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.)
Above: Metallic Fabrics. Click on the image to view an enlargement and read below for more details.
I've been clearing out some drawers in the process of focusing. (It is not an avoidance thing. I actually am getting rid of stuff I know no longer falls within my focus.)
I'm a crow and bright sparklies attract me so it will be no surprise that I purchased these fabric pieces. I never got around to incorporating them into a project, however!
Now I would like to send them on to a good fabric home where they will have a life outside the drawer, as befits their sparkliness—before I get sucked back towards them and start making sparkly stuffed toys, which is actually the pull I feel right now just looking at the photo.
So let's wrap this up. You know the drill: send me a comment to this post stating you want to be in the draw. Tonight I'll draw a name.
Note: Anne was just drawn as the winner 8:50 p.m. and I've written to her privately to get her postal address. Sorry I don't have a huge stash of this stuff to send each of you something fun, but thanks for all volunteering to give it a good home.
I believe these are "fat quarters" but I'm not a quilter so I don't know what they might really be "called." To me they were always just bright, dazzling chunks of color. To you I hope they will be useful media. (Oh, and I have no idea what type of fiber, etc. they are. They seem to be mixed.)
Today I'm starting a new intermittent feature called "Project Friday." It will have its own category in the category list in the left-hand column of this blog. I'm not sure yet how often I'll do one, but I'll post it on a Friday in the hope that you can play with the idea on the weekend.
Above is slightly longer video than I usually make—it's 20 minutes. It covers the making of a pamphlet style booklet. If the embeded video doesn't work please view it on YouTube here.
I used this booklet style several times last year to test new papers. In the video you'll see a sample booklet I started using in July 2011 which contains Arches Text Laid. (Note: Readers don't be confused. I often make books out of Arches Text Wove, now called Velin Arches, but I wanted to try the Laid paper for reasons explained in the video.)
Here are some points about Arches Text Laid to keep in mind:
• It's a lightweight paper so opacity, if you use heavy black ink brushes, will be an issue. (I'm used to using the sister paper Arches Text Wove, so this lighter weight paper doesn't "bother me.").
• For a lightweight sheet it has good sheet strength and relative opacity and it isn't an issue for me.
• It smells fantastic when wet from your painting. (The sizing smells wonderful.)
• It takes wet media (watercolor and gouache are what I tend to use in my visual journals) with minimal buckling. (I define minimal buckling as a slight distortion of the paper which doesn't interfere with my ability to work on the flip side [or next page] of the paper.)
• The sheet is 25 x 40 inches with the grain running with the 40 inch side. With no waste or fancy cutting or tearing this means you can get a 6.25 x 10 inch booklet with no waste. (Two 16-page signatures per sheet.)
• The laid texture is fun to work on whether you are working with pen or pencil. The texture will effect your line quality but I think it gives interesting character to work completed on it.
• Colored pencil works well on this sheet (as do other pencils including graphite and the Stabilo All) but they will take on the texture of the laid surface.
• Dip pen will work on this surface and not tug or clog with fibers.
• All my favorite pens work well on this paper—Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy and Brush Pens, Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, the Staedtler Pigment Liners (even in thin sizes), and several fountain pens filled with Platinum Carbon black ink. The pens all like moving across the suface of the paper, dance with the texture of the laid surface, and don't bleed, feather, or seep into the paper.
• All pens that I tried did bleed slightly on this paper when wet IMMEDIATELY following drawing. The bleeding was very slight and since I would typically have paint on my brush 99.9 percent of the bleeding would be hidden to most eyes, so I don't think of this as a problem.
• If you work with Arches Text Wove know that this paper seems "softer" to me, and because of that its surface is more amenable to pencils of all types.
• Additional note after first posting—I would recommend you collate this paper to match surfaces across the page spread, just as I recommended this for the next paper. The surface difference from the front to the back of the sheet on this sheet is less noticeable to me with the media I typically use, but it will be important for pencil artists and some painters will welcome the attention to detail as well.
Also in the video you'll see a sample booklet I made of a "nameless" watercolor paper I purchased from Daniel Smith because it was being offered on sale. They are calling it Multimedia watercolor paper. It is 185 gsm (which is about a 90 lb. weight, so a lighter weight watercolor paper). It is cold press.
When I first came across this paper it was being sold for about $1.00 a sheet! I purchased it at $1.50 a sheet and I see that as of the writing of this post (Tuesday) it is selling for $1.99 a sheet. So if it is a sheet that you are interested in trying out I would suggest you move on it as quickly as possible.
