Krysten Newby, Author at The Fable Key

Odin's Ravens Painting 'The Messengers' Northern Lights

September 28, 2021

Huginn & Muninn Painting

I am not sure why, but something made me park in a country lay-by I have never stopped at before on my way back from the shop this week, and I got out to admire the view of the setting Suffolk sun. After a couple of minutes, to my astonishment, I heard the undeniable ‘Cronk’ of a raven nearby! At first, I thought my wishful ears were playing tricks on me, as Raven’s are not all that common here at all, but after the 3rd ‘cronk’ I couldn’t believe my luck. Although I didn’t see it, this was a more than perfect end to the week!

I live for those magic moments in nature and it made me reminisce on the painting I did last year titled ‘the messengers’. I have a fascination and a calling to Norse mythology, and sometimes I feel Huginn & Muninn are looking over me 🖤

What’s your favourite ‘magic’ moment you’ve experienced in nature?

June 20, 2020

Birding Culture Greeting Cards

I’m pleased to announce the arrival of my new range of greeting cards!

Printed on premium, recycled 300gsm card, this range of greeting cards are perfect for your bird nerd and wildlife enthusiast friends!

I’m currently trying to come up for a card for every occasion. I have lots more bird puns in the pipeline, but for now you can see and purchase the first set from my Etsy store by clicking on the button below.

Each card is £3 with free delivery to the UK.

Buy Now

June 2, 2020

Gouache Studies

I’ve been on with oil painting recently, so I’m doing a few little wildlife gouache study paintings to get back in to the swing of things before I start my next commission.

This is a gorgeous little Reed Warbler that I saw and snapped on a walk on my birthday, 15th May! We’ve had such glorious, sunny weather this month, although a drop of rain wouldn’t go a miss!

I’ll be framing a few of these little studies and they’ll be on my Etsy shop for an affordable price. I hope you like them! If there’s anything specific you’d like to see me paint, do get in touch and I’ll see if I can find whatever it is on my various wildlife walks :)

May 26, 2020

Pet Portrait – SPECIAL OFFER

In order to boost my pet portrait portfolio, I am pleased to announce that I’m offering my first 5, 8×10″ oil painting orders at a special, discounted price!

Fur, feathers and scales are all very welcome, wether it be horses, dogs, cats, chickens, lizards, you name it! I would love to immortalise your special friend in the medium of oil paints, especially for you!

Pet Portrait Oil Painting Offer — How happy does Tiken look with his portrait?! Such a great model too!

To find out more and place your very own pet portrait order, please check out my Etsy listing by clicking the button below.

Please bear in mind that this is only for the first 5 orders, so book now to avoid disappointment. Take care and stay safe friends!

Order now

March 24, 2020

Bird Colouring Challenge!

We’re all going to be spending a lot more time indoors. But it’s not a bad thing! If you’re stuck for something for you or your kids to do, why not take up my bird colouring in challenge?

How well do you know your garden birds? Get to know them better with this fun challenge!

Try to name and colour in these gorgeous garden visitors correctly, ONLY by studying them outside your window! (or a green space whilst keeping a very safe distance from others, at least six feet)

You can always pencil in the name of the colour in the respective place to remind you for when you’re ready to colour in. If you get really stuck, you can always use books or internet references to help you

BONUS: What are the birds perched on? Draw some habitat in to complete the picture!

Good luck, have fun and don’t forget to show me your creations once you’ve finished, I’d absolutely love to see them! I will feature them on my social media channels :)

Simply download the printable sheets below and get studying!

Download Link

All content copyright Krysten Newby 2020 © – feel free to share around, but do not use for any commercial purposes, thank you

March 4, 2020

#MarchMeetTheMaker

Follow my storey over at instagram @KrysCreates

I don’t know about you, but I’m SO glad that spring is on it’s way. I’m also excited for this time of year, as I’m finally taking part in #MarchMeetTheMaker month, which is a fantastic campaign founded by Joanne Hawker. The idea is to learn more about the person behind the creations on social media.

So I have taken to Instagram and I’m going to try really hard to stick with it. 4 days in now and still going strong!

