Danny Gregory and I Discuss Visual Journaling From May 2008: Part one of a two-part podcast. Danny Gregory, author of "An Illustrated Life," talks to me about journaling, art media, and materials…The second part is in the same location. Be sure to check out the great interviews he does with other artists included in his book!
Finding Bits of Time Ricë Freeman-Zachery, author of "Creative Time and Space," talks to me about finding time to be creative. (Taped October 23, 2009.)
I recently received this scan of a sketch of me. It isn't in a journal actually, but it is a journal entry, because the artist, Ruth Smith, has been keeping a journal as a series of postcards. Read what she has to say about her project:
Finally I had spontaneous inspiration to sketch you into my journal—I've been infiltrated. I collect postcards and had started a personal "Postcards Journal Project" with the aim of sending myself a postcard a day as part of my own journaling process for a month. I often catch myself skipping a day or two and then writing long entries that sometimes lack the spontenaity of the day. As the fog of time creeps into the richness of what the day was I feel I loose a lot of what I had hoped to capture. My idea is to have a book of postcards constantly at hand and to be more spontaneous about capturing a couple of moments of a day. I've had mixed success with capturing what I was aiming for. But, as with sketching daily, I find I am improving a bit each day; and like sketching, I treasure the small successes.
Attached is the postcard and my sketch of you showing us the steps of creating the Journal Zine box at MCBA last Monday. I need to figure out how display arm motion better...practice, practice, practice.
I love that Ruth has come up with a way to keep capturing the spontaneous moments of her day. It is novel, and it combines several of her interests at the same time. I think that increases the success factor. Besides, it's just plain fun. We all enjoy getting mail!
If you are frustrated that your spontaneous observations aren't making their way into your journal look at the process from outside with a fresh eye as Ruth has done. Combine a couple things you love doing!
Thank you Ruth for sharing your fun project, and also for participating in my project—Project Journal Infiltration. I love your sketch of me and the moving arms!
Many of you may know Tim Jennen as one of the helpful and knowledgeable staff at Wet Paint in St. Paul. Or you might know him from his Alternate Tim Jennens project on Facebook (which is fabulous). When Tim isn't at the computer he is just as talented with traditional media.
At the inaugural March 6 MetroSketchers sketch out Tim introduced me to what I like to call the "magic pencil." Now you all know I don't believe there is such a thing as a magic art tool of any type, but it would be nice to imagine we could all draw with such facility as Tim wouldn't it!?
In the meantime we can all do what? Practice of course!
General Pencil Company's Kimberly 9xxB is a fat leaded, fat barreled graphite pencil. (That is not a typo—it's 9xxB.) The lead is very black as you can see from Tim's sketch. Oddly it doesn't smudge as easily as most soft-leaded pencils I've worked with (perhaps there is a bit of magic in the pencil after all). It is a little gritty in feel when you use it (compared to soft leads from say Faber-Castell), but this isn't annoying, especially when you see the ease with which you can achieve dark values. It also holds a point well, even under pressure. Watercolor washes over drawings made with this pencil don't smudge unless you really start pushing with your brush. I've added matte medium and clear gesso over test drawings also without blurring the pencil lines.
I don't have my receipt handy, but I think the pencil costs about a buck. (Obviously I got mine at Wet Paint.) You'll want to make sure your pencil sharpener has a large hole. Then you're set to sketch!
Now all I have to do is convince Tim to let me print that Zebra on a T-shirt!
There is one other thing I need to do—give you all a heads up that Liz Carlson's MetroSketchers group is having its April sketch out on Sunday, April 3, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Mall of America! Sketchers will meet at the end of the sketch out on level 1 outside Bloomingdales at 2:50 p.m. to share sketches and adventures. We don't need to have a rainday (or snowday at the rate we're going) plan because we'll be protected! If you are looking for interesting architecture (there's an entire amusement park too); crowds of people to sketch; and to score some plain Moose Munch—this is climate controlled place for you!
Above: completed journal zine case. The open maroon case with journal spines sticking out, is made with Murano paper, the painted case was made with a sheet of pre-painted 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
After the March meeting of the MCBA Visual Journal Collective, when we exchanged our Journal Zines and made a case for our zines I wrote that I would post instructions for the case. Here are some photos and instructions. The instructions assume that you have a working knowledge of folding and scoring with your bone folder and can determine paper grain direction.
