Traveling Sketchbooks

Okay... time to get em' movin again!

2010-07-03T23:45:00.003-04:00

Have you been taking good care of our babies?

I'm inspired and my fingers are itching to do some artsy journal work.

Do you want to send yours back to Michigan and keep mine a little longer to work in... or do you want to send both back to Michigan and I can do some final touches then send them back to you to do some final touches... and then we can call it "Finished" :)

I'm ready to begin a new journal project ASAP... so we need to put on our thinking caps.

paint palette

2009-03-29T01:43:00.001-04:00

paint palette
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

though both sketchbooks are still in michigan, and i can't really work in one until one swans back to ohio, i have been doing some small scale work with color. here's a glimpse at the paint palette i used for some tiny valentines i made.

as you can see from a lot of the rest of this blog, the conversation between us (artists!) is one in color and texture... so here's some color and a little texture for your to rest your eyes on while you wait for an update on the books. =)

acrylic paint + gel medium + recycling a tray from a supermarket = photo op.

swapping ...

2008-11-08T21:44:00.004-05:00

the OhMi sketchbook with the yellow cover is winging its way to Michigan as we speak, headed to the arms of Maralena. =) i didn't photograph every page i worked on this time, but i did do a little video. i plan to edit it together when i find my transfer cable, and have some youtube fun with it.

i even did some 'in progress' work on one page, filming the actual process itself. whee!

some pages i heart

2008-11-01T04:11:00.003-04:00

for more on this image, check out nicci's flickr page.

in working over some of the acrylic paint applied (by Maralena) to some of the thickest pages, i discovered that my dip/fountain pen works great with a certain black acrylic ink. (it's not a secret, i just can't remember the name of it at the moment.) doodles resulted, then i put down some smeared ink. technical, yep. i took a paper towel remnant and smeared purple around. then came the sharpie. oh, beloved sharpie. the texture is pretty awesome. if there were more light in here, and my camera battery weren't dead, i'd take a few detail shots for you! i'll try to remember to do that before it's mailed...

this spread would make an awesome sketchbook cover. i like it that much =D.

On second thought

2008-09-12T14:43:00.001-04:00

After posting these images... I believe I do have some more things I want to add to the journal before shipping it off to Nicci. Just wanted to show my progress thus far. I am really enjoying sticking things/memories of the day... into the journal pages x2 (hers and mine).

16-20 of 20 updates

2008-09-12T14:41:00.000-04:00

11-15 of 20 updates

2008-09-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

6-10 of 20 updates

2008-09-12T14:39:00.002-04:00

1-5 of 20 updates

2008-09-12T14:38:00.000-04:00

I have not dropped off the face of the earth.

2008-09-11T23:08:00.003-04:00

I plan on taking pictures this weekend of the journal work I have done and then hopefully get it mailed out by the beginning of the week. I have a whole lot of shooting to do!

Stitchin but not Bitchin

2008-08-11T13:51:00.002-04:00

I have been busy adding some texture layers (boring) to some of the empty pages. I've shown ton's of photos of that in the past - so you get the drill.

Look at the cool colors of threads (more to follow) I am using to blanket stitch the outside pages in Nicci's journal. I've done three so far. I like the contrast on the tissue pages she did.

color color color

2008-07-20T22:16:00.006-04:00

backgrounds, backgrounds, backgrounds!

a slice of progress

2008-07-09T01:29:00.001-04:00

nicci's journal - july 08
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

the going can be slow when you're using a layering technique to do backgrounds for 25 spreads in a book! i have about 6 to go before i do some edging, and send this baby on to Maralena.

as you can see from the edge, various things are in and hanging out of this book. there are colors and so many thick pages it's ridiculous. to think this book used to be about (or less than!) an inch of plain white paper. look at it now!

and it just keeps going...

dry, glue, dry!!

2008-06-28T02:02:00.006-04:00

progress in the journal is slow, because many layers of glued on paper and tissue must dry. this is a slow process, since i don't have a hair dryer at the moment. even if i did, it's noisy enough to put me off using it very long! it was very humid and hot today, and nothing wanted to dry. in fact, it's currently storming. eek!

well, not eek. i love storms. i love sleeping in thunderstorms even better. watching a big lightening thunderstorm roll in during the summer is one of my favorite things. still, a little eek because drying times slooooooow waaaaay doooown.

i'll be going to a workshop tomorrow, given by an artist friend. it's a collage workshop... i think it'll be fun to go play all day with other people, even if i have to leave the house in 6ish hours. yikes.

not. a. morning. person.

