Paper and Threads

3 Daily Journal Pages From This Week

2009-11-20T14:48:18Z

I am currently taking Kate Johnson's "Keeping an Artist's Journal" on-line class, so I will probably upload daily journal pages more frequently to my blog because I need to also upload them to our class Flickr pool to share with Kate and my classmates.

Tueday: Busy Day, so I sketched my lecturer at the New York Public Library Tuesday evening. I did have paints with me, but felt very conspicuous the way the seats were set up. I decided not to finish painting her as I experiment with different ways to compose my artist journal pages.

Wednesday: Melanie Testa and 3 other art buddies played with Melanie's method of tracing images from our journals, painting them, painting a background on WC paper in our journals, and then gluing the two layers together. These were sea gull images from my summer vacation journal - and a link to the original journal image from my blog in June 2009. Her method is described in an article she wrote in the May-June 2009 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.

Thursday: Two leaves I picked up from the sidewalk when walking home from nursery school with 4 of our grandchildren. They were sketched and painted when I came home from babysitting last night. I have no idea what kind of trees they are, but every autumn I find a few of these gorgeous patterned leaves on New York sidewalks!

Keeping an Artist's Journal - Lesson 1

2009-11-17T16:27:56Z

Kate Johnson's "Keeping an Artist's Journal" class started yesterday and the first lesson covers the basics: Exploring what YOU want and expect from this class, plus practical matters like materials and supplies. For one of our first exercises, I need to decide what I want from my journal and the class, and plan what will go into my journal.

I keep a daily visual journal and since January 2006 completed at least one journal page per day. Some of these pages were in themed journals, i.e. vacation travel sketchbooks or figure drawing practice. But most daily drawings/paintings are in my chronologic sketchbooks - with dated pages. The contents of each page vary considerably - from personal moments recorded, to Everyday Matter challenges, to drawing or painting practice. Journals 1-7 are Aquabee spiral Globetrotters - purchased because they were inexpensive and therefore I wasn't afraid to mess them up. But the paper wasn't ideal for water media, and I moved to the large Moleskine watercolor journal (pink band) as soon as it was available (journals 8-17). But I hated the landscape format of the book and Moleskine was polite, but not moveable, when I emailed them multiple times to see if they could make it in a portrait format. So I took a weekend codex bookbinding class and now use journals that I make. They are approximately 6" wide by 8" tall and contain 6 signatures, 48 pages, of Fabriano 140 lb, soft press watercolor paper (journals 18-26 - which is the current one). They have paper backed book cloth on the outside which is very sturdy. I took the photograph on some fabric that I just painted with corn dextrin resist and thickened procion MX dyes. One of my goals is to paper-back some of this cloth to see how easy it is to use as book cloth.

Here is the inside of my current journal, beginning with the double page spread showing my journal, palette, and current art tools. This will be the first page for Kate's class, but before it is over, I will be using Volume 27.

This is the first half of the drawing, showing my journal and current palette. I use 3 triads of primary colors to mix watercolors that I want - plus a few miscellaneous extras. I also have a small commercial travel watercolor kit made by Daler-Rowney which has different colors.

I just realized that I mislabeled the brown on the right which is burnt umber - the burnt sienna is in the bottom triad on the left with yellow ochre and Payne's gray.

This is the second half of the spread, showing my leather pencil case and examples of the tools I carry in it. I have only one, sepia tone, watercolor pencil in my daily pencil case. The other 39 are in a separate pouch, which I take only when I can't use wet media - for example at my neighbor the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Figure Drawing at the Society of Illustrators

2009-11-11T22:52:52Z

Last night was my 3rd figure drawing session at the Society of Illustrators in New York City and I came home with 19 sketches, even though I really didn't like one of the two models. This was a new experience and I had to convince myself that I didn't need to like the model or their poses - it was all an opportunity to practice drawing.

The standard format is 10 two minute poses, 4 five minute poses, 2 ten minute poses, and 3 twenty minute poses, with breaks, over 3 hours. I'm posting one from each group.

This is the other model - small, really skinny, shaved head except for a circle of bright yellow short hair in a circle on the top of her head. However, it was the contorted positions that she took which I didn't like, except this one.