Shameless Self Promotion:If you don't know how to measure and mark and score and fold your paper then I recommend that you sign up for my FREE visual journaling class at Strathmore Paper. (Click on workshop logo at the bottom left of their homepage and then click on register—it's FREE. Next find workshop 3 which is mine.)
In one of the lessons I demonstrate how to mark, score, and fold paper for a journal page fold out and all those skills are applicable to making this case. In addition, I talk briefly about using a triangle, so if you don't know how, seeing it in my hand and in place, might help you understand the discussion of triangle use below.
Did I mention the workshop is free? The workshop begins on May 1, 2011.
Left: View of the inside of the case, with labels to use when following the instructions below. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
If you zines are the size ours were (4.25 x 5.5 inches) you will need to determine the size of your stack or "spine" width of your box (measurement A in the photo).
You can stack your zines together and measure them with a ruler as you hold them slightly compressed (but not tightly so or it will be too difficult to get your zines in and out). I prefer to use a measuring strip—a strip of paper with trimmed edges that you align with the object you're measuring and mark off the width, height, etc., right on the strip. Then you don't have to mess with a ruler and small increments on the ruler. At MCBA we have a box of cut strips always ready to act as rulers. I recommend that you take this practice into your own studio.
However you determine it, you'll need to know the thickness of your stack. If you are new at this and unsure, I recommend that you make a case with inexpensive paper first, to get the hang of it, and then use that as the model to build your final case, adjusting the measurements as needed.
Besides the thickness or spine, you'll need your width and height measurements. To make sure these measurments work with the folding of the case you need to add 1/16 inch to your measurement. With thicker papers because of the extra bulk when folding things in at the base of the case, you might need to add 1/8 inch. Again, another reason to make a mock-up first.
I put all my measurements on my measuring strip. I begin at one end by writing BOTTOM (but you could write START—it's where all the measurements start from). The measurements are marked as tick marks and labeled, H (for actual height), H1 (for the plus measurement needed), W (for actual width), W1 (for the plus). Two marks labeled S which indicate the start and finish of the spine are made at the end of my measuring strip. When I write height or width below I intend you to use H1 and W1.
If you are using a ruler, simply note down your measurements.
The first thing you need to do is cut a piece of cardstock or other heavy weight paper that is 16 inches wide x 9 1/2 inches tall (if your case is sized like ours was; note if your spine is thicker you'll actually need more height). The grain should be parallel with the height (9 1/2 inch side).
If your zines, or cards, or book that you are making a case for isn't the size of our zines you can use this formula to work out your starting sheet size.
WIDTH = (3 x item width) + (2 x item thickness, e.g., if it's a book you want 2 x the spine width) + 1 inch cutting waste HEIGHT = Height of object (e.g., if a book then it's the spine height) + (2 x item thickness)
For example, you want to make a packet case for some journal cards that are 6 x 4 inches (w x h). And you have a stack of cards that is one inch thick. (That will be your "spine.")
Width = (3 x 6) + (2 x 1) + (1) = 21 inches Height = 4 + (2 x 1) + (1) = 7 inches Bring a piece of suitable cardstock that is 21 inches wide x 7 inches tall.
The grain should be going in the same direction as the height.
When selecting paper choose one that folds well in either direction, both with and against the grain. I set up our case so that the tallest side would be the height, and the grain would go in that direction. You could just as easily do it the other way. I wanted my case to open at the spine of the zines so that it would be easier to reach in and pull them out.
If the paper you've selected cracks when you fold it against the grain I recommend that you select another paper. Think also about how your flap will fold. If it is going to be opened and closed frequently make sure the folds run with the grain as they do in my example.
Start with your paper strip in a horizontal orientation as shown. The top edge of your sheet should be cut straight across the top. Using a ruler or measuring strip (MS) position measure your spine width from the top of the sheet down (you'll be creating that flap A across the entire width of your sheet). Make a mark. Move over about 7 inches or so and do the same thing, measuring from the top of your sheet. Now position your ruler so that they connect the two points you've just marked. Score your paper with the bone folder (edge not tip)—by running it along the metal ruler's edge. Before moving the ruler, reach under you sheet and start to fold it up, against but not over the ruler, to state that fold. Remove the ruler and complete the fold with your bone folder (one swipe, don't shine your paper).