... you can see larger versions of these images, with more details, on flickr.

sometimes i go a little nuts with the 'note' feature, so beware.

off to go put together a quickie bag of supplies for tomorrow's foray into collage. i usually take WAY too much stuff to these things and don't end up using most of it. i'm going minimal tomorrow. i will only allow myself ONE big ziploc bag. no, NOT the size you use to store clothes under the bed. geez, have a little faith guys! ;)

My THICK THICK THICK New Spreads

2008-06-20T08:53:00.004-04:00

So far, I think these are my favorite spreads (that I created) - background wise. These are so THICK and pliable. I would venture to say each side has at least four layers of gesso, papers, paints, etc... and topped with hand stamped images carved by moi! I am so glad this baby is being mailed "Flat Rate" Priority - otherwise, it would cost a small fortune to mail. It is HEAVY! I wish everyone could "FEEL" the texture of these pages. I just love the way they turned out. They are textured, yet smooth to the touch.

surface prep

2008-06-17T03:05:00.002-04:00

mostly i've been spending time de-cluttering and re-arranging my studio. mostly.

otherwise i have been slowly applying coats of gesso to the pages of the journal (the untouched ones). ideally i would like to put a coat down on every page, and then go through adding thickness.

i find preparing a surface to be good for also clearing my brain. there's something about the process of coating the surface with layers and layers of white, knowing full well very little of that is likely to be left when it's finished.

i have plans for some paints sometime later this week. more to come.

New thickness trick!

2008-06-03T18:24:00.003-04:00

Got a great idea for adding thickness to the journal pages. I decided to use a few sheets of my white peel & press paper that I usually use for faux postage or stickers. I took it outside and spray painted the backgrounds and then came inside and gave it a coat of Krylon Workable Fixative. That makes is slippery - so I can use my oil pastels and blend easily with my finger tips. After the oil pastels and some acrylic painting I decided to use one of my handmade stamps - coiled string around a lid to add some interesting texture. Then I used a neat chunky stamp that looks like a checker board for more interesting texture. Spray again with the fixative and then cut to fit the pages I wanted to add it to in the journal. Simply peeled and pressed it into place. Wa-la! Pretty cool. Now... I am still free (and Nicci is still free) to add more paint, or whatever to it!

of pencil, marker, gesso, and papers

2008-05-24T13:46:00.005-04:00

when i first started working on this journal again, i did 2 coats of gesso on a bunch of spreads. though i like the surface of the paper, i like to be sure the paper can take a bunch of working, because i know both maralena and i like to work with layers.

above is a detail of a page i did using gesso, watercolor, and some samples of a wall covering foamy stuff which takes paint atop it. it's like instant texture. i really can't remember what it's called, but picked it up near the plastic window screening in Wally World.

what you see below is largely a building up of various layers, from 2-7 coats of gesso, papers, inks, or watercolors, respectively. i mostly added small elements to existing pages, or started the bases of other pages, including backgrounds and drawings.

the journal is finally showing some thickness from the built up pages! it wont be long before maralena's journal is just as heavy as mine. there's a lot of gesso and paper in these pages, not to mention paint, thread, tape, beads, charms, and artsy awesomeness.

more photos to come soon, when i've worked a bit more in my sketchbook, which maralena just recently sent back to me. woot!

oh, btw, these aren't all the photos of pages i worked on. when i first started this project, i photographed every little thing. i still photograph every page, but i only post the ones i think are the best to share. the others usually get posted at a later, once they've been layered up. or, uh, the photograph i took of them isn't completely crooked because the sun was in my eyes and i couldn't see the digital read out...

ahem.

side by side

2008-05-18T00:13:00.003-04:00

i have both journals at the moment, and i am working on them side by side for the next few days until i send maralena's journal home. there will undoubtedly be a HUGE picture update from me soon. eye candy extravaganza!

i didn't want to post without an image tonight, so i included a photograph of my most recent painting. it's a 20x20 inch mixed media work called Ruby. i'm sure you can tell i love red. now all i need to do is get my hands on some crimson spray paint to add a few touches to maralena's journal before it's sent on its merry way!

i've got gesso everywhere, and both journals are thick with fresh coats. happy art making! xox nicci

Progress #3

2008-05-03T20:45:00.004-04:00

Handcarved stamps, collage and stencil.

Progress #2

2008-05-03T20:42:00.003-04:00

Handcarved stamps, collage and stencil.

Progress #1

2008-05-03T20:37:00.002-04:00

Handcarved stamps, stencils, and collage.