Here are some points about the Multimedia watercolor paper from Daniel Smith to keep in mind:
• It's a lightweight paper so opacity, if you use heavy black ink brushes, will be an issue. However, it seems less translucent to me than other 90 lb. watercolor papers. Keep in mind that with the lighter weight papers you'll be able to get more pages in a journal and not end up with a very heavy journal to lug around. With this paper, as with the Arches Text Laid above you have to weigh what's most important to you against the paper's qualities.
• For a lightweight sheet it has good sheet strength and relative opacity and it isn't an issue for me.
• It smells OK when wet from your painting. (This means it is neutral, i.e., doesn't stink like some disagreeable papers I've found in German commercially made journals and such.)
• It takes wet media (watercolor and gouache are what I tend to use in my visual journals) with minimal buckling. (I define minimial buckling as a slight distortion of the paper which doesn't interfere with my ability to work on the flip side [or next page] of the paper.) The paper does contort itself into somewhat stiff curves and doesn't relax like the previous paper, but again, this doesn't keep me from working on the next page.
• The sheet is 22 x 30 inches with the grain running with the 30 inch side. This makes it no better or worse for bookbinding than other standard watercolor sheets. I find this limiting. I don't like 5 x 7 inch books. That means a square book and wastage. At this low cost per sheet however wastage isn't as painful.
• The cold press texture is not excessive. People who like to write with pen will find it easy to do so on this paper. The texture will effect your line quality but I think it gives interesting character to work completed on it.
• I did not test colored pencil or pencil on this sheet. The paper seemed "harder" than I like for pencil work so I wasn't interested.
• Dip pen was not a problem on this sheet, but it also wasn't that fun.
• All my favorite pens work well on this paper—Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy and Brush Pens, Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, the Staedtler Pigment Liners (even in thin sizes), and several fountain pens filled with Platinum Carbon black ink. The pens all like moving across the suface of the paper, dance with the texture of the laid surface, and don't bleed, feather, or seep into the paper.
• The Staedtler Pigment Liner and the Faber-Castell pens worked the best on this paper. The Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy pen was quite fun to work with on the paper as it had a little bit of drag that felt comfortable and substantial as I moved the pen—and there was a fun little noise as I worked that I quite enjoyed because of the texture of the paper. I was able to wash with my watercolors immediately upon completing a sketch with the F-C Pitt Artist's Calligraphy pen.
• The Pentel Pocket Brush Pen ink floated for a long time on the sizing of this paper so that if you tried to add washes immediately (which is what I do) the ink would bleed heavily into the wash. This is a deal breaker. (I don't mind a little bleeding, but as you can see on the video flip through there is a stroke through a drawing of a man and the ink melts everywhere if you go in right after sketching to paint.) I can use this paper exclusively as a pen only paper but it will have to remain below the $2.00 per sheet price to be competitive with other sheets I currently use for pen only. (Even after 40 minutes there were still areas of heavy ink coverage that I could dislodge.)
• As a watercolor paper I found that it had good workability. It lifted easily on washes that were still moist and even dry washes. It also would take scrubbing without pilling. I was able to achieve some interesting wash gradation on this paper, so it's fun to play with. If I worked in pencil and watercolor I might use this as an inexpensive journaling choice, but the fact that it doesn't like my favorite pen is a problem for me.
• There were some odd flaws in the paper which would be problematic if you were using the full sheet and they fell into the middle of a perfect graduated wash. For bookbinding I find this type of occasional flaw acceptable.
• Washes on this surface seem to have a tendency to be a bit streaky. The brush drags more than on more expensive sheets I've used. Since I work on many non-watercolor sheets which are not sized for watercolor I'm used to this behavior, but a watercolorist might long for his favorite paper.
In the video you will see me make a sample book out of a sheet of Rives BFK (the paper to "test" as text paper in the sample book) and a scrap of watercolor paper I've previously painted with acrylic paints. I'll talk about grain direction and punching holes, and measuring your cover, and then demonstrate the 5-hole pamphlet stitch.
I made the video demo while reaching around the tripod so it was an interesting experience for me and not one I recommend. But the little 5 x 7 inch or so booklet that I ended up with is a lovely little tester book. If you have not used Rives BFK and are wondering what it would be like to work on it please enter the drawing for the booklet by sending in a comment, as simple as saying, "Please put me in the drawing."