Now with your ruler or MS measure from that fold, downwards, marking your Height. This is the height of the panels labeled B. Do this at two points along that first fold and then make your second fold at the base of that panel, where you see it in the diagram. Your fold will extend across the entire width of your sheet.
Next using that last fold as your starting point mark your spine width again at two points as you did at the top, you are making the bottom panel A in the diagram. Use your ruler to TRIM off the excess at this point across your entire sheet, leaving only the thin spine fold tab that is the same as the top tab along your sheet.
Now you will begin to work across your sheet from the LEFT to the right. Beginning at the left, use a ruler or MS to mark your WIDTH. This will fall at the right edge of the first panel labeled B, just before the first vertical panel labeled A.
If you know how to use a triangle, align the top of the triangle with the straight edge of your sheet at the top and the perpendicular side of the triangle with your mark. Score vertically through your mark, fold up your paper to start the crease, and then remove your triangle to finish the fold.
If you don't know how to use a triangle use the two dots method again. Measure along your first fold from the left edge, and mark your width. Then do the same at the bottom fold. Connect those two marks with your ruler, complete your fold as before.
You are now at the vertical left edge of the first vertical A panel. Measure your spine width, and score and fold. Next meaure your width and score and fold. Next measure your spine width and score and fold.
You are now at the left edge of panel C. For the width of panel C taste and some experience comes in. You want your flap, which is what this is, to come over enough of your cover that you can insert the flap into a slit on the corresponding side of the case. For our purposes I made flap C 3.5 inches wide. Mark this width using a ruler in 2 points or a triangle and CUT off the excess.
Next you will return to panels marked F. Cut as shown, with straight cuts on the sides, following the line of the vertical spine fold; then angle in from each panels corner towards the center. How much you cut will depend on the paper you use. Thicker paper will need more cut away to allow for easing.
Now move over to the RIGHT where you have your last vertical panel A. You want to trim your sheet up and down from the left edge of that panel, getting rid of the horizonal strip A that extends at the top and bottom there. To complete this move you also want to cut horizontally, along the first top fold you made, left from that same starting point to the right edge of your paper. This makes the cutaway you see just above D, and also at the bottom of the A+C panel.
You will still see C as a rectangle and you have to fix that now. Find the CENTER of your paper at the right edge of your paper, where E is located. Mark 3/4 inch above and below the center mark so that you will have a 1.5 inch space that is centered on that side. At the top and bottom of your flap, where D is at the top, and in the mirrored position below, measure 2 inches from the right fold of A towards E, along that top edge or bottom edge. Mark it, both at the top and bottom.
Align your ruler so that you connect the mark at D and just above E. Cut away the triangle of paper to make the edge of your flap point. Repeat at the bottom of your flap, using the mark 3/4 inches below the center mark at E.
Now you need to cut your slit. Fold up the case into its final position, with the flap over the panel at the far left. Try to hold it all together as exactly as possible. About .75 to 1 inch up from the base of the flap make a dot with your pencil at either side of the flap. Once the slit is cut you flap will insert into the slit .75 or 1 inch just as you have marked it. Unfold your box again and cut between the two dots, making your slit.
At this point it's time to adhere your labels so that you can weight your case while the glue dries. I use UHU Gluestick.
Left: Case showing the labels in position, and the cut slot. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
In writing these instructions I realized that if is difficult, without multiple step-by-step photos to show the folding and gluing of this case. I have made a video of the gluing procedure so that you can watch as I glue it up and fold in the various flaps. The video appears at the end of this post. There are a couple things to remember when gluing:
1. It is important that the side flaps alternate in direction. When holding the case with the closed labeled flap towards you on the right you will have a folded edge facing you, and on the left you will have a cut edge point at you, on the side panels. (Or vise versa.)
2. The triangle flaps on the spine need to be positioned BETWEEN the longer panel flaps. They should also be glued into place as shown in the video. This is an important step in keeping the case edges square in relation to each other (i.e., keeping everything at right angles). If you glue your panels wonky, your box will be wonky. It will be difficult to get things in and out, and it won't close properly.