A little more stencil play!

2008-04-30T19:59:00.003-04:00

Found a cute little crocheted heart I decided to use as a stencil. That was pretty cool.

I cut a set of buildings and the word DEEP out of some file folders for a couple of the spreads. I like the way they turned out. I or Nicci can elaborate on them if we choose.

Hand Cut Stencils

2008-04-17T10:46:00.002-04:00

*** UPDATE AT BOTTOM ***

In addition to carving for prints - I am cutting some stencils. I can't wait to place them in the journal.

*** UPDATE ***

I like the stencil alot. Just had gold spray paint on hand - so now I am going to go buy a few basic colors. I plan on replacing the stencil slightly off and highlighting with a darker color. Still working on the spread... will add more to it in the future... but love the stencil addition. I will absolutely be making more.

While Away... Art Journal Play

2008-04-12T17:17:00.006-04:00

I had a lot of fun while on vacation - arting up Nicci's journal. I bounced around all over the place. On this set I just added the orange color to her design.

On this set I added the two funky birds that parented her eggs.

More color to her spread.

Ditto... more color.

More color.....

And more....

And more ...

Here I painted the painted lady and I handcarved an XO stamp to use with multicolor metallic ink.

More color....

Another handcarved stamp. The phrase "Empty Sky" is a theme for another journal project I am doing... but it felt quite natural here. I carved this as a phrase.

The Terra Cotta background Nicci did was so warm. I kept imagining a window frame like this... so I drew one. I used Water Color Pencils (Metallic and Basic) for painting in.

And last but not least... more color.

nicci's journal - before mailing to maralena

2008-04-03T15:31:00.003-04:00

mailed the journal to maralena. she already posted about receiving it! so it's on its way to a vacation spot with her. in the mean time, i have some images to post from it. i'll get to that when i'm able. i was sick for a week with some crazy stomach virus/flu thing that made me lose all momentum! eeeew.

feeling better now. in fact, i just worked on a JAM with maralena for a fine art valentine swap. i'm not sure what JAM stands for, but it means multiple artists work on something to complete it, so i am going to go ahead and continue thinking it stands for Joint Art Mission.

if you want to check out the combination of our printing fun, you can check it over on flickr.

Off on holiday.

2008-04-03T12:38:00.001-04:00

I have recieved Nicci's lovely art journal and glanced though it only casually. I am making myself wait until I arrive at my destination for a week-long holiday. I have all my art goodies packed and ready to go. I can't wait to work on this journal while gone. xxx

Layering and Texture with Masking Tape

2008-03-13T18:01:00.002-04:00

Two more favorite spreads. This time I used colored masking tape for texture and layering over gesso and both Caran d' Ache and Acrylic's. Lot's of 3 stage sanding in between.

I made a frame between masking tape and layers of paint and gesso and sanded out the hollow part for a image area for Nicci. She and I had been talking about seeing a lot of "Fat Bottom Girls" around the world of illustration - but not a lot of big girls with a focus on the belly... so I have made (and will make a few more) an attempt to embellish on that thought. A celebration of all body types. Small, medium, large and extra large.

Posted by: Maralena

it's all in the details

2008-03-11T22:12:00.003-04:00

i have been adding little bits of drawing and decoration to various pages in the book the last 2 days. sometimes i need to go minimal and concentrated on the elements rather that worrying about the whole.

btw, the minizine sticking out of the pocket above is another i received in a swap-bot swap i hosted. it's by a girl who goes by s. jane.

Three heavy texture spreads...

2008-03-11T13:42:00.004-04:00

I had been working on these for a few days. There are multiple layers of Gesso to begin with on all three spreads. I got a little wiser in my sanding process and now wrap strips of sanding paper around a heavy balled up terry cloth to keep more control. I am doing some pretty rough sanding! On these spreads - I added acrylic paint - which, when hard - makes it a bit harder to sand than if using the water color or the neopastels. For the most part I kept the acrylics to a single layer. Still adding handmade paper for texture between the layers of gesso and color... for strength. I'm glad to take Nicci's hint in going heavy (the chunky book queen). I've never done such intense work in a single project before and can see that in the long run - the sturdiness will be a good thing.

I am in love with the softness of these pages and how they turned out. They are like little sheets of suede. They feel wonderful... and I love the colors. I have not decided what I am going to do on them yet... and who knows what Nicci will do!

Posted by: Maralena

Journal progress - Seeing Red

2008-03-11T01:21:00.004-04:00

Sheesh. It took me two days to finally get though Blogger to post. Not sure what that was all about!