I loved the setting, really enjoyed the live piano and double bass music throughout the evening, and appreciated the glass of red wine while sketching.

EDM Challenges #246 and 247

2009-11-10T01:47:34Z

EDM Challenge #246: Draw a Pair of Gloves:

I love my black shearling mittens, especially when it is really cold in New York City. But they just looked like two black blobs on my journal page, so I sketched my black leather gloves instead.

EDM Challenge #247: Draw Something Creepy

Approximately once each year our local TV channel shows footage from surveillance cameras in fast food restaurants - and after the restaurant is closed, the camera captures the image of rats in the kitchen. It really creeps me out - and also makes sure that I never visit that fast food chain - because of course I can't remember which branch it was in this big city.

Visual Journal Pages

2009-11-08T02:13:56Z

I signed up for Kate Johnson's Visual Journaling Class and I'm trying to focus my sketches on my daily activities for several weeks.

I sketched and painted a detail from a beautiful stained class window at the Museum of the City of New York during a visit there this week.

The following day we took care of our newest grandchild and I sketched his "lovey" - a British Jellycat animal called Scrumpty Elly. My daughter-in-law takes his picture with this animal every month to see Zach's growth. I sketched him with my non-permanent Varsity pen and then just wet the elephant to create the color.

I made two new codex watercolor journals this week, and while I had my bookbinding equipment out, I made two watercolor pamphlet style journals with waste watercolor paper from a few recent recycled books. One of them is a gift for a friend, the other may be the perfect watercolor booklet for my grand daughter.

Today we took our oldest grandchild to the New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert and I had approximately 10 minutes before the lights went down to quickly sketch the stage. Henry and I talked about the colors so I could remember them until I got home.

More Journal Pages

2009-11-01T17:52:29Z

Here are 3 more journal pages - I'm on a roll!

I love watching Project Runway and periodically like to sketch the winning design the evening that I watch it. Here is the oversized sweater and paper-bag waste pants by Althea that all of the women judges wanted to wear, right then.

The following day I thought alot about my own love of design and specifically two outfits that I made when I was a senior in college. The one on the left is a suede suit that I made with 5 skins that my boyfriend of the time gave me for my birthday. I had enough suede to make the skirt and front panels of the jacket. The jacket sleeves, back, and front button panel were made from a wool-silk tweed blend that matched the suede. The dress on the left was made as a final exam in a semester long flat pattern design course that I took (after my premed requirements were done and I was already admitted to medical school). I selected a dress from a NYTimes newspaper advertisement and made the pattern and then the dress from a green wool tweed. The top was a blouson style and the skirt had a deep inverted pleat and slant pockets. I don't have photos of either design - amazing now that I have 10 photos of everything with my digital camera.

Yesterday my husband and I went to the Fall Impressionist and Modern Previews at Christies and Sotheby's Auction Houses in New York City - one of our favorite semi-annual activities. We start at Christies, then have lunch at Dos Caminos and end at Sothebys - and in the process see well over 500 pieces of art that will be auctioned on Nov 3rd and 4th. I loved a work on paper by George Grosz and sketched a detail from it - a man's head.

Daily Journal Pages

2009-10-28T11:30:32Z

I try to sketch in my journal daily and love documenting some aspect of my day in my sketchbook, although some days I have nothing much happening and just sketch for practice. Here are a few of my recent pages, as I try to vary the compositions.

Making a Few More Magnetic Bookmarks from Watercolor Paper - and writing extensively about the project on the page:

Houston Intercontinental Airport: A requisite airport journal page, at the end of my recent trip to Quilt Festival in Houston. I was afraid that this airport cart driver would return before I finished the sketch, so I worked REALLY FAST.

An Afternoon Recycling Old Books with Watercolor Paper:

I was teaching an afternoon workshop to 3 of my art buddies using the method outlined here, and we all finished one book over the course of 3+ hours.