Joanne has designed a prompt board for each day, which is fun! See below:

Day 1: Story.
It’s March! Which means it’s #marchmeetthemaker time! I’ve wanted to do this for a while now, I’ll try my best to stick with it starting with the first prompt, ‘story’. So, this is me, the face behind the creations! My name is Krysten, or (Krys for short) I live in rural West Suffolk in England. I don’t usually look this presentable, because why would I waste valuable time and energy putting on makeup and doing my hair when I could be making things?! Limited energy is something that’s prevailent in my life. Along with fibromyalgia and EDS, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 9 and with that comes a lot of symptoms – chronic pain and fatigue being two. Although my circumstances have prevented me leading a somewhat ‘normal’ life, I always look on the bright side.
Read the rest over on Instagram!

November 24, 2019

Art Fair East – 2019

Art Fair East 2019 is fast approaching with less than a week to go!

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever worked as hard as I have the past few weeks. Although I have been creating art for most of my life, this will be my first major art exhibition I have been a part of, I’m equally excited as I am apprehensive and anxious.

Along side my wildlife art, I shall be exhibiting my ethical taxidermy, too! I’ve worked equally hard on developing unique and meaningful ways of displaying the specimens with the medium of wood and resin.

I’m really looking forward to meeting lots of new people and artists alike and maybe even change a few people’s perceptions on the unusual art of taxidermy!

Everything on display will be for sale, including some new, limited edition prints so there really is something for everyone!

I really hope to see you there!

VIP PRIVATE VIEW Thursday 28th November 6pm to 9pm

FAIR OPEN TO PUBLIC Friday 29th November 10.30am to 5.30pm

FAIR OPEN TO PUBLIC Saturday 30th November 10.30am to 6.00pm

FAIR OPEN TO PUBLIC Sunday 1st December 10.30am to 5pm

Tickets £3.50 or £3 concessions, under 14s Free

All Together Now Oyster Catchers Wildlife Art

Red Fox Gouache Painting by Wildlife Artist Krysten Newby titled 'Pumpkin Patch' 2019

Little Egrets Original Wildlife Painting

black and white warbler painting wildlife art

August 30, 2019

Birding at Dawn

Early Birds

I don’t know about you, but I’m SO glad it’s finally a bit cooler!

This heat does me no favours with my health. I haven’t been sleeping a wink recently due to pain, so one night/morning I decided to get up at 5am and head down to my local nature reserve.

Not only was I rewarded by cooler temperatures at that time of day, I was also rewarded with the most beautiful sunrise and gorgeous kingfishers to accompany it!

I took this lovely footage of a pair of kingfishers preening. I always seem to get lucky at Lackford Lakes, I only have to wait a matter of minutes for them to turn up and they seem to hang around for me too! I also saw and heard lots of chiff chaff and various warblers which are feeding up before the migration home, a juvenile bullfinch, lesser whitethroat, great spotted woodpecker, blackcap, reed warbler and loads more!

Just look at that sunrise!

August 14, 2019

Well, that was unexpected…

Well, I wasnt expecting that...

SUBSCRIBER EXPLOSION

As you may know, recently I started a campaign where I sent out FREE 3 mini prints of my wildlife art to every new email subscriber.

To get my promotion ‘out there’ I made a modest facebook ads campaign to a targeted audience who liked wildlife, art and nature in general! I was thrilled to of received 43 new subscribers in just under a week, to whom I sent out free prints too.

As these are limited edition (and I have a limited budget!) I was going to cap this offer at 100 subscribers. I was monitoring my subs very closely, every hour so I didn’t go over this number.

Yesterday morning, I woke up still to find near on 60 subscribers, yay! I had a hospital appointment yesterday too, and when I checked it when I came back, I was in disbelief.

I had to refresh the page as I thought there must be a glitch. But no, sure enough I had 424 subscribers, in a little over 2 hours.

HOW DOES THIS EVEN HAPPEN!?

Apparently, someone picked up on this offer and whacked it on a ‘FREE STUFF’ app, hence the explosion in such a short time!

At this point, I know most of these followers are just in it for the ‘FREE STUFF, YAY!’ regardless if they actually like my art or not, BUT, here is my quandary.
Mini Prints were limited to 100 subscribers and I was going to stop the campaign when I reached this number.
I don’t want to annoy and deceive people with my offer, so what do I do?