Note: The drawing entries have been closed (Friday at 7:30 p.m Central time). A name has been drawn: Sheryl won and the booklet will be going off to her via the mail. Please use the comments section for questions relating to the papers listed above or the video instructions. Thanks for writing in.
I encourage you to watch the video if you have never made a book because there are a bunch of little tips that will come in helpful later in your life. And if you want a way to make a tester booklet or make small portable journals to take everywhere with you be sure to give this book structure a try.
Sorry I couldn't tape the tearing paper tutorial first, but I didn't have any paper left after the binding "binge" of December to tear down. That video will come soon, after I dig myself out of the preparations for the January 16 MCBA Visual Journal Collective Portrait Party (don't miss it; see details on the MCBA Visual Journal Collective Page in the Pages column at the left).
Left: Pile of bookcloth and paper scraps. Click on image to view an enlargement.
THE DRAWING IS CLOSED.
In the process of binding 20 journals last Friday to Sunday I went through my storage of smaller bits and pieces of fabric and handpainted decorative paper. I wanted to use things up and also not spend money buying more fabric etc.
The flurry of activity resulted in even smaller scraps of material that are just not suited to the size of book I make. (While my very small journals [3.5 x 4.5 inches] have always sold really well I find that they take as much time to make as the larger ones and I've discontinued making them; there's no point in saving these materials for small books I no longer make.) I also find that, while all this stuff is great for collage, I just have to clear it all out every so often. Normally I'd put it in my teaching bin of collage materials, but I'm not scheduled to teach a collage-related class in 2012 so there isn't any need.
The bookcloth is 9 x 12 inches (that's the largest piece) or much smaller and narrower. These would be perfect for people making smaller clothbound books or for doing spines only on a variety of sizes of book, or just to have as swatches the next time you go to the store and want to ask your vendor what to stock. And of course the really small pieces would be great as tactile additions to a collage.
The paper pieces range in size from 11 x 15 inches to small, small strips. Many pieces could be used for decorative paper when making cases for hardbound books (not for endsheets, they are too thick for that) but their greatest suitability would be for collage.
I used to make paper and bookcloth jewelry (I can't find any photos of them right at the moment, so I'll see if I can hunt some up) and you might enjoy doing that as well. Some of the decorative paper scraps make cool pendants when cropped and mounted.
If you live in the U.S. and you're a binder who makes small books, likes collage, or likes odd things to make jewelry out of, and would like this packet just put a comment in the comment box (be sure that the comment has a link to your email so I can contact you directly). I'll do a drawing tomorrow night with names of everyone who writes in. Then I'll contact you for your postal address if your name is drawn.
THE DRAWING IS CLOSED (FRIDAY 9:30 a.m.) I closed the comments section so that others wouldn't sign up. My schedule changed for the day and if I do the drawing now I can get to the post office today—and clear off my table. There are already over 20 people in the drawing so chances to win were diminishing too. Thanks to everyone for offering to give these pieces a new home and new life.
Please note there are no explanations with any of this material, no notes on techniques, no identification of the papers. You'll just be on your own there. To document all these bits would be beyond time intensive. Most of the papers will have light pencil lines on the back, indicating the grain direction, which will be helpful for your immediate use of the material. (I always mark large sheets with long lines running with the grain direction before I cut pieces out of a sheet—that way when I get down to smaller scraps I want to use I don't have to guess, or waste portions testing.)
THE DRAWING IS CLOSED. The comments section is closed to end entries. Heidi won the drawing and the package of scraps will be going out to her.
First the background—in 2010 I asked people to sketch me from life into their visual journals if they happened to see me in public (at sketch outs, at MCBA Visual Journal Collective Meetings, at the State Fair, and of course just out and about—one woman caught me at a lecture; it helps that I have pig-tails and am easily recognizable). I called this activity Project Journal Infiltration (PJI), because I was infiltrating people's journals. I have an on-going goal to be sketched into as many visual journals as possible before I die. (We all have to have a hobby.)
I also asked people who couldn't sketch me from life to support the project by promoting it on their blogs with an introductory blog post and placement of a sidebar button that sent people to the information page.
During the contest I received jpegs of sketches from 22 people, 14 of whom asked to be included in the contest, the rest just seemed to enjoy the assignment. Several people did multiple sketches over the course of the contest (drawings done on different days were counted as separate entries and actually gave you additional "chances" to win the drawing).