Meanwhile... I was busy in my journal. I could not decide between to papers for the texture undercoat. I finally decided on the red pattern. Gesso, Gesso and then laid the paper down. Very nice "fiber/cotton" paper. Gesso on top and then the Neopastels again. Watered them down and repeated. Sanded course, medium and then fine and repeated the process a second time. I love the way the fiber/paper pulled/ripped in parts - and how it felt when it was sanded smooth with the fine sand paper. It looks really cool... almost like skin. I added a bit of blue color... and will revisit this in a day or two.

Posted by: Maralena

hearts!

2008-03-10T04:11:00.006-04:00

between drawing and painting sessions, i have been layering on ripped up pages with gesso. it makes the working surface really thick and textured. yummy!

i have been thinking about tattoos lately. and hearts. and slowly some tattooish heart doodles have been slipping into my drawings. i might use this one as a logo for some new business cards!

i also seem to have thing for drawing blue hearts. it doesn't feel corpsified to me. how about you? zombie hearts or just blue hearts?

drawing on thin gesso covered papers

2008-03-10T01:14:00.005-04:00

watercolor doodles on dictionary paper are the next order of business in the sketchbook!. first, you rip out some paper form a dictionary, or another sort of book. it doesn't have to be a dictionary. gesso it. 2 coats will mostly obscure the words. i used 2 coats here. 1 coat doesn't cover as well, but is good enough. draw. watercolor. glue in.

this makes for very thin pieces of your own art you can easily collage into your visual journal. the gesso gives some body to the paper to support painting or drawing, and helps keep the paper from ripping or otherwise soaking up too much ink/paint.

photo integration in progress...

2008-03-08T23:33:00.005-05:00

and then there were photos. i dug out some photos from a box of black and white proof prints i made while still in University. these are images of my nieces, Brittani and Bianca (Bianca is the one with the dark hair). Bianca is mistaken for my sister a lot.

i have been wanting to use these for a while, and they make good bases for drawing on. i glued and/or taped them in to various spreads. if you look below, to the green spread, you will see some drawing on the photo with gel pen. they work pretty well for that.

don't ask about th egg thing. i'm not sure what's going on there...

Bianca (pictured above) was a more reluctant model than her sister, but quietly so. i only have a few photos of her. these are proofs, which means the printing isn't the best, and i don't really feel weird drawing over them. also, they're 'outtakes' from our shoots.

if you've never photographed in a public laundry, you should try it sometime. the graphic qualities of the dryers alone...

here i've put some color proof prints in with a spread of color maralena did, and a black and white image on the opposite page. it's going to take a few layers to connect these bits. the color images are from 2001. i never used the images because of a lens flare (it was an old TLR on a sunny way without a hood), and there was something wrong with the winding mechanism, so all the frames overlapped a little. annoying! (i don't crop... i print full frame, so that was a problem for me.)

it's leaning a little to the scrapbooky side here, isn't it? weeeell. we'll just see how it turns out, shall we?

blue! blue blue blue.

2008-03-08T23:25:00.002-05:00

i started by just painting blue watercolor over a spread maralena did in some acrylic berry and greenish colors. but then, then it went nuts. ahhh! tape everywhere! gesso! more tape! envelope! gesso! painting, sanding! writing with gel pen!

have i mentioned recently how much i am loving blue these last 2 weeks? i don't know where the blue fetish is coming from. i'm a red girl! but blue... blue sometimes horns in.

the 'evidence' tag is something i picked up in a scrap book store because i thought it was funny. that was a while ago. i think 7 gypsies is the name of the company who made it.

the envelope glued in is one i altered with inks... well i was going to alter it with ink, but my ink bottle sort of exploded the day i did it, so it was just splotchy. i never quite finished it.

the best part about this spread is that these are colors i never would have thought to use together. but it just sort of happened. thanks, maralena! =)

a couple of details + color fields

2008-03-08T23:21:00.003-05:00

these are three spreads in order. well, more specifically, a detail of a spread, 2 spreads, and then a detail. you can see how the prismacolors + watercolor were used in the portrait. layering these two media is delish.

the blue is just watercolor over gesso. the last image is a little detail done with gel pen.

sometimes it can be hard to draw with the gel pens. pressure is important, as is the surface you're writing on. slick surfaces tend to work a little better than rough ones. with gesso, you have to be very careful not to clog the gel pens.

i love white pens!

