The New Sketch Journal...

I finished reading about the last artist in “An Illustrated Life” and I am now inspired to keep my own sketch journal. My sketchbooks have always been for working out project ideas, random notes and doodles, and a few studies. But, I really like the idea of chronicling details and memories. It will also keep me drawing, even though I don’t really feel like I have time to focus on a drawing project.


So, last night it was 76 degrees (F) at 8:00 p.m., the kids were in the process of eating (yes, a late dinner - it’s like that with us). I thought I’d take the opportunity to go to Panera with my sketch journal to sit outside with a salad and draw the people and things I observed. Of course, by the time I got everyone settled and drove over there, it was 8:40 and they closed at 9:00!

Well, I was determined to do something, so I sat outside in the dim lighting and tried to scribble something down.  This is my feeble attempt at a sketch journal page - my salad (which was tasty) in it’s To Go container. The closing staff was folding up umbrellas at the tables all around me and probably thought it strange that I was drawing my food, but there wasn’t much else to draw and little time to draw it. But, at least I started - I have a “first page” and look forward to more.

While reading through the book, it really struck me how every artist commented on having to slow down and take in the moment, and that everything about that moment is clear in their minds even 20 years later (Lord knows, I‘m not getting any younger and the mind‘s not getting any sharper). And, what a great thing to pass along to your children - hopefully something of value to your descendents - a little insight into the life of someone they’ll never get to meet.

An Illustrated Life - A Recent Find at the Bookstore...

On my last visit to the bookstore, I was getting ready to leave when I happened to glance up in the art section (conveniently located beside the children's section), and spied this gem of a book on the topmost shelf.  An Illustrated Life: drawing inspiration from the private sketchbooks of artists, illustrators and designers is a fun collection of sketchbook pages compiled by Danny Gregory showcasing the variety of experiences and approaches within private sketchbooks. 

 

I have to say that one thing I enjoy is being able to flip through someone's sketchbook - it doesn't happen very often.  As the author writes in the introduction: With each turn, a fresh surprise, a new juxtaposition.  The pages unfold like a story, a journey, a life...You see risks, mistakes, regrets, thoughts, lessons, dreams, all set down in ink for posterity, for an audience of one.

When I finally get to sit down at night, just before bed, I like to treat myself to a chapter.  In it, a given artist will reveal his/her approach to sketchbook journaling, and describe methods and favorite materials.  Several pages from their sketchbooks are shown (my only criticism is that these reproductions are too small).

One thing that has struck me is that each artist (so far) has expressed in one way or another a similar idea.  That is, that recording scenes from life - even if it's something rather mundane - helps them to really "see" things around them.  It helps them to find "quiet" and results in firmly planted memories.  Each page will bring back a flood of detailed rememberances - where they were when they drew it, what they were feeling, etc. - even if many years have passed.

My sketchbooks have often been a place for me to practice some skills or work out the mechanics of certain images.  But, now I'm a little more inspired to treat it more as an illustrated journal.  Or, like one of the artists, keep the practice work for a "crappy sketchbook" and have another to treat as an art book/journal.  I'll certainly try to have it with me more often and to look at things around me a little differently.  This could be fun!

A Very Worthy Recipient!

On this evening's trip to the bookstore, I was pleased that they finally had the recent Caldecott winner on the shelf!  I have to say that A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a delightful book!  It's a very sweet, sparsely worded story (in fact, a couple pages have no words at all) by Philip C. Stead.  I just LOVE the illustrations by Erin E. Stead - a combination of a little color via woodcut with just enough pencil detail (and, as you may know, I love pencil detail).  Most impressive is that the book jacket states that this is the first book she's illustrated.

Now, in my previous post I complained about the weakness of storyline that I found in a lot of children's books that I found on the shelves.  But, that doesn't mean every story has to be an intricately developed adventure.  There is definitely a place for the thoughtful or simple story.  In the case of Amos McGee, the masterful gestures and  quiet expression of each character speaks volumes.  I think it is the power of the illustrations that can make a book of few words successful.  It really got me thinking about the importance of pairing the right writer and illustrator - finding/creating the right illustrations for a particular tale.

