it needs to be interesting and engaging, rather than content for content’s sake. In my humble opinion, I’m getting better at striking that balance, but I always welcome feedback.
Reels
The latest Best Gift Ever reel was published on 8 June and has been my most successful yet, attracting over 700 views. And the 20 hours in 20 Seconds reel posted on 10th June has had nearly a 1000 views across all platforms which is incredible.
And I have the perfect Best Gift Ever reel for Monday!
Having decided to use my own music in the reels, I’ve started re-recording some instrumental versions specifically for this purpose. Anyone interested in hearing the full versions can visit my SoundCloud page.
https://soundcloud.com/kev-hardy
Once again, thanks for reading and for your continued support.