3. Be sure to add your labels and make your flap slit while your case is still flat!
4. When working inside the case to press the edges together, if you cannot get your fingers inside use the rounded end (not pointed) of your bone folder to reach in and press down. I start to say this in the video and then I get distracted and don't say bone folder!
Above: Staedtler Pigment Liner .3 on defunct drawing paper in an 8 x 8 inch journal I made. Light washes of gouache added to the bottom sketch. Click on the image and view an enlargement.
Since I began my series on "direct sketching with pen and ink" last week I have received a number of emails from people frustrated by models who are constantly in motion. I want to encourage you to keep at it both in the long term and in the immediate time frame.
Above is my next spread from the March 6 Como Zoo sketch out. I was pretty much warmed up by this time and looking forward to doing another large portrait like my full-page penguin. I came into the giraffe building and was immediately struck by the petite dimensions of the baby giraffe. It was standing still and fairly close to the fencing. I watched for several minutes and then started to sketch in the top left of this spread—thinking that I would expand across the spread to the right with a full neck and back.
Well the mother giraffe thought differently and she started to nudge the baby so that it would move, and then she stood between us. (We were across a moat like walk way that is about 4 feet wide. There is wire fencing all the way up on her side.) She just didn't seem to appreciate the attention I was focusing on her baby.
Disappointed but undaunted I decided to make a large sketch of the mother. You can see the initial lines for that face just to the right of the first sketch. But that was also not to be. She was moving constantly and I couldn't get any of my measurements to come out. Then suddenly she simply retreated to the back of the enclosure with her baby behind her and started to chew her cud and relax. I watched her and the other giraffe for a few minutes and then began the sketch at the base of the page spread—a sketch of the mom, with her full grown porportions. I worked several minutes on this sketch and then she started to pace. Each time she returned to this area and pose I added more detail about the markings on her neck. Finally I decided to paint what I had sketched up to that point. After a little painting it was time for me to move on, because I didn't have room to include the rest of her body.
I sat on a bench inside the building (it was still in the low 30s here on this day) for a few moments and wrote the large block of text on the right hand page. I wanted to remember what had happened and the conversation I had had with another visitor.
For me, even though there are two false starts on this page, it's one of my favorite journal pages ever. It has a little bit of everything I love: observation, multiple sketches, a more finished sketch, and of course notes.
If your first sketch, or even your second sketch doesn't work out, keep working, and working. Take a break and look around you to rest your eyes and restart. Take a break to look away just to see what is going on around you or join in a conversation if someone speaks to you. But keep coming back to your work. Get something down on paper. You just might end up with a page you really love. And if you work in ink it will all be there for you to see, and remember.
Above: Some of the participants in the Journal Zine Swap hold up their journal cases. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
On Monday, March 21, twenty six Collective members and visitors (one all the way from Montana) met to swap journal zines and make a journal zine case. The final total for participants was 17. Each particpant brought her own coverstock for her case, hence the wonderful variety in the packets you see held up for the camera.
The group made additional sets for MCBA's library. A few additional sets will be available for sale for $25 from MCBA. I have to make the cases for them. I'll have more details in a later post. (We sold one set right on the spot to a visitor.)
The topics covered by the zines are wonderful. Sketching from Television, musical notation on the kitchen appliance beeps, the Minnesota State Fairgrounds (post season!); coffee cups as a visual record of one's life; birds; a family vacation—to name just a few of the topics.
Left: Carol Neal with her interactive zine—you have to cut and fold it. (Apologies to Carol for the fuzzy photo, I was just smiling and laughing so hard in joy I couldn't stand still to take the photo.) Click on the image to view an enlargement.
Carol Neal made an interactive journal zine. You need to follow the cutting instructions to create a figure.
The work in these zines is stunning, funny, thoughtful, and creative. The journal zines stand as an example of how journaling keeps your creativity flowing. I'm thrilled to be a part of this collection and to own a little bit of everyone else's artwork! It is great to have these insights into their creative minds.
During the construction of the case we also discussed upcoming collaborative and group projects. Those can be viewed at the end of this post. Check them out and join up if you're interested.