Anyway, I had to purchase this one for my own collection - and it will be kept in a safe place until certain toddlers with crayons grow up a little.

Thoughts on Today's Picture Books

After attending a weekend soccer tournament in LA, I was dying to get to a bookstore. There had been a really big Barnes & Noble next to the hotel, but I had no opportunity to sneak over to browse. So after driving over 2 hours home and making dinner, I jumped in the car again and drove 45 minutes to the nearest Barnes & Noble in SLO. Now, it’s not one of the bigger stores, but it was a bookstore nonetheless.


I grabbed a stack of picture books - old and new - and read through them, uninterrupted, peaceful. Of course, I selected most of the titles because of illustrations that appealed to me and a few others because of authors/illustrators. Unfortunately, they did not have the most recent Caldecott winners on the shelf.  And, honestly, I found myself a little disappointed by several of the books I read.  I won’t say that the stories were “bad.” There just seemed to be something missing, or they just fell flat in the end.

I've always enjoyed Karma Wilson’s "Bear" books, so I was interested to check out The Cow Loves Cookies.  While I thought it would make a great storytime book, it seemed reminiscent of many other sweet humor featuring repetitive phrases - almost formulaic, now. So, although it was enjoyable, it was quite familiar.

The illustrations and the concept for Children Make Terrible Pets grabbed my interest right away. It started out promising, but it really fizzled toward the end - this fun and clever idea deserved an equally creative conclusion. Instead, I found it rather uneventful - anti-climactic.

On the other hand, I read some Caldecott winners from years past - the stories really stood apart. Zelinsky’s Rapunzel attempted to retell the original tale complete with the story’s unpleasant or tragic aspects - there was drama. And Wisniewski’s Golem dealt with a very intense situation, difficult questions, and with characters from Jewish history and tradition. I was completely engaged throughout both of these stories (unlike with any of the new releases I found).

Thinking back on my years at the bookstore, it seems to me that A LOT of the picture books these days lack even a crumb of drama or intensity.  Of course, I know that Golem would not make a nice bedtime story for a small child.  I just wonder why publishers seem to be putting out the same type of book again and again. There is definitely a place for books about cows that eat cookies, but the vast majority of picture books that I’ve read in recent years are rather superficial, sugar-coated stories devoid of any real depth, excitement, surprise, emotion...


I do enjoy reading the sing-song rhyming stories to my kids - they’re fun and appeal mainly to young children.  I've even had some illustration ideas for my own picture books that would fall into that category. However, picture books can appeal to a wide variety of ages - even adults - and I think it's a subject worth considering.  If the introduction to books that we offer our kids repeatedly consists of cute critters looking for hugs, making friends, learning manners, etc., then it’s really no wonder that children quickly turn to exciting, adventure-packed video games (especially boys). 


Like I said, I do enjoy many of those books.  But, perhaps the picture book market is over-saturated with them.  But, maybe I’ve just missed those titles (the bookstore has been closed for over a year now). Maybe they just hadn't made it to our smaller-town shelves. I’d love to hear about any recent picture book recommendations that you all have where the stories have some degree of “impact” on the reader.

Illustration Friday: "Chicken"

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Well, school's back on and I have another project in the works (that may not meet its deadline).  So, I'm pulling this one out the the archives as it meets the theme perfectly.  It was done a few years ago in color pencil, and I really got into trying to figure out the glow of lighting and neon.

This was my own response to the question inspired by a children's book featuring prominent illustrators. 

Hat Trick!

Ok, I went for it and did a third painting - a bird to round out the group.  The girls said it was their favorite one, but I'm not so sure about it.  I like it well enough, but I'm not sure it's my favorite of the three.

I think that's where I'll stop on this series at the moment.  Although, I guess there are a lot of animals I could potentially do, but this is enough.  I'm ready to do some drawing again maybe.  We'll see...

Another Painting...

What?  Two posts in two days?!  Gotta stock up before the school year officially starts again and my attention is focused elsewhere for a while.