To compromise and to minimise the annoyance this has caused, I have ordered some more mini prints. I am still going to give you FREE MINI PRINTS, but a small postage fee will have to be paid.

SUBSCRIBE & PAY SmALL POSTAGE FEE

I’m SO sorry for the inconvenience this has caused everyone, if I could afford to do it all for free, I would.

August 7, 2019

NATURE S.O.S – Easy Tips To Help Wildlife

'IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME'

Easy tips which you can do to help our dwindling wildlife!

Everyone who knows me, or doesn’t, should know by now that wildlife is a HUGE part of my life.

It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning, gives me motivation, is the inspiration to all of my artwork and has built and shaped me as a person.

But it needs our help.

All around us, wildlife is dwindling before our very eyes due to habitat loss, intense farming practices, climate change and just humans in general.

Us humans are the only species that can reverse this fast decline.

I’m going to give you some super easy tips on how you can help save our precious wildlife, no matter where you live!

Leave an unkept ‘wild patch’ in your garden – even if it’s small! Plants such as nettles are vital to species like moths and butterflies.
Hedgehog Highway – cut a hole in your fence so hedgehogs are able to pass through – they can travel up to 2km a night!
Wood Pile – leave pile of old logs and dead leaves for insects to thrive.
Feed the birds – especially in winter when food is scarce. Feeders placed up high, away from predators such as cats is ideal.
Keep your cat in! – keep bird feeders out of its reach, keep it indoors especially during spring (baby bird time). Cats are an unnatural predator to our ecosystem and kill millions of birds & other wildlife each year.
Dig a pond – shallow ponds are a very useful element for wildlife, especially our amphibians! Don’t forget to keep it clean by using barley straw to keep harmful algae at bay.
Plant bee-friendly flowers – sustain our native pollinators; hardy salvia, redbeckia, lavender and nepeta are some of their favourites!
Feed your hogs – put some food out for your hedgehogs; they love dried cat/dog food, dried fruit & cooked veggies. I personally soak some dried dog food in a drop of water for them, they love it! Don’t forget water, too!
Put up a bird box – stay away from novelty, coloured nest boxes as these can attract predators. Keep it natural and away from bird feeders: Birds like to be secluded away from other potential birds that are threatening their territory.
Avoid chemicals – limit the amount of chemicals you use. Chlorine bleaches for example, react with other minerals that can be super toxic to wildlife. Lots of eco alternatives are available!
Go vegan! – or at the very least, eat less red meat – Animal agriculture has one of the biggest contributors to climate change. Not to mention the amount of natural habitat that is destroyed to grow feed for livestock.
Plant a window box – this is perfect if you don’t have a garden! Fill with herbs and wild flowers, bees and insects will love them as much as you do.
Put up a swift box – Swifts like high, deep crevices to nest, but because we’ve lost many old houses and buildings, and as roof spaces are filled or mended, their numbers have declined dramatically.
Take care driving at night – especially in winter, when dusk is at rush-hour when most nocturnal animals come out. Birds such as owls fly low to hunt, so keep an extra eye out for this and other wildlife at dusk.
Avoid using pesticides – use non-toxic, non-chemical alternatives
Ditch plastic! – We’ve all seen what a negative impact single use plastics have on our planet. Always opt for the plastic-free option where possible and don’t forget your bag for life!
Check before mowing – if you mow your lawn, do a scan to make sure any animals such as hedgehogs aren’t resting nearby. They often get injured by electric garden equipment.

Here’s one of the hedgehogs that regularly visits my garden!

See, saving wildlife is easier than you think!

If you have any concerns or queries regarding wildlife, do get in touch, I love to help! @krysthecreator

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I’m pleased to announce the arrival of my new range of greeting cards!

I’ve been on with oil painting recently, so I’m doing a few little wildlife gouache study paintings to get back in to the swing of things before I start my next commission.

In order to boost my pet portrait portfolio, I am pleased to announce that I’m offering my first 5, 8×10″ oil painting orders at a special, discounted price!

