Audrey Avril

A photograph of a hand holding a sticker, in front of a display of other stickers and prints. The sticker features a spotted salamander with a startled expression and the text: “I am so small and so confused.”

New stickers, minis and more at the Glenwood Farmers & Art Market. I will be here at The Glenwood in Rogers Park today (8/3) with a bunch of cool artists and makers until 2pm. It is definitely worth a trip!

#weirdart #penandink #watercolor

A photograph of a framed ink and watercolor illustration. In the artwork, a flowering orange dodder plant wraps around a coyote skull.

“Searching,” August 2025.

All set up for the Side Street Studio Arts Area 22 Arts, Crafts, and Oddities Expo! I will be here on Riverside Drive in Elgin today (8/2) from 1-7pm with a great group of awesome artists.

Hopefully I will see you there!

#weirdart #penandink

An image of a watercolor and ink drawing of a native penstemon plant with flower buds and a cartoonish clearwing hawkmoth flying over to meet it. Includes the following text: "Area 22 Arts, Crafts & Oddities Expo August 2 | Riverside Drive, Elgin, IL Glenwood Farmers & Art Market August 3 | The Glenwood, Chicago, IL Jarvis Square Artisan Market August 9 | Jarvis Square, Chicago, IL Morton Arboretum’s Wine and Art Walk August 15-17 | Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL Bucktown Arts Fest August 23-24 | Chicago, IL Ravenswood ArtWalk September 13-14 | Chicago, IL"

"Clearwing Hawkmoth & Penstemon," July 2025.

August is almost here, and so are end of summer markets.
More details can be found here: www.audreyavril.com/journal/2025...
Hopefully I will see you there! Until then, it's time to get back to drawing and enjoying the rest of the summer while it lasts.

A photograph of small framed ink and watercolor art. In the foreground in three brown wood frames are three historiated capital letters done in the style of medieval manuscript illustration.

Ready for the Rustic Fox Farmers & Artisan Market, rain or shine! I will be here at The Rustic Fox in North Aurora today, July 26, until 2pm.

Tomorrow, July 27, I will be at the Glenwood Farmers & Art Market in Rogers Park from 10am-2pm.

Looking forward to sharing my work!

#penandink #watercolor

An ink and watercolor illustration of a green, red, and cream-colored anthropomorphic moth among the flowering branches of a Canada plum tree. Includes the text: "Milwaukee Makers Market Discovery World Pavilion Milwaukee, WI Sunday, July 20, 2025 10am-4pm"

"Clearwing Hawkmoth & Canada Plum (detail)," July 2025.

Prints of this duo will make their debut at the Milwaukee Makers Market Festival this Sunday, July 20. I will be at the Discovery World Pavilion from 10am-4pm alongside 80+ other cool artists and artisans.

Hope to see you there!

A photograph of a framed black and white drawing of an acorn kid lying in the grass beneath a tall oak tree. In the glass, reflections of fair patrons can be seen.

All set up at the 51st Annual La Grange Craft Fair! I will be here today and tomorrow, July 12th &13th, 10am-5pm, along with a lot of other great artists and artisans.

Hopefully I will see you there!

#penandink #watercolor

A black and white hatching illustration with greyscale overlay of an oak tree trunk branching off beneath a canopy of leaves. Includes the following text: "Up Next: 51st Annual La Grange Craft Fair July 12-13 | La Grange, IL Milwaukee Makers Market July 20 | Milwaukee, WI Rustic Fox Farmers & Artisan Market July 26 | North Aurora, IL Glenwood Farmers & Art Market July 27 | Chicago, IL"

“Maybe One Day (detail),” July 2025.
A work in progress and an update on my July markets.

The list & links can be found here: www.audreyavril.com/journal/2025...

In the meantime, I think I will add a nap in the shade to my summer schedule. Wishing everyone a fun and safe start to July as well.

An ink and watercolor drawing in a distressed green frame. On a pale blue background dotted with stars, an anthropomorphic sprite of a shooting star flower dances beneath three of the same flowers in an arc.

“Shooting Star Magician,” June 2025.

Ready for a great day at the Glenwood Farmers & Art Market. I will be here at The Glenwood with an amazing group of artists (and tasty food vendors) today, June 15, from 10am-2pm.

Hopefully I will see you there!
#watercolor #weirdart

An ink and watercolor illustration in a patterned metal frame displaying a bee and a stalk of a shooting star plant.

A photograph featuring pinback buttons with a bumblebee design and two ink and watercolor bookmark designs.

All ready for a great day at the Rustic Fox Farmers & Artisan Market! I will be here at The Rustic Fox in North Aurora today, June 14, until 2pm.