Dance, Dance, Dance

2008-03-08T20:32:00.004-05:00

I haven't drawn ladies in a long time. Thanks Nicci for the inspiration! I decided on a little hip action - so here goes that "Fat Bottomed Girl" at work. First... Gesso, Gesso, Gesso, Sketched the design, Caran d' Ache Neo Pastel II's, Inktense Pencils, more gesso, Acrylic, and metallic marker.

Posted by: Maralena

In the Green

2008-03-08T20:24:00.003-05:00

I pressed an assortment of leaves some years back. I pull out two Maple leaves and used them in this spread. First I gesso'ed both pages... let it dry... and then more gesso before I placed the leaves. Gesso around the sides and let that dry. Painted the outside surrounding the leaves - deep green, and more gesso - repeat. I highlighted the leaves and then glazed them with a clear coating and sprinkled UTEE on top and zapped them into a hard image... and added some acrylic (opaque and metallic) detail. Sponge painted the surrounding areas. I'll leave the rest for Nicci to play with. I hope she funk-a-fies these leaves.

Posted by: Maralena

sneak peek

2008-03-07T00:45:00.005-05:00

i did a lot of work on the sketchbook (mine) the last 2 days, but i am too wiped right now to post it all. i chose an image from one of my favorite works in progress... this is a few steps back, though.

first i layered a bunch of ripped out pieces of dictionary on this page with gesso (ir already had about 3 dry coats), and then did another coat on top. when it was dry, i used a square punch to punch out two squares through the page.

i pulled out some old photos (from 2004). these are black and white proof prints of some images i took of my nieces, Brittani and Bianca. i cut them down to about an inch over the size of the window, and sanded the edges to be sure the glue would stick really well to them, and glued them to the back of the page, with the image showing through. i also taped the back to be sure they wouldn't slide around as they were drying, and did 2 coats of gesso over the back so i can also draw over them.

after flipping the page the right way to view the images, i edged with aluminum tape, and used a metal roller to put the 'stitch' impressions in. i also drew directly on the images with those sakura gelly roll metallic pens to add some color.

the text is from my (sadly) broken dymo label maker. it's the cheapest one... i don't know how well the more expensive ones last. this one has trouble punching certain letters, and the cutter has ceased to function.

recognize the song the words themselves are from?

Hey Girl Friend!

2008-03-06T14:08:00.002-05:00

Here's a friend for the Blue Lipped Girl. Not completely finished yet... have a few more "make-up" add-on's for later... but here is a sneak peak.

Posted by: Maralena

Two down...

2008-03-05T21:28:00.004-05:00

I am officially finished with these two spreads. I'm going to call it a night on the journal - but it sure is hard to do! I don't want to set it down. My mind is already turning about the other pages.

Added Mainstay Golden to the long haired lady and broke out my new set of Inktense Pencils. I love, love, love them! I used them on the backgrounds.

Posted by: Maralena

A bit more progress...

2008-03-05T17:54:00.003-05:00

The little lady was ready for another set of streaks, and this time they are a vibrant purple.

I started working on another spread I had gessoed and ready. First the sketch and then some color. Again, Caran d' Ache Neo Pastels for the base. Not sure where I will go from here. I'm still considering.

Baby got back!

Posted by: Maralena

layering, layering, layering & MESS

2008-03-05T13:43:00.003-05:00

my favorite thing about collaborative journals is the building up of layers. you can, of course, do this on your own, without another person, but there is less surprise involved--less challenge when you're playing art with yourself. it's like visual chess, almost, except one person doesn't beat the other person--you just strive for a kind of aesthetic resonance.

i started using some tape and sewing together, and i was struck by the way the laters of gesso and watercolor have built up with one another on this spiral binding. i also accidentally ripped the bottom of the page when i was sewing, so i had to make a little makeshift repair to keep the page from wobbling too much. the thread was later stained with watercolor as i painted other areas of the back page. mmm. in this case, messy is good!

and then came the orange. you may remember that maralena did some fabulously orange and gold pages with acrylic. i edged them with black tape, then took down the orange with gesso, leaving it showing in places where i scraped or dabbed through. i edged in orange watercolor, kicking up the vibrancy. i might go in with a drawing, but i haven't decided yet...

next up? a skinny girl with a scarf...

A day at the Salon

2008-03-05T12:56:00.004-05:00

Well, as with any hair process of major change - bleach n' streak (in this case it is gesso in streaks). Let it dry and then applied two coats Mainstay Fuschia Pink and dry some more. Still thinking about this hair... and what else I want to do with it. I am feeling a bit of gold. I did pink up the cheeks a bit more too.