Next, while we waited for the glue on our labels to dry, the Collective was surprised with a generous gift from Stillman & Birn. Each attendee received a 5.5 x 8.5 inch hard bound, Epsilon Series journal. These journals, besides having durable covers and sewn signatures, contain 124 pages just waiting for journaling. You can read my review at the Epsilon link. Many thanks go out to this company! With all the different approaches to journaling in the Collective we make a great test group. It will be great to see how people use these journals.
Above: The Collective receives a surprise gift from Stillman & Birn—an Epsilon series sketchbook to test out. Click on the image to view an enlargment.
Other projects that our members have been involved in:
Left: Karen Engelbretson held a portrait party for the women in her family. Here is the cover label which was preprinted and then cut out with decorative scissors and punched with a heart punch. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
Collective member Karen Engelbretson shared with us her adaptation of the Journal Party Book. At a family get together Karen had her relatives pair off and chat with each other to learn something new about each other. Each participant then made a portrait of her partner. To minimize anxiety over the "I don't draw" statements, Karen supplied a variety of art materials, including collage items and rubberstamps. She and her daughter then worked out the imposition for the pages and copied pages so that each pair occupied a single spread (just as in the Collective's Portrait Party books the portraits of each pair face each other). Karen also made a decorative label for the cover. To save time, the books were saddle stitched with a long-arm stapler. The resultant book is a keepsake that all the participants value.
Additional discussion was held on the following collaborative or group projects:
Postcard exchange book: An exchange of illustrated postcards with book artists in Austin, Texas. These will be made up into a tidy little book. The exchange is being held through April and into May. If you are still deciding and want to join in please contact Suzanne Hughes at suzy.hughes@comcast.net.
International Fake Journal Month: Yep, April is fast approaching and I made a pitch for my favorite yearly project. You can read details at the dedicated blog. There are giveaways again this year. And I'm pretty sure there will be a button!
Box of Journaling Bits Exchange: July 18, 2011 is the sign up deadline for this project. The project deadline is November 21, 2011. Contact Roz at rozjournalrat@gmail.com if you would like to join in. On July 19 when the participants have been counted you'll be notified of the size of your edition. Each participant will make an editioned item based somehow on journals—e.g., a journal zine, a print made from a journal illustration, ATC cards on journaling topics; I even suggested to fabric artists that pillows and small quilts would totally work! The key is that all items in the edition must be the same, be based on "journals" in someway, and you must make one for each participant. Additionally your item must fit inside the group box which will be approximately 6 x 9 x 3 inches, and be no thicker than 1/4 inch (though soft things that can be compressed will be given a little leeway). Rolled items that could be crushed are not possible. No natural items (leaves, twigs, animal skin, fur, etc.) can be used. Fixatives and varnishes on items are discouraged, but if used, they must be completed and aired out for a week prior to the deadline. However, small 3-D embellishments are encouraged (as long as you make the same embellishments on each piece in your edition). The exact dimensions and requirements of your piece will be announced at the closing sign-up date when I know which boxes will be ordered—boxes will be white corrugated board. Participants will receive a label and have access to paints to decorate their boxes at the exchange meeting. There will be a slight cost (approx. $3) to cover the cost of the boxes.
Sometimes when your subject is standing in one place, and you have a sense that it will remain in that position for a significant time (with the odd nod of the head now and then) you can invest in sketching a portrait, working only on the one sketch, and bringing it up to a little more detail.
After sketching the puffins on March 6 I worked my way around the aquatic building at Como Zoo to the penguins. A group of penguins stood right near the glass in an area where viewers can also stand next to the glass. You are about 2 feet away from the penguins and because their landscape is elevated so you can also see them swimming under water, when they stand here you are pretty much eye-to-eye.
This sketch was executed in exactly the same manner I've discussed in this series, except that I only worked on one sketch and when the bird turned his head or interacted with his fellows I simply waited until he returned to this pose.
Besides taking time to get a bit more detail I also made some notes. At this point there were children milling around and I wanted to step aside to allow them a better view. I decided not to add paint to this sketch. (I have enough detail here that I'll probably attempt a painting outside my journal.)
And off I went to my next stop on my sketching trip at the zoo.