EDM Challenge: Draw What You Think of When You Hear the Word October

2009-10-24T16:38:49Z

Six years ago, when our first grandchild was born, I bought a very small Halloween book from the holiday table at Barnes and Noble. It is shaped like this pumpkin, outlined in black, and the front cover is made from very soft velour and then stuffed. It is a favorite with each one of our grandchildren - probably based on size, texture, color and a very simple story of children "trick or treating." It remains in our book cabinet all year and is enjoyed by them regardless of the season. The bat, witch's hat, black cat, and ghost are images I sketched from the book illustrations. The vertical black lines are another experiment in varying the backgrounds of my drawings

I don't know what number this EDM Challenge is - #245 or 246 depending on whether the Free Choice last week was assigned a number.

Two Exercises for Daily Drawings:

2009-10-20T23:55:31Z

I did several "play" exercises before I left last week for the Quilt Festival.

Prepainting a Page Background: Roz http://rozwoundup.typepad.com/roz_wound_up/ recommends prepainting the background on some pages in your sketchbook and then just drawing and painting over it. I prepainted every other double-page spread in my first sketchbook (2003) based on exercises derived from the Gwen Diehn book The Decorated Page, but have not done it since. My daughter found a new leather pencil case for me and I wanted to draw it with one of each category of tool I carry in it. To make the background more interesting, I decided to prepaint it, let it dry, and then proceed with my drawing.

Anatomy for Action Figure Drawing: Angela Gair and Anthony Colbert, in their book The Sketchbook Kit, recommend that you "amuse yourself by drawing little sketches that show how the skeleton moves, in order to understand how the joints operate." I love this concept and finally tried drawing their little skeletons, just in time for Halloween.

EDM Challenge #244: Draw the Oldest Thing in Your Refrigerator

2009-10-13T19:22:32Z

Procion MX Dye Stock Solutions:

I use Procion MX dyes to "paint" cotton and silk and keep the primary color stock solutions (plus black) in the refrigerator - tightly capped and way in the back on a bottom shelf. I made this batch two years ago and put them away to use again. But for a variety of reasons, I haven't dyed another piece of cloth since then - and forgot about them.

I'm off to the Houston Quilt Festival tomorrow morning, to learn more surface design techniques and have a mini-vacation. This is the 35th anniversary of Festival and my 25th year as a registrant. My sketchbook will go with me and hopefully I'll at least have some sketches of conference participants in their colorful clothes when I come home.

2nd Figure Drawing Session at The Society of Illustrators

2009-10-10T16:45:07Z

I went to my second figure drawing session last evening at the New York Society of Illustrators with my friend Istar. On Tuesday evenings the models are nude, on Thursday evenings the models may wear parts of costumes. I wanted to experience both - and liked both evenings equally well. The setting is wonderful and there is live music during the entire 3 hours. I came home with 9 two minute, 4 five minute, 2 ten minute, and 3 twenty minute sketches. I'm just going to post examples of each.

The models posed with multiple hula hoops - the male model in yellow harem pants and the female model in a red bra and black leggings. The addition of the hoops made the 2 minute sketches more difficult, but fun.

Two models and a hula hoop even made 5 minute sketches a challenge.

I wanted to remember the costumes in this 10 minute sketch and colored parts with watercolor pencils - but the paper didn't take water well and buckled slightly. For this pose, he put on a black hat and soft ball necklace and she put on an umbrella hat. And she really did have dyed shocking pink hair!

A ten minute pose, with one sitting and one standing - and in different costumes:

Both disrobed, but the male model wore his black hat and brown boots for the final 20 minute sketch. I continue to have trouble fitting everything on the page when I'm working quickly (just one more thing to work on in 2010!), so you can't see his boots.

Figure Drawing and Drawing the Masters

2009-10-08T11:06:07Z

I love to copy drawings from the Masters when I find one in a museum exhibit that really speaks to me.

I have a book of Delacroix pastels and love his drawings/pastels/watercolors from Morocco. When I saw several originals in a recent exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I decided that I needed to visit the New York Public Library to see the book Delacroix in Morocco (which is out of print and really expensive). While there, I sketched this figure, took a digital photo of the print in the book, and then painted it at home.