Out of those two groups two winners were drawn out of a bowl on September 7th.
Congratulations to Suzanne Hughes who won the main drawing and the book made with Barcham Green's Dewint paper. Suzanne lives in the Twin Cities and teaches art and I look forward to seeing what she creates on this now defunct paper. (The link goes to her blog, not her sketches of me.)
In the promotion of PJI Cheryl Gebhart won the drawing. She'll be receiving a 6.75 x 10 inch book I made using Nideggen paper. I hope she also enjoys journaling in her new book.
I love that you rose to the challenge. And I love the wonderful sketches you were able to make. I am honored beyond anything that you can imagine to be included in your visual journal. I hope I sat reasonably still when you were sketching and didn't give you too much difficulty.
Several people have already told me that they wish PJI would continue. Well, frankly it will continue, it's one of those life-goal things for me. I just might have to get a little more blantant about it—walk up to artists and suggest that they sketch me into the scene they are putting into their journal.
I think it is always important to practice sketching people so I hope if you are in my vacinity and you feel like practicing you take a moment and sketch me into your journal. If you then take another moment to scan the sketch and send it to me with a note about where and when you sketched me I'll be even more thrilled.
I don't know if there will be another time period for sketching with a prize at the end of it. I'm sorting through a bunch of projects right now and frankly don't feel as if I have my head attached. But I have to say I think it quite likely that there might be a new phase of the project on the horizon. Keep reading for details. I'll be saving all sketches made after September 6, 2011 in a special folder, just in case!
Also, take some time every day to sketch a friend or a loved one. Maybe you all go out to eat lunch. Well, spend 8 to 10 minutes sketching. If you can't manage that at lunch time then your digestion is going to be seriously impaired and frankly I'm concerned for you.
Developing your skills makes sketching friends from life a worthwhile endeavor. It's also a great way to pass the time productively. When you walk away from lunch you also carry a great momento of the event. Jot down a phrase or two that your friend said. It will bring the moment back to you years from now. Sharing these pages with your friend are also a way for that friend to learn what it is he or she is always talking about (believe me, over the past year and then some I have been amazed to read back some of the stuff I've said when people were sketching me).
It has been a riot to see how people have caught me unawares and worked me into their journals in the past 13 months or so. (I actually can't remember the exact starting date of this quest to get into everyone's journals.)
Well there are only a few days left of Project Journal Infiltration. If you want to be included in the drawing for the handmade journal (with really fabulous paper that is now defunct), you have until midnight on Monday, September 5, 2011.
(Actually you have until about 8 p.m. on that day because after that unless you live with me—and then you aren't eligible for this contest [Dick doesn't care, he doesn't like textured paper]—I'll be in my home, reading a book and getting ready for bed so you won't be able to sketch me. You do however have until midnight to send me a jpeg of any sketches you made of me from life, during the contest period.)
If it hadn't been for Miss T.'s note with this last entry of hers (she's done 7 sketches of me in different journals) saying she wouldn't have another opportunity to sketch me before the contest ended I wouldn't have remembered until the date passed!
It has been that hectic, and I'm not even referring to the Minnesota State Fair goings-on! (Watch for an upcoming post of participants at the third annual Minnesota State Fair Sketch Out.)
Let this post serve as the following:
• A reminder to get your entries in.
• A notice that while there will be a drawing for winner on September 7, I won't be posting the winner until I go through and check I've posted as many sketches as possible. (I'm also pushing some work deadlines, so your patience is appreciated. Check back around the middle of the month if you aren't a regular reader.)
• A notice that if you haven't seen your image on the blog up until now, and don't see it before I announce the winner, it means I simply thought I had already posted it. (It's hard for me to keep all the blogging straight, even with a blog log; and life has been pretty crazy with projects this year.)
• A reminder that the contest is a drawing and not a judging of entries. Some entrants have entered with several different drawings, executed on separate sightings (as required by the rules). I haven't received an entry that I didn't adore.
• All entries, when I received them, went into the appropriate "drawing" folder so that I wouldn't forget to transfer them. Even if your drawing didn't get posted on the blog it went into that folder. Each drawing you submitted will be an additional slip with our name on it, in the hat.