One thing I like about working with the paint and a more simple style is that I can accomplish an illustration a lot quicker. I did this companion piece to the “Woof” dog last night (compare that to the few days that “Mail” took). Of course, I still spent a couple of hours on each of these little paintings (aprox. 5”x7”).  But, it's a nice mental break from the detailed work I also like to do.


I’m still debating whether or not to make this a triptych and complete the primary color triad that I have going - perhaps a bird with a yellow background. I'm happy with the two I have, but a third makes sense as well. Hmmmmmm…

Anyway, on a different note, I’ve been thinking about having some prints made to sell in an Etsy shop. Illustration is different from other forms of art that can more easily be displayed in people’s homes - it’s a bit more specific and, perhaps, more for collectors. However, I think that these paintings might be good choices as they could easily work in a child’s room.

Free Time At Last!

So, can you tell we’re on Christmas break? No school, no art classes (except for planning my next ones)…there’s actually a little time to think about illustration.

This one was inspired by a random doodle mixed in among dozens of doodles in an old sketchbook. I knew I wanted to do it with paint and I envisioned it in a very different, more painterly style than what I’ve been doing. My new gouache set provided the perfect opportunity to have a little fun with it (gouache is my new best paint friend). You can let me know what you think (please).

I had been thinking about my style recently, especially after my last post “Mail.” It was very much like the Spectator Ant I had done a couple years back, and I think I’ve managed to pinpoint some definite characteristics of my style - detailed, black line, watercolor wash. I like how that works for me. In fact, I think I’d like to try some different types of pen and play with different types of line. I’ve been doing these with Microns, but I’d like to try a pen with different nibs.

I’ve definitely decided that I’m NOT a color pencil person. While I like what some people are able to do with it, overall it’s not the best fit for me. I’ll only use it if the subject matter really demands it or for quick color studies.

All this thought about style brought me back to one of my earliest posts on this blog (has it really been almost 3 years?). I had read an article by Caldecott winner Paul O. Zelinsky where he said that the story dictated what style and medium was called for. And, you can see this in the variety of work that he has put out. I liked his philosophy as I tend to crave variety - I couldn’t imagine working the same way ALL the time. As much as I love how “Mail” turned out, I think I would get bored if I worked that way exclusively. But, on the other hand, I don’t want to constantly be “inventing,” either.

I guess I’m finding a happy medium by playing around with more than one style while ruling out others (for the most part). I like the style that’s emerging with the ink/watercolor and it shows consistency that, I think, would be helpful for future publishers to see. But, it’s refreshing (mentally, creatively, and - hopefully - professionally) to spend time with different approaches. I would think that versatility would also be a “plus” for publishers.  Am I wrong?

Illustration Friday: "Mail"





I'm not sure why mail service to Grandma's house is sooooooooo slow!

   I finally have some time off of homeschool, home business, and Christmas to put together a more involved illo!  I'm getting it in just under the wire - I thought I had plenty of time, but me and my compulsion for detail strikes again.  There are a few things I'd try differently, and just might for the portfolio.  I'd love to try and do something a little more simplified, but I wonder if I even can!



Spectator Ant

 But, it turns out that this is along the same vein as my "Spectator Ant" that I've done before.  From that one, I came away thinking that the grass was out of scale for the ant.  So, I made certain to make the grass taller than the snail here. 

I finally got a gouache set - which I've never had and wanted to try - LOVE it!  I think that might be my new favorite paint medium and can't wait to do more.

Illustration Friday: "Sneaky"

He thought he was so sneaky, but nothing gets by Mom!

Sorry if you recognize this from a couple years ago, but it just seems to fit the theme this week perfectly!  If you missed it before, I hope you enjoy it now.

I work in pencil so much, I'm longing to do some color work.  Just don't have the time to set up for painting at the moment.  Maybe during the Christmas break...

Fun with Linoleum

My new round of art classes is underway - a Christmas Keepsakes class and a Intro to Linoleum Block Printing. 