Left: Direct ink and watercolor sketches of Puffins, made from life at Como Zoo. Page size approximately 8 x 8 inches in a handmade journal of now defunct drawing paper. Staedtler Pigment Liner .3 pen with washes of Daniel Smith watercolors (using a Niji watercolor brush). Click on the image to view an enlargement.
On March 6, 2011 I went to a sketch out at Como Zoo. I go to Como and sketch about twice a month by myself. I was looking forward to seeing other sketchers. Sadly I went all day without seeing a single soul who was sketching—but I did get to catch up with people at the end of the day so there was some group fun to be had!
In the mean time I had the puffins to cheer me. And I have to say that puffins really, really do cheer me. There is something bouyant about their personalities and spirits that transcends their physical bouyancy.
Let's get to it. Remember that billed cap I had you wearing yesterday. Wear it again today. The animals and birds might not care that you have it on but you want it for reducig glare and maintaining focus, and also blocking out curious bystanders. (At least a billed cap functions that way if you're short—if you're tall, heck you're on your own there.)
Stand in front of your subjects and watch them for about 5 to 10 minutes. This may seem like an eternity. If it does then maybe you need to rethink your life as a nature sketcher. Think of it this way, if you love something it is delightful to gaze at it. Well I'm advocating active gazing—all the time you're gazing you're also observing how the various parts of the whole go together. Absorb your subject.
After you've watched your subject at a zoo for about 5 to 10 minutes you'll have a sense of patterned behavior, favorite paths of travel, favorite perches, etc. Decide how you want to use your page. Do you want to do one large sketch or several smaller sketches? Here I decided to do the latter. I also decided to arrange them in a clockwise order starting in the top left and leaving the bottom left for overheard dialog and notes to myself.
Start sketching. Use the same method as described yesterday—look, mark, look again, correct. Work directly with pen and ink and don't do any pre-sketching with pencil. Make light strokes if you aren't sure, bold strokes if you are. Practice will be your friend. You can work confidently even on the most pitiful of messes, sure in the knowledge that you are learning and your next effort will be better—if you work with attention and focus.
If your subject moves, wait and watch. Chances are he'll return to the same position and you can begin sketching again. If he doesn't, start a new sketch in a new position somewhere else on the page. Now I guarantee he'll return to the first position and so can you. Work from one to the other as necessary. Sketching birds from life is as much about waiting as it is about sketching. You will be rewarded with infinite nuances of delight as you watch so don't worry. Birds are exquisite from any angle.
Look for and describe (with your pen lines) the negative spaces you observe. These will capture the character of the bird and often give it weight and balance, such as when you nail the negative space between the legs and give the bird substance and natural poise. (I'm not saying these sketches do any of that, I'm just pointing out the goal!)
Once you get some color and shading down it's time to complete other sketches on the same page in the same fashion. Here I tried to capture different postures. Color wasn't important in the remaining two sketches both because the birds moved but also because I already had color info on the first bird. In the third drawing, only the yellow of the feet was an important memory item for me, so I painted that.
Again, write notes about anything that will ensure you have complete information on your subject or your experience of the day. Here I have a question to myself about drinking water for puffins—after all these years I never thought to ask anyone because I was simply so charmed by their presence. Also I wrote down overheard dialog. The things parents say to children at zoos are really amazing. The page also contains observational notes about the individual birds.
I date and time all my entries. In the wild it will tell you when you can return and observe the same behavior. In a zoo it will tell you when to return to avoid or catch feeding time, etc.
When you make multiple sketches like this remind yourself it isn't about coming home with perfect sketches—it's about honing your observational skills. Give yourself the opportunity to leave perfection behind and observe and learn and practice.
I'm so happy I can actually speak about this now—Stonehenge Paper is coming out in 4 (four) new colors of paper. They will be available at the usual suspects starting in April! (Blick, Jerry's, NY Central, Davinci, Graphic Chemical, and locally for me and the rest of the Twin Cities at Wet Paint.)
I actually have samples of the four colors in my hands right now. When the postman delivered them and I opened the package I almost fainted.
(Note: the color names are my descriptors, I don't know what the actual store names will be.)