Thank you again for participating in my quest to be in as many journals as I can, before I die. I have enjoyed every moment of seeing how you depict me! If you find you missed the opportunity to participate in Project Journal Infiltration but see me out and about after September 5, 2011 feel free to make a quick sketch of me in your journal. And let me know! You have my thanks in advance, as it will increase the number of journals I've infiltrated, but it will also give you some portrait practice for 2012's Portrait Party (third Monday in January 2012). Mark your calendar now!
Above: Bella the Boston Terrier, next to the portrait I made of her moments before. (It should be illegal for people with Bostons to go outside, because that is just too much cuteness!) Click on the image to view an enlargement.
Did it even reach 80 degrees on Sunday? From where I sat, under an awning at the side of Wet Paint in St. Paul, with 5 other artists sketching pets as fast as we could, it sure didn't seem like it. We could not have had a more perfect day for the 3 hour pet sketching event. And there was no humidity to speak of (a welcome break from recent weather norms).
Once again, all the models were lovely (even when they were in constant motion), and all the owners patient. Liz Carlson, Tim Jennen, and Anna Miller from Wet Paint were joined by Ken Avidor, Tracie Thompson, and me. The crowd started forming at 11:30! We started drawing dogs at noon and kept at it until a little after 3 p.m.
Left: Another Bella, this one a Chihuahua with the sweetest look! Click on the image to view an enlargement.
You can see photos from the event taken by Wet Paint staff on Wet Paint's facebook page (be sure you find the Wet Paint art supply store that is in St. Paul! I just saw a similarly named store in Arizona and that's not the one.)
All the artists worked in different media. We all worked on Stonehenge paper (I worked only on the white and cream, but other artists worked on the gray and tan sheets).
I worked with a black Stabilo All which is a waxy, watersoluble pencil. My original intent was to use water to smear the pencil lines as I'd done in practice sessions, but on the day this didn't appeal to me. Evidently I'd dropped my padded pencil case earlier because my pencils kept breaking in my sharpeners, and because the pencil lead is waxy and it was a "little" warm, the tips would get stuck in the sharpener. There was no time for me to dig them out. I killed 6 or 7 sharpeners in 3 hours! Luckily I had 15 Stabilo Alls that I could rotate. And I began with them all sharpened.
Left: A Springer Spaniel. Now of course I can see that I've left a couple of her nose freckles off! Note to self—do a freckle check at the end. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
Besides the owner who asked me (after several long minutes of waiting for her dog to settle down and show me something besides his butt) "Do you need him to face you?" the only other drama for me on the day was the death of my pocket camera. I like to end each portrait session by taking a photo of the model next to the portrait (as you see in the images of this post). I know I'm a compulsive record keeper, but it also helps me, after the fact, to see where I peaked, where I got my second wind, and how to train better for the future—because speed sketching from life like this is an endurance sport.
I know from my sticker count that I did over 20 portraits. I know at 90 minutes, however, I was only at 10 drawings, so that's slower than I wanted to be. I was off my practice time. It's good to have goals and something to aim for in the future. I'm grateful for the even faster artists who made it possible for us to reach 117 portraits!
Contained in this post are a few of my favorite portraits, which I was able to take photos of before my camera died, or take with a borrowed camera. The paper I was using is white, as I wrote above, but we are in the shade.
If you were at the event and had your pet's portrait done (two girls brought their guinea pigs so it wasn't just dogs), thanks for attending and making this a fun project. And a special thank you to everyone who donated money to The Pet Project.
Thank you Wet Paint—for asking me to participate, for caring about your community, and for being the best art supply store in the world!
Left: The button for this year's Minnesota State Fair Sketch out. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
Yep, the buttons arrived on Saturday and I've been dancing around (wearing mine of course) ever since. (Tip: it looks particularly fine pinned to a heather gray t-shirt.)
Everything is set for the big day:
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2011
If you haven't been to one of the Minnesota State Fair Sketch Outs before here's what you need to know: we have TWO meetings on the sketch out day. The first is at 1 p.m., the second is at 4 p.m. (See the handy map below for meeting locations and times.)
You can find out current Fair admission costs at the Minnesota State Fair website. I recommend that you bring a little money for a food treat, and for rides, of course, if you like rides (I don't, it's too hard to sketch while screaming.) Participation in the actual sketch out is free to anyone who wants to sketch from life.