It is a beautiful day, and there’s a lot of beautiful art and craft work on display. Also, I have buttons and bookmarks!
#watercolor #weirdart

An ink and watercolor image of a blue and green grass field, with hands materializing out of the leaves. Delicate pink "spring beauty" ephemerals dot the landscape. Image includes the following text: "June 14 | Rustic Fox Farmer & Artisan Market North Aurora, IL | 10am-2pm June 15 | Glenwood Farmers & Art Market Rogers Park, Chicago, IL | 9am-2pm"

"Spring Beauty (detail)," June 2025.
This piece will make its debut at my upcoming markets:

June 14 | Rustic Fox Farmer & Artisan Market in North Aurora.
June 15 | Glenwood Farmers & Art Market in Rogers Park.

More info can be found here:
www.audreyavril.com/journal/2025...

#watercolor #weirdart

A notecard placed on a white envelope in a white background. Notecard shows an ink and watercolor design of a fuzzy bumblebee handing onto the leaf of a ohio spiderwort plant, with green buds and four purple flowers present.

I updated my online shop with the remaining small works, cards, and stickers that made their debut this past month. I am also testing a new product idea, and look forward to sharing this experiment with you soon!

Full post found here: www.audreyavril.com/journal/2025...

A photograph of four strange illustrations in unique vintage-style frames.

Enjoying the sunshine at the Naperville Artisan Market! I (and 100+ amazing artists and artisans) will be here at CityGate Centre today and tomorrow, May 17-18, from 10-4pm.

Hopefully I’ll see you there!

#penandink #watercolor

An image featuring an ink and watercolor illustration of a fuzzy, cartoonish bumblebee hanging on to a bright green leaf beneath a white, dogwood flower. To the left of the image, bordered in pink, text reads: "April Showers: A Group Floral Art Show Saturday, April 26, 2025, 7-10pm First Sip Cafe, 1057 W. Argyle, Uptown, Chicago Over 60 local artists showcasing 5x7, ready-to-frame art."

"Tree Blossom Bouquet (detail)," April 2025.

A preview of my entry for "April Showers: A Group Floral Art Show." Stop by First Sip Cafe in Chicago this Saturday, April 26 from 7-10pm to see works by over 60 local artists... and perhaps add a piece to your collection.
#penandink #watercolor

An infographic featuring a colorful ink and watercolor illustration of a fantasy swan person in a straw hat among bright marsh flowers and grasses. Text on a beige background to the right of the image reads: "Garden Party A pop-up vintage featuring clothing, art, decor & more Saturday, April 19, 2025 11am-6pm On Catalpa Ave between Clark St & Ashland Ave, in Andersonville, Chicago"

"Swan Princess (detail)," January 2025. Ink and watercolor on paper.

I will be in Andersonville this Saturday, April 19th for the Garden Party pop-up market. Stop by for a great selection of vintage clothing, artwork, home decor, and more.

#penandink #watercolor

A black and white graphic featuring a grayscale artwork of a skeleton-faced person in a black bonnet wreathed in white flowers, holding a necklace which holds the same flowers on the left-side of the image, with the following text on the right: "UP NEXT: Espacio 3628 Gift Shop Chicago, IL Hawaii Fluid Art Naperville, IL Garden Party Market April 19 | Chicago, IL April Showers Pop-Up Art Show April 26 | Chicago, IL Tulip Time Artisan Market May 3-4 | Holland, MI"

A bright, vibrant image of several small, framed watercolor artworks and bagged prints arranged across two white wall shelves. The top of the image displays the text: "New art: Espacio 3628 Gift Shop" and the image displays the address "3628 W. Armitage Ave, Chicago".

New art, updates, and upcoming events are on the way as we continue through April into May.

Full post & market info can be found here: www.audreyavril.com/journal/2025...

A collection of framed ink and watercolor artworks on a bright white tablecloth with a white backdrop. Three small frames feature two sandhill cranes and a great gray heron, strutting, flying, and stretching their wings. A larger, white scroll-work frame with a circular opening features a graceful swan in a white dress, rococo wig and hat in a colorful floral backdrop. The corner of a pink-framed piece shows a part of a larger grassland composition with a sandhill crane among the waving field.

The early bird gets some cool art at the re:Craft and Relic Spring Market! I will be here at the MKE County Sports Complex along with other many cool artists, artisans, and food vendors today and tomorrow (4/5-6).

Hope to see you there.
#penandink #watercolor

I also updated my online shop with a new selection of original ink & watercolor works, prints (including my two new monarch prints), and stickers.

I plan to add more in the next few weeks once my new medieval prints restock. Hopefully I will have a print of this new illustration, too.

A grayscale, traditional ink artwork featuring a collection of medieval-inspired creatures in a historical scriptorium. Rabbits in scarves climb a writing desk and a relaxed donkey with a pipe leans back on their chair in the background. In the foreground, marginalia monsters run amok on a tabletop, messing with the books and art materials thereupon. Along the bottom of the image white text reads: "Market & Shop Update"

"In the Scriptorium (detail)," March 2025.

