Mixed Media Concertina Sketchbook

My cat, Grover, kindly posed for sketches in my latest accordion-fold sketchbook.

I love to read in the evenings, and have been delving into Jane Stobart's Extraordinary Sketchbooks, where I got the idea to make a collaged sketchbook like architect Karen Butti.

I used a base of 140 pound watercolor paper, and glued on painted papers & old maps with Yes! Paste. 

Below is the cover of the sketchbook, decorated with music sheeting that's been painted with several thin layers of acrylic paint.

 

 The surface of these papers is slick, which would make it difficult to draw on top of them with graphite, charcoal or colored pencils.  I applied clear gesso over both sides of the sketchbook to add a layer of grit without obscuring the designs underneath it.   

My cats were hanging out in the studio when I started sketching, so they fill the first pages.

I love that I can sketch with rich, black charcoal and white pastel pencils.  The painted paper underneath adds another layer of pattern and color.  It feels exciting to have a new sketchbook with a variety of colorful papers

The songbirds hunting seeds in the flower box outside my studio window fit perfectly on the map of Glacier Bay, Alaska.  

Dark-Eyed Juncos scratch on the earth for seeds, so I put black oiler sunflower seeds in my flower beds for them. It's a protected spot, and it brings them closer for me to draw.

Collaging colorful papers onto a plain sketchbook adds a playfulness and imperfection that invites doodling.  If you're feeling anxiety facing the blank page, maybe a collaged page would help you push past that feeling and make drawings.

The beauty of drawing in a sketchbook is that your artwork doesn't have to be "pretty" or "perfect."  Truly in this world, there is no such thing as perfect, so try looking at drawing as an exploration, a voyage of discovery. Every drawing teaches you something.

Happy Creating!

Making More Art

We often want to create more frequently and make more art.  Yet it can be hard to settle in, get past the yelling of our inner critic, and establish a routine.  One approach that helps me create is to attach art-making to other things I already enjoy.  

I love to go for hikes in our state park.  Adding a small art kit and including stops for sketching helped me to fill this accordion-fold sketchbook.

Maybe you like to go to coffee shops and sip a hot drink.  What if you took a sketchbook & a pencil, and gave yourself the assignment to sketch people?  If drawing people seems overwhelming, you could draw, hats, shoes, or patrons' hands holding coffee cups.  You could even draw the festive centerpiece gracing the cafe table where you sit.  The world is full of things to draw and paint!

Make a plan. 

Think about things you love to do or things you regularly do.  Riding a bus to & from work can be an opportunity to sketch your fellow bus riders. 

Find a partner.

My husband likes to take nature photographs, and we often hike together.  While he sets up a photo, I sketch.  Do you have a friend who wants to make more art, too?  You can encourage each other and make a habit out of creating together.

Give yourself an assignment.  

Narrowing down what your subject matter will be can help you focus and feel accomplished.  You could fill a sketchbook with tiny things in nature, botanical drawings or pets in your neighborhood.

Start small.  

And build as you go.  A small sketchbook, a simple goal, etc.  Remember, persistence is far more important than seeking perfection!

Keep your kit simple.

The fewer decisions you have to make, the more likely you are to pick up your art supplies and create.  You can skinny down your supplies to fit in a small zippered pencil pouch.  You can always change out that graphite pencil for an ink pen if you prefer. What is the absolute minimum equipment that would work for you?

Celebrate your wins.  

Post your artworks on social media if you like, share it with a friend, or simply prop your artwork up in your home where you pass by often to remind yourself of how beautiful your artwork is!

Wishing you many creative adventures and a new routine to fill your sketchbook and create joy.

Happy Creating!

New Mini Nature Journal

I've begun a new concertina nature journal made out of 300 lb cold press Stonehenge watercolor paper.

On a cold afternoon in late November, David took his camera bag and I grabbed my mini nature journaling kit, and we popped out to the state park for some creative time.  Being out in the 20-degree weather forced me to draw quickly and finish my art back in the warmth of my studio.

Above is the reference photo I used to help me flesh out my drawing, and below is my mini watercolor kit.

I started with a wet-in-wet wash of ultramarine blue for the sky, then added in tree shapes with ultramarine blue mixed with burnt umber.  Yellow ochre created the general rock color.  You can see where my impatience in not waiting to let the sky dry before I worked in the trees caused some of the colors to bloom into each other.  I decided to leave it that way and not scrub out the "mistake."

I added some roots with a light gray Caran D'Ache Neocolor II crayon.  I like the way those crayons work right over top of darker values, and you can move the pigment with water if you like.

A final wash of burnt umber and ultramarine blue mixed to make a chocolate brown bark color to darken the main tree trunk.  I used a very dark mixture of the two to create the grooves in the bark.

Working small and quickly creates a magic of its own, allowing you to focus in on one small portion of the larger scene.  

I hope you give mini journals a try!

Happy Creating

A Mini Watercolor Nature Journal

I've been taking an online class from Cathy Johnson called "Quick Sketching in Color," and am thoroughly enjoying it.  In the class, she gives instructions to make your own mini watercolor journal out of a single piece of paper.

I made mine from an 12" x 18" piece of cold press watercolor paper that I cut in half lengthwise, then folded each piece accordion-style, and glued the two pieces together to make a concertina sketchbook.

Here's a link to an Instructable on making your own concertina sketchbook.

This is my mini-sketching kit, and you can see the accordion-fold mini journal on the left.

Simplifying my kit makes it lightweight and easy to carry, and I love taking it on nature walks!  I can stuff my art supplies, plus my car keys into the little bag and go on sketch-adventures.

 

Focusing on quickly sketching takes the precious-ness out of drawing and makes it a game.

You can learn more about Cathy's Self-directed mini-classes here:https://cathyjohnson.info/art-classes/

Happy Creating!