Kraft Paper Brown—that's right it looks exactly like the grocery bags you carry home from the supermarket, but it is Stonehenge! This is the perfect color for work in gouache or colored pencils. Your media colors will pop on this sheet. (It is darker than the exisiting Fawn color in this paper line.)
Ice Blue—a pale, pale, icy blue that is heaven! If you are familiar with the Robin's-egg-blue of Magnani's Pescia this blue is lighter still. A delicate, yet robust color that calls to you from across the room "work on me, work on me." I've had dreams about this color. Dreams do come true.
Polar White—brrr. Who doesn't want a brillantly white sheet!? It's the perfect foil for the black ink work or work in color. It's dazzling.
Cool Steel Gray—I'm not one to work on gray paper often, but this sheet might convert me. It has a subtly of tone that will appeal to artists working in a wide range of materials. Again, colored pencil or gouache will pop on this sheet.
I can't show you a digital image of the colors at this time, but I can tell you they are a lovely expansion to the existing color range of Stonehenge Paper.
If you want to see some of my work on Stonehenge or read my thoughts on Stonehenge, please use the category list and click on "Paper," or use the blog's search bar and look for "Stonehenge."
If you are a regular reader of this blog you'll remember from past posts that I don't like to make casebound books from Stonehenge (the glue hinges don't hold securely because of the paper's surface*), but I do find this paper is great for softbound and hardbound books that are sewn-on-the-spine. If you make coptic stitch books the paper would also be a good choice (the coptic stitch book being a typically hard-covered book with an exposed spine). None of those structures have glue seams to worry about.
This is a 100% cotton fiber sheet. Priced at around $2.65 per 22 x 30 inch sheet (prices of some colors vary slightly, and of course between vendors—but there are also incredible bulk discounts typically starting at the 10-sheet purchase) this is also an incredibly economical art paper. Factor in the versatility in media capabilities and you've got a sheet go-to sheet. I have friends who are printmakers who use this sheet for printing. I know painters who work on it in watercolor, gouache, and acrylic just as I do. The paper is also suitable for pen work (brush or nib).
If you teach book arts, especially in the schools where there are no budgets for materials, this paper is a viable option for not only introducing young artists to book arts, but also introducing them to quality materials that will keep their interest as they explore their creativity. In these still tense economic times I've been able to hold down the supply costs in some of my adult book arts classes by incorporating these sheets. The adult artists are exposed to quality paper that will hold up to and support their efforts for creating lasting artworks, yet at an affordable price so that they don't feel constrained to keep paper consumption low.
If you aren't sure this is a paper you'll enjoy working on with the media you like to use contact Legion Paper and order a swatch book. (Swatch books will probably not be updated right away, but make sure you let them know you are interested in the 4 new colors.)
__________ *Note: I'm so in love with the Kraft Paper Brown that Wet Paint already has my order. When the sheets come in I'm going to make a casebound book. I'll protect the glue seams as I show you in the short video at this link.
Above: A quick journal sketch with a Faber-Castell PItt Artist Calligraphy pen and gouache. This doesn't have anything to do with today's topic, except as evidence that I journal at any time of the day or night. This is in my current journal which is about 8 inches square. I made it with drawing paper that is now defunct and I'm just sick that I can't get any more; that's all I really have to say about that, even though I know there is no such thing as the perfect paper, having learned the hard way—more than once discovering the perfect paper after it had ceased to be produced! Click on the image to view an enlargement.
Cathy Johnson, artist and author, has a new book coming out on journaling. You can read about the book and see posts by various artists who are included in the book, at her new blog Artist's Journal Workshop (that's also the name of the book).
You can read Cathy Johnson's interview with me at this link. I write about the media I love to use, my Daily Dots project, gratitude, and if you read the comments section I even admit to being from the planet Zoltron. Go check it out. Maybe you even have another question for me?
Left: Woman waiting in a doctor's office. Staedtler Pigment Liner in a handmade journal (now defunct drawing paper). Approximately 8 inches square, right edge clipped because of gutter in book and narrow scanner. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
On February 28, 2011 I wrote a post on "Direct Sketching with Pen and Ink: Just Jump into the Deep End of the Swimming Pool." Several people have since written in saying they are going to try this. But just as many have written in saying they are still spooked. So today I want to break it down a bit with a step-by-step post that might not seem so overwhelming.