My sample print

 

The Christmas class is a lot of work because I'm doing three projects that I've never done before.  There's a certain degree of invention because I want to offer something that is unique and worthwhile (for parents who are paying for these classes).  Then, there's an element of adaptation because some of my original ideas are just too challenging for the younger members of the class (8 year olds).  I have to find a way to achieve a successful end that's "do-able" with those kids.  And, I've found that that challenge is something I enjoy - gives me something to obsess over, I guess.  And, I've got 2 girls who are all too happy to be my testers at home...



Guess you'll have to wait and see!



What are we doing here?



The block printing class is just fun.  I haven't done this in probably over ten years, and I forgot how much I enjoy it.  I had an uncarved linoleum block from way-back-when and used a sketchbook doodle to make a quick sample (the rocket shown above).

So far, in two classes, my 6 students (junior high and high school age) have practiced using the tools and pulling a print.  I know I'm enjoying it - sure hope they are, too.



Student practice



Another student practice





8 Weeks of Art Classes for Kids End...A New Door Is Open...

The two art classes that I have been teaching to homeschoolers over the past couple months ended today.  However, I'm newly inspired - I'm excited about all of the fun things I can share in doing more art classes and the potential it has as a way to help out the family.

Once the bookstore closed, I really had a hard time imagining what other job I could take in this area where I could work evenings (to avoid child care costs).  Food service?  Some retail store?  None of this sounded appealing at all to say the least!  Then, the idea for art classes (something I've done before and something that will allow me to utilize my strengths and interests) came up.  It would allow me to be home in the evenings with my family, too!

I've been looking into the possibility of having prints and cards made that I could sell on Etsy as well.  Right now, every little bit counts and it's worth a try.  The idea of possibly being able to bring in some income at this time doing something worthwhile that I actually enjoy is exciting.  We'll see how it all goes...

In the meantime, I decided to call my business "Doodlebird Studio" and I redrew one of my favorite drawings with a little more of a gesture to serve as the current "mascot."  I'll be updating my calendar of classes and posting the availability of prints (when that happens) at the following site:

http://doodlebirdstudio.blogspot.com/

Why is it so hard to let go?

My son's high school is having a banquet fundraiser next weekend and they're asking for items for their silent auction.  One of the things listed in the packet home was artwork from a local artist.  Well, we don't have much that we can contribute, but that's one thing I could do.  Besides, I have all of these drawings tucked away in my studio, so that would be perfect.

So, tonight I tried to choose one to donate - much harder than I thought.  I've narrowed it down, but I found it surprisingly difficult to entertain the idea of letting them go.  I don't have any prints, they're all originals, and they have been captured on film and posted here at one time or another.  There were even a few that I just said "no way - I'm not giving that one up!"  A lot of those had sentimental connections to my kids in their original inspiration.

But, isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing as an artist?  Shouldn't I be getting my work out there, get it seen?  It would be difficult to achieve anything professionally if I keep my work locked away in a drawer.  On the other hand, I'd hate to think that it could end up locked away in someone else's drawer...or turn up as the next white elephant gift at the office Christmas party.

Well, I guess it's time - for the first time - to take that leap and submit something.  Decisions...decisions...

Illustration Friday: "Beneath"

This drawing done over summer was a good fit for this week's theme.

Kitty's looking for her mouse.  Perhaps he should look beneath the bed.

Illustration Friday: "Dessert"

I can't believe that with everything going on in the past few weeks that I managed to eek out an IF illo!

 I can dream, can't I?

There are a couple of issues I had with this image.  I really didn't like it as I was doing it, mainly because of the media.  I've officially decided that I don't like working with color pencil.  And that's funny because I LOVE working with graphite pencil.  And, I love a lot of things that other artists (like Kathy Hare) do with it.  But, I just don't think it's for me.  I prefer to do detailed line drawings in ink and follow through with the "quick gratification" of watercolor - felt like I was layering and layering forever with the colored pencil!

I gave my cheap scanner a try and (gasp) found that it isn't the best for uploading art...at least for colored pencil and all of it's texture.  I haven't tried other materials yet.  But, I got it for $10 from a school that was closing down and it will have its uses around the house.  I might return to photographing the art for a better picture.