We’re all going to be spending a lot more time indoors. But it’s not a bad thing! If you’re stuck for something for you or your kids to do, why not take up my bird colouring in challenge?

Simply download the printable sheets below and get studying!

Art Fair East 2019 is fast approaching with less than a week to go!

VIP PRIVATE VIEW Thursday 28th November 6pm to 9pm

FAIR OPEN TO PUBLIC Friday 29th November 10.30am to 5.30pm

FAIR OPEN TO PUBLIC Saturday 30th November 10.30am to 6.00pm

FAIR OPEN TO PUBLIC Sunday 1st December 10.30am to 5pm

Tickets £3.50 or £3 concessions, under 14s Free

Early Birds

Just look at that sunrise!

SUBSCRIBER EXPLOSION

As you may know, recently I started a campaign where I sent out FREE 3 mini prints of my wildlife art to every new email subscriber.

I had to refresh the page as I thought there must be a glitch. But no, sure enough I had 424 subscribers, in a little over 2 hours.

HOW DOES THIS EVEN HAPPEN!?

Apparently, someone picked up on this offer and whacked it on a ‘FREE STUFF’ app, hence the explosion in such a short time!

To compromise and to minimise the annoyance this has caused, I have ordered some more mini prints. I am still going to give you FREE MINI PRINTS, but a small postage fee will have to be paid.

I’m SO sorry for the inconvenience this has caused everyone, if I could afford to do it all for free, I would.

'IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME'

Everyone who knows me, or doesn’t, should know by now that wildlife is a HUGE part of my life.

But it needs our help.

Leave an unkept ‘wild patch’ in your garden – even if it’s small! Plants such as nettles are vital to species like moths and butterflies.

Hedgehog Highway – cut a hole in your fence so hedgehogs are able to pass through – they can travel up to 2km a night!

Wood Pile – leave pile of old logs and dead leaves for insects to thrive.

Feed the birds – especially in winter when food is scarce. Feeders placed up high, away from predators such as cats is ideal.

Keep your cat in! – keep bird feeders out of its reach, keep it indoors especially during spring (baby bird time). Cats are an unnatural predator to our ecosystem and kill millions of birds & other wildlife each year.

Dig a pond – shallow ponds are a very useful element for wildlife, especially our amphibians! Don’t forget to keep it clean by using barley straw to keep harmful algae at bay.

Plant bee-friendly flowers – sustain our native pollinators; hardy salvia, redbeckia, lavender and nepeta are some of their favourites!

Feed your hogs – put some food out for your hedgehogs; they love dried cat/dog food, dried fruit & cooked veggies. I personally soak some dried dog food in a drop of water for them, they love it! Don’t forget water, too!

Put up a bird box – stay away from novelty, coloured nest boxes as these can attract predators. Keep it natural and away from bird feeders: Birds like to be secluded away from other potential birds that are threatening their territory.

Avoid chemicals – limit the amount of chemicals you use. Chlorine bleaches for example, react with other minerals that can be super toxic to wildlife. Lots of eco alternatives are available!

Go vegan! – or at the very least, eat less red meat – Animal agriculture has one of the biggest contributors to climate change. Not to mention the amount of natural habitat that is destroyed to grow feed for livestock.

Plant a window box – this is perfect if you don’t have a garden! Fill with herbs and wild flowers, bees and insects will love them as much as you do.

Put up a swift box – Swifts like high, deep crevices to nest, but because we’ve lost many old houses and buildings, and as roof spaces are filled or mended, their numbers have declined dramatically.

Take care driving at night – especially in winter, when dusk is at rush-hour when most nocturnal animals come out. Birds such as owls fly low to hunt, so keep an extra eye out for this and other wildlife at dusk.

Avoid using pesticides – use non-toxic, non-chemical alternatives

Ditch plastic! – We’ve all seen what a negative impact single use plastics have on our planet. Always opt for the plastic-free option where possible and don’t forget your bag for life!

Check before mowing – if you mow your lawn, do a scan to make sure any animals such as hedgehogs aren’t resting nearby. They often get injured by electric garden equipment.

See, saving wildlife is easier than you think!

If you have any concerns or queries regarding wildlife, do get in touch, I love to help! @krysthecreator

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