Let me be frank with you (I try to be so every day, but let's really pull out all the stops)—if you or a group of interesting, delightful people are standing before me doing delightful, entertaining, history-making activities and there is a pigeon anywhere in the city block area, well I'm going to sketch the pigeon. That's just the way I'm wired. This goes way, way back to childhood. In fact my first form (7th grade) art teacher, Mrs. Osbourne knew early on that the way to ensure that all the other students would have a great art class was to allow me to go out into the park and sketch birds.
But you know what, birds aren't always around when you want to sketch them and sometimes you just have people to sketch.
So here's what you do. Sit opposite a person in a waiting room, city square, restaurant, train, etc. Wear a billed-cap that hides your eyes. If you can work obliquely, looking at the person to your side, well go for it. Next, take out your pen and uncap it. Stare for a second at the person you want to sketch. Will they sit there for any length of time?
Now you're wondering how I can ask you to ask yourself that? Well here's the thing: the more you practice determining when someone might leave the better you'll get at judging whether or not someone is going to sit in the same place for any length of time. Watch for signs of fidgeting and constant checks of a wrist watch, cell phone clock, or wall clock. Look at the reading material they have in their hands—are they interested in it? How far into the reading material are they, e.g., are they on the last page of a novel or newspaper? If you're in a doctor's office over time you'll have a sense of the average patient wait. Once you find a subject you'll subconsiously start an internal countdown clock based on when the person arrived and the average wait. These are all great observational skills to have. You'll also pick up cues regarding strange and dangerous behavior and be better able to respond appropriately—but that's a post for another day.
Now stare at your blank page for a second and imagine how that person's image might fit on that page. What is the most important part of the person (or bird) that you want to capture on your page? Start there. Look at the person and start drawing. When they start to look up or at you, you anticipate and look away before they can get eye contact with you (again it's practice). Practice will also tell you when it's safe to look back, which you need to do now so you can gather more info for your sketch.
Continue looking and not looking. It's a dance. Just like dancing it requires timing. And practice.
And after each look make a mark on your page with your INK PEN. When you look at your subject you will constantly be assessing whether what you have on the page is accurate or needs correction. Make a new line as needed.
At first your lines will be small, maybe even tentative. Someday you'll do lovely sweeping lines that capture the gesture in one sure movement.
Practice with your pen so that you know the types of lines it will make. Practice making light lines that can guide you and thick definitive lines on which you can anchor your sketch. Each pen will have different characteristics and the one you settle on will say something about the type of sketching you want to do.
Deciding on when to use a line is another skill learned in practice. Sometimes an area or shape is best defined by not putting a line there to define it. Other times you'll need a line to give you a hard edge. Only practice will give you a clear understanding of these nuances. When working tonally with soft smearable media you can often fudge your hard edges and soft edges. Don't fuss when working directly in pen and ink. Make a decision and go with it. It isn't the last drawing you'll ever do, you'll get to make a different decision in ten minutes if you're still practicing.
In the above sketch the woman's halo of silver gray hair in a spikey, expensive cut, caught my eye. I started there and worked my way down, comparing the angles of her face and visually noting the measurement from forehead to eyebrow, etc. This also gets faster and better with practice.
Some artists make tentative lines and shapes to act as place markers as they work, e.g. an oval for the face, a cylinder for the neck. I prefer to start with a series of lines and work out from there, comparing the spacing between the lines, the angles, etc. Remember—having extra lines is not a thing I'm ashamed of, go read the other post.
Next, on this day, I moved down the shoulders. At the mid body there is a bit of a skip, a no-man's zone of no detail, because I was worried that she would leave and I really wanted to draw those Ugg boots.
In situations like this you can do one of two things—1. You can guestimate the placement of the item in your original sketch and just go for it as I did here, or 2. You can do a side drawing focusing on just that one element, i.e., the detail of the boots; then return to your main drawing and work in a more orderly fashion. (I do that more than leaping.)
Ultimately the person (or bird) will leave. And that will be that.
Take a moment to write down everything that is important about the encounter such as measurements of scale (X is as large as a Y), or color notes, or overheard dialog, or behavior ticks. All of these notes will help you complete a painting later, or simply identify your subject the next time you encounter her.