You can attend either meeting, or both, or neither (and just sketch). Most folks (myself included) show up early in the day, sketch for a couple hours, and bring our first sketches to the 1 p.m. meeting. After a brief show and tell and some planning, we break up either into small groups or singletons and get back to sketching until the 4 p.m. meeting. At that meeting there is more sharing of art and stories of our Fair encounters. We will also take a moment to take photos of people holding their sketches, so that we can document the day. The second meeting typically lasts 30 to 50 minutes. Following the second meeting some folks continue to sketch into the evening hours while others head home.
You can pick up a participation button at either meeting (while supplies last). The buttons are FREE. Just show me a sketch you've made at the Fair and you get a button!
Let's say you can't join us for either meeting (and you don't bump into me in the barns on Saturday), well you can still get a button (while supplies last) if you send me a jpg of one or more of your sketches. (I'll put a button aside for you once I receive your jpg. and we'll arrange for you to pick it up.)
You can participate in the sketch out on ANY DAY of the Fair. Just go, sketch from life, and send me a jpg. We realize that not everyone has the same day off! (I take almost all my days off to go multiple days to the Fair, but then I can't help myself. You might see me on another day—say Hi! Or sketch me for Project Journal Infiltration. Or both.)
Left: A map showing the locations for the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. meetings on the day of the sketch out.
EMERGENCY UPDATE 8.26.11: I've just returned from my first visit to the Fair this year and they have moved the cinnamon bun stand to the Northwest corner, across from the cattle barn. A BRIDGEMAN'S ICE CREAM STAND is on the Northeast Corner now. Look for us at Bridgeman's on the Northeast corner.
The first meeting is on the same corner as a cinnamon bun stand. Look for us just behind the stand at a table, or on the curb. The second meeting is in a large "food court" area with tables. If you get there early, grab a table and keep sketching. I walk around the entire court yard just before the meeting starts, to round folks up. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
Your sketches will be published on the Urban Sketchers—Twin Cities blog, along with sketches of other Fair attendees. It's a great way to show the world what a great Fair we have, and encourage other sketchers to join us next year! (I'll also be looking for someone to design the 2012 button, so it's good to get your work into me.)
In addition it is a fantastic opportunity to practice your sketching-in-public skills. There is no better place to hone your observation skills. Whether you like to sketch people, buildings, views, or animals there is something for your to sketch at the Minnesota State Fair. Turn a corner, turn a page, start sketching. (In fact I think I just came up with a great motto!)
The MSFSO grows a little every year. Last year we had 15 intrepid sketchers. I hope you can all return—and I hope that you all bring a sketching friend. If you don't live in Minnesota now is the time to visit! I won't be happy until there is a sketcher every few yards! We've got a lot of Fair to cover.
I just wanted to take a moment to remind people that if you want to be entered in the Project Journal Infiltration drawing you still have until Monday, September 5, 2011!
Multiple entries give you more chances in the draw so keep your eyes open for me. I'll be at the State Fair of course!
I need to catch up in posting for Project Journal Infiltration! I'm excited that sketches continue to come in. (PJI last through Labor Day and you can read all about it under "Pages" in the left column.)
Today I have two new entries. The first, from artist Mark Odegard is from our Minnesota Journal Project 2000 Ten-year Reunion in November 2010. It's me. (I was so busy talking I didn't even realize he was sketching—stealth sketching, the best kind of sketching out.) (Note: the link I have to Mark's website is not working so I will look into that and update this post ASAP. Please check back, because you really do want to see Mark's journals!)
Also I have infiltrated Miss T's journal. (She unfortunately doesn't have a website to which I can link.)
Miss T attended the May 7, 2011 sketch out at the Shepherd's Festival (OK, it has a way longer title than that, but I can't remember it), in Lake Elmo. She was working on pre-painted journal cards that I think were about 7 x 7 inches. I was standing in the barn sketching sheep when she caught me, also exactly. (That's a polar fleece earband—I wear these until it's over 60 degrees Fahrenheit.)
All I can say is this is shaping up to be a really, really good project!
Thank you to both Mark and Miss T, and to the other artists who have been participating. If I haven't infiltrated your journal yet (and you live in the Twin Cities and can catch me live), watch out for me at the MCBA Visual Journal Collective Meetings and of course the Minnesota State Fair.
A couple weeks ago I attended a lecture by artist Joyce Lyon (who has a show up right now at the Groveland Gallery). Little did I know that someone in the audience would take that moment to capture me in her sketchbook. Thank you Miss T. this is great fun. I didn't realize until I saw your sketch how much my favorite sweater, which is indeed a cable knit, mirrors my braids!
