Roz Wound Up

Project Journal Infiltration 2010-2011 Concludes

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 would like to thank again everyone involved in both parts of the project (there was a third part that involved International Fake Journal Month and drawing from photos, that you can read about here).

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).

Thank you again.

Reminder: Project Journal Infiltration Is Winding Down

Left: Miss T. captures me at the Minnesota State Fair. (Pentel Pocket Brush Pen on Rives BFK.) ©2011 Miss T. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

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!

 

Project Journal Infiltration Update: Reminder—Contest Ends September 5, 2011

Left: Life sketches of me at the June MCBA Visual Journal Collective, ©2011 Karen Engelbretson. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

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!

Project Journal Infiltration Update

Left: Project Journal Infiltration page from artist Mark Odegard. Click on the image to view an enlargement. Artwork ©2010 Mark Odegard.

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.)

Right: Miss T captures me sketching, artwork ©2011 Miss T. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

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.

Project Journal Infiltration: Ruth Smith Update

Above: the note side of one of Ruth Smith's journal postcards, with a sketch of me for Project Journal Infiltration! Ruth sketched me as I showed the MCBA Visual Journal Collective how to make a paper case for our journal zines. ©2011 Ruth Smith. Click on the image to view an enlargment; read the post for more details on Ruth's postcard journal project.

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!

It's That Time of Year Again—April Is International Fake Journal Month

International Fake Journal Month (IFJM) is only a couple of weeks away. I've already started posting on the Official International Fake Journal Blog about this year's celebration. If you don't know what IFJM is, or what a fake journal is, I recommend that you get over to the blog and check it out. Read the blog intro and some of the suggested posts to get the basics down. Then scroll through some of the posted work of past participants. After that it's time to develop a character for your own fake journal and get ready to journal in April!

If the incentive of having fun isn't enough for you, if the opportunity to bust out of old hampering habits and mind blocks can't convince you, I've got a few contests going on: the promotion contest (you put the button for IFJM up on your blog); the participation contest (you post your pages on your own blog and send me a link, or you send me jpgs to post on the Official International Fake Journal Blog); and, the most whimsical of all: Project Journal Infiltration Phase Two, which takes place inside IFJM in your fake journal of course. (Today there will be details on the participation contest, tomorrow details on the promotion contest, and Saturday the PJI portion of that contest.)

So what is Project Journal Infiltration? Don't remember from my earlier posts— check the link. Basically it is my project to reach my goal of appearing in as many journals as possible before I die.

Besides checking the link to the page you can always find the PJI page by going to the page list in the left-hand column of this blog. You can also find posts related to PJI by clicking on that category in the category list. Posts containing sketches by the participants will come up. I'm really psyched at how it's going!

But here's the thing. PJI is a sketch-Roz-from-life project. People have to actually see me out and about somewhere to sketch me. Of course readers from outside the Twin Cities grumbled a bit at not being able to join in, so I promised a special sub contest.

During April 2011, people keeping a fake journal can use photo references of me (that I'm posting on the Official International Fake Journal Blog) to sketch me into those fake journals. All the details will be up on the other blog in a few days. So go check it out.

Just one more reason to keep a fake journal!

I hope many of you will return this year to make another fake journal, and I hope many new people will join in as well. It is a great opportunity to push yourself, to push the boundaries of journaling, to push your artistic methods and approaches, and then to return to your regular journal to apply those benefits.

Why read about IFJM if you decide you aren't keeping a fake journal? Well it's just one more fun way that I get to talk about journaling, to  give journaling tips, and generally to encourage folks to journal. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the journaling stuff I bring up about IFJM actually has direct bearing on your regular journal—it's just that sometimes people can absorb the information better if it comes at them obliquely—just part of my cunning plan!

Remember: "Life's so short, why live only one?"

Note: I won't be posting notices here that I've posted there, so if you want to read what's happening over on the Official International Fake Journal Blog you might want to subscribe. (I tried to link it in to my Facebook account so at least friends on FB would get notice, but the method for doing the linking has changed and I haven't worked it out yet.)

 

Project Journal Infiltration: Another Update

Above: Miss T. saw me at lecture and sketched me into her journal! Click on the image to view an enlargement. Image ©2011 Miss T.

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!

Project Journal Infiltration: An Update

Left: Lynne Bucher's first sketch of me in her journal. ©2010 Lynne Bucher. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I'm a little behind in posting PJI sketches of me. Some of you will remember that I started this project last August. (I actually started the cunning plan earlier, but I made it a project in August!) 

It has come to my attention that many people believe Project Journal Infiltration ended last year. Oh no. It runs through Labor Day 2011. That's right, you still have 6 months and a bit to capture me in sketch form (from life) in your journal.

If you click on the link you can read about the project in detail. There is still plenty of time to enter.

Also, coming up soon at The Official International Fake Journal Blog, I'll be starting a second phase of the project that will be fun for anyone joining in with a fake journal this year—so be sure to keep your eyes open for that.

And Thank You Lynne for the two lovely sketches of me from a Bell Sketch night!

Right: Lynne's second sketch of me at the Bell Sketch night—insect theme night. Click on the image to view an enlargement. ©2010 Lynne Bucher.

Project Journal Infiltration: Suzanne Hughes Catches Me at the Minnesota State Fair

I'm trying to catch up on the Project Journal Infiltration submissions before I get totally confused as to which I've shared with you. (There is no confusion, on which file the entries are all going into, so if you've submitted don't worry about that!)

The problem is sometimes journal artists show me their sketch of me on site, but then don't send it to me. Sometimes, depending on how much chocolate I've ingested, it's difficult for me to remember if I saw the sketch or received the sketch—you get the idea.

Now would be a good time for artists to check that they actually sent me their image to the rozjournalrat@gmail.com address, as my tcinternet address has been void since about April 2010—I just found out that my good friend Diane still uses that address sometimes, no wonder I sometimes have no idea what she's talking about! Purge that address from your address book now.

Today, I'm sharing artist Suzanne Hughes' sketches of me at the 2010 Minnesota State Fair. If you follow the link to her blog you will not only find a lovely sketch of a black and red rooster but if you scroll down you'll find her sketches of me. These are fantastic. (I almost look monumental in one because of the upward angle—didn't you want to be a superhero when you were a child? I could be SketchPenGirl able to rush in and observe, OK, yeah, that's not really very useful on the superhero spectrum. I'll work on that.). She caught the extra long length of my special sketching hat just perfectly.

(This is a fishing hat made by Columbia, but as far as I can tell they don't make it any longer. I keep hoping to find more of them. If I could, it would be the only hat I would ever wear, hint, hint, Columbia if you're looking for an artist to endorse your gear!)

Thank you Suzanne for joining in the project with these great sketches.

Project Journal Infiltration: Clare Farrell's View of Roz

Above: Clare Farrell capture's me in her journal. ©2010 Clare Farrell. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

The great thing about asking artists to sketch you in their journals is that they don't let a little thing like not having a clear view stand in their way.

In this sketch for Project Journal Infiltration, the intrepid artist Clare Farrell, who was seated behind me at a talk, captured what I think it my best angle.

Clare managed to capture all the bits of hair I miss when braiding in the morning, as well as my leaning forward posture (I was looking forward at some artist books). The great thing about this, as with any portrait that captures the likeness of the subject, is that I think anyone seeing this could totally recognize me in a crowd. That speaks to getting the gesture and aspect of the subject right. Something we can all strive for in our own work. (You did realize that PJI was also about learning from others didn't you?)

Thanks Clare for this fine sketch.