After a busy March, I am excited to start April with the re:Craft & Relic Spring Market in Franklin, WI this upcoming weekend, 4/5-6.

My full post & market info can be found here: www.audreyavril.com/journal/2025...

#penandink #medieval

A photograph of an artist’s booth, featuring small frames on a table with banner in the foreground, and an assortment of small and large frames on the tables and wall in the background.

Ready for a great weekend at Shower of Crafts at College of DuPage! I will be here with many other talented artists and artisans today and tomorrow (3/22-23) from 10am-4pm. Hope to see you there.
#penandink #watercolor

All set up at the "Spring Forward" Chicago Artisan Market at Morgan MFG! I will be here along with 115+ great artists and artisans today (3/9) from 11am to 5pm.

Hope to see you there!
#penandink #watercolor

A fragment of a bright and colorful watercolor illustration featuring a medieval-style scroll border along the right and bottom of the image, and a portion of a crowd of comical medieval characters looking up at the following text: "Chicago Artisan Market March 9 | 11am-5pm 401 N. Morgan St, Chicago, IL"

Looking forward to the "Spring Forward" Chicago Artisan Market this Sunday (3/9) at Morgan MFG! I am excited to share new originals, prints, and stickers to celebrate my first market of the year.

Use the coupon code "Avril" to get two free tickets online.
chicagoartisanmarket.com/tickets-fult...

Text on a white background featuring a medieval manuscript-style border containing brightly-colored, scroll-like leaves, floral motifs, dragons, and birds along the left and bottom sides of the image. Text reads: "UP NEXT: Artist Talk: Mixed Media Show and Tell Artist Mixer | March 1, 6:30-8pm | Coffee Lab, Evanston, IL Chicago Artisan Market | March 9 | Chicago, IL Shower of Crafts at College of DuPage | March 22-23 | Glen Ellyn, IL Ox-Bow Winter Market | Until March 29 | Douglas, MI Espacio 3628 Gift Shop | Ongoing | Chicago, IL"

After a quiet but dedicated February of artmaking, I will be back on the road in March with new markets, meetups, and more. Links and more info about these events can be found on my website:
www.audreyavril.com/journal/2025...

Looking forward to an exciting month!

A colorful drawing featuring two monarch butterflies embracing with a sunset view of the Chicago skyline in the background.

"Monarchs in Summer (detail)"

A glimpse of summer to tide us over. This piece began with traditional ink and watercolor, but I added a digital finish to capture that warm evening haze. I am in the process of turning this design and others into prints and look forward to sharing those soon!

In an age where text flashes across our screens and disappears just as fast, maybe it is time to revive a slower, deeper, and more complex appreciation of the written word, both for those of others and for our own.

I wanted to give the many forms of creative note-taking their time in the spotlight, from the polished artistry of medieval manuscripts in “Inkspiration” to the flurry of free-flowing ideas in “Collecting Leaves,” and finally the careful assemblage of a commonplace book in "Wandering Poet."

Though I am a visual artist by trade, the written word plays an important role in my creative process. For all the finished pieces I share there are countless research notes, concept scribblings, and chicken-scratch philosophizing tucked away in my many different journals, notepads, and sketchbooks.

A notebook with the cover visible stands on a white background. The spine is a muted blue paper, with a natural white, textured, handmade paper cover featuring an image of a abstracted bird creature, its tail branching off into interwoven leaves of navy, light blue, and yellow.

A notebook with the cover visible stands on a white background. The spine is a burgundy wine color, with a natural white, textured, handmade paper cover featuring a design in muted green, rose pink, and blue of a woman sitting among leaves with a journal in her hand.

A notebook with the cover visible stands on a white background. The spine is a muted purple paper, with a natural white, textured, handmade paper cover featuring an image of a brown, fuzzy creature in a patchwork cloak surrounded by colorful birds. The creature writes in a journal as they walk.

Recently I had the pleasure of creating three new designs to grace the covers of Barrovian Books Ltd. handcrafted journals! These designs can now be found on Barrovian Books’ website.
barrovianbooks.com/artist-serie...

Also, hi, Bluesky folks! I'm looking forward to posting art and market updates here in addition to my website (www.audreyavril.com/journal) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/aavrilart/).

I’ve a habit of starting spring work in the depths of winter. Wishful thinking, perhaps, though I am reminded that many wildflower seeds need several weeks of cold, snowy weather before they’ll sprout. So maybe it is seed-planting time.

A detail image of a traditional ink hatching piece in black ink on white paper. In the foreground, two anthropomorphic monarch butterflies sit on a cluster of flowers, looking up at the butterflies flying overhead. In the background, tall pine tree trunks are striped with rays of sunlight.

"Monarchs in Winter," in progress detail, January 2025. Ink on paper.

I finished the inks on this piece weeks ago, but I am waiting to color it alongside its upcoming sister drawing. I wanted to increase the complexity and showcase more of the landscapes these mighty little butterflies call home.