I loved a drawing by Dutch artist Jacob Backer (1608-1651) which hangs in the current Vermeer exhibit at the Met and returned for a second 30 minute visit just to do this sketch. The small original is on light blue paper with black and white chalk, but I did mine in sepia watercolor pencil, in case I decided to "paint" the drawing at any time.

Tonight I am going to my second figure drawing session at the Society of Illustrators and did the following 90 second posemaniacs.com drawings as a warm-up. These figures are computer generated and are frequently in tortured positions, but they change randomly every 90 seconds so I can't think much about what I'm drawing which is great practice.

Recent EDM Challenges

2009-10-03T15:05:47Z

I was very lazy about doing EDM Challenges last month and even worse about uploading them to my blog. I finally decided to post them all at once - and catch up. One of my annual art goals is to complete each weekly sketch because it:

1. Gives me a subject for one of my daily sketches each week.

2. Stretches my drawing and painting skills.

EDM Challenges #238 - Draw Your First Aid Kit - and #239 - Draw What Has Scared You

My husband and I are both physicians so we have First Aid items in random places in our apartment. When thinking about this challenge, I immediately remembered my Aircasts - one for my right ankle and one for my left ankle. I had two very serious ankle sprains due to mis-steps and the use of an aircast allowed me to walk within 24-48 hours and continue to heal during 3-4 months each time. I live in a City where walking is really essential - my car is parked 3 blocks away from our apartment and the nearest bus and subway stop are both one long block away each. I was really scared after my first serious ankle injury after moving back to Manhattan, because I realized how easily I could be apartment-bound.

EDM Challenge #240: My Favorite Pencils

EDM Challenge #241: Draw the View from Your Kitchen Window

This is my usual view - a beautiful stained glass window approximately 15 feet away, with lovely concerts that I can enjoy when both of our windows are open.

This is my current view. There is work being done on our apartment building and there is a scaffold below the church window and a board protecting it. I miss it!

EDM Challenge #242: Draw a Favorite Tchatzkah

I could find nothing around our apartment except my figure drawing mannequin. I collect books and fabric and try to keep tchatzkahs to a minimum.

EDM Challenge #243: Draw a Pillow

I love fabric and frequently bring back an interesting piece when we travel. This is a pillow that I made with a piece of Fortuny fabric that I bought in Venice. The fabric has an overall design of lions - only one of which I sketched.

Long Weekend in Washington DC

2009-10-01T01:54:01Z

We visited our youngest grand daughter, Annabelle, this past weekend and I added more pages to the watercolor journal I dedicated to our visits with her. Previous pages are visible by clicking on the Washington DC category.

I rarely sketch my grandchildren because it never looks like them. Annabelle is much cuter than I made her in this drawing. The small sketch shows her running around the Natural History Museum with us on Friday.

Saturday we had breakfast at Eastern Market and enjoyed the many flower vendors - everything was so bright and fresh.

We then went to Oktoberfest on Barrack's Row, the highlight of which was the childrens' petting zoo. There were two very small goats there with their Mother that all of the children loved.

The goat on the left was drawn with a Pilot Varsity Pen, but the watercolor paper in the Cachet Linen Journal was too absorbent and it was difficult to wet the ink to shade the goat. The one on the right was painted with a neutral gray watercolor wash.

Paper and Threads Representations of a New York City Subway Mosaic

2009-09-28T22:59:26Z

I was invited to applique a square for the Empire Quilt Guild 2011 Raffle Quilt. All of the eighteen 11 inch squares are based on New York City subway mosaics and I was thrilled to be assigned the Chambers Street IRT mosaic of Kings College. We are a Columbia University family and Kings College was the original college which became Columbia University after the Revolution.

I was gvien an applique pattern that was drafted from a photo in a NYC subway book, but decided that I wanted to make my own. I photographed many of the mosaics which run along both the uptown and downtown platform walls trying to find one that wasn't too damaged by age.

I drew and painted the mosaic in my daily sketchbook, to try to familiarize myself with the complex design before making a new pattern and selecting fabrics.

I just completed the applique square - which required more time than any single 11 inch square I ever made - mostly because I decided that I wanted to applique every stone of the building on individually!