Posted by: Maralena

layers + gesso + tissue paper texture

2008-03-05T01:27:00.003-05:00

mmm... blue. i've had a thing for blue going on the last couple of weeks--specifically this shade of blue. (see below.)

for this page, i put down 3 layers of gesso, collaged on some tissue paper, and did 3 more layers of gesso before putting down watercolor, and sanding twice.

the fingerprints on the opposite page are from grabbing the sketchbook to keep it from falling off the desk. i like it, so i left it!

also below is a detail if the texture.

here's a full page view of the next set of pages. the page on the left is unaltered so far--just as maralena painted it. the right is my addition of the girl.

The New Girl

2008-03-04T23:49:00.006-05:00

I have been itching to draw a girl for the journal project. I wanted to add some mixed media to the spread - so I pulled off a number 24 from a wall calendar and collaged it to the spread and added gesso around it - then sanded. The girl was sketched and then colored in with my Caran d' Ache Neo Pastel II's. I am really pleased with the way she has tuned out. I outlined some of her features with the PITT pens again. They seemed to work a little better after I sprayed some Krylon Workable Fixative first.

And I am not done with this little lady yet. I will revisit her tomorrow and do some more work on her hair!

Posted by: Maralena

Orange Spread

2008-03-04T23:44:00.003-05:00

Here is the orange spread I wrote about. I wish I would have taken a picture before I started sanding. It is the most vibrant shade of orange. I sanded bits from both pages. Not sure what else I may do to this spread. I might just leave it for Nicci to contend with. It feels absolutely wonderful to the touch. Many layers of gesso and paint.

Posted by: Maralena

details, sewing + watercolor + prismacolor pencils

2008-03-04T20:49:00.007-05:00

below you will find the first real attack on one of maralena's awesome backgrounds. i took some gesso over in the general shape of the figure, and hair, (2 coats), then laid down some pen lines (techliner). after it dried for a few seconds, i put in some watercolor, then decided to hand sew some stitches on the shirt. below you can see a detail of that in process...

next came more watercolor, tinting the skin, lips, eyes. after some consideration, i pulled out the prismacolors and went over the paint. de-lish. they're my favorite colored pencils. sooo smooth. yum.

if you look closely, you can see the lines in the face which are texture left by maralena's painting. mmm texture!

what's she looking at? hmmm. dunno. we'll see soon enough.

red bead - wire wrap

2008-03-04T17:14:00.002-05:00

i re-wrapped with some beads--red beads for my journal since i was low on the blue ones i used for maralena's! mmm red. these are beads coated with something that makes them look different colors depending on the light.

i used a silver beading wire ('the beadery' craft wire), 24 ga. the only thing annoying about this wire is that it is silvery but dirty. silver, how i love thee.

2 pages, black on white.

2008-03-04T16:36:00.003-05:00

i picked up more gesso! i was given a little bottle of Bob Ross gesso... which smells sort of funky-minty-glue-y. bleh. i'm using it up, but after that's gone, i have a bucket of Plaza gesso which is soooo much cheaper. BR was $11 for 473ml bottle (yikes!) and the Plaza was on sale for $18.95 for a gallon. srsly.

anyway, i have been priming every surface. prime prime prime. i'm not quite half way through the journal yet. i figure i'll keep priming. though it's been wet here (rainy!) the last 2 days and it's slowing dry times a lot. (to the point where i have to stand the sketchbook in front of my space heater to dry it! i only do that when i'm sitting right next to it, and i make sure it's far enough away that it's just heated, not burning hot. safety tip!)

i bought a Techliner .3 mm black pen (by Alvin). it seems to work pretty well, though i haven't tested it with my watercolors yet. it dries out after about 20 minutes of drawing on gesso, and the nub is flat already. still, i got it to work again when i tried it on un-primed paper. i'm not sure how i feel about this pen. will let you know more later...

as you can see from the pages, i glued in a pocket for a minizine i received from a swap on http://www.swap-bot.com. i also taped it down with my favorite acid free black masking tape... yum! picked some up when i went out with FarmBoy yesterday.

we checked out his brother's tattoo shop. that's going to be a cool place when it's hung with art. it's pretty cool now, even bare bones. probably there will be some photos from there coming up in this sketchbook at some point.

experimenting with pens! woot.

oh, in case you were wondering what Spike looks like, here's a photo of him in his preferred place--chilling behind my laptop watching me. he likes to chase the cursor in World of Warcraft. bwaha. so cute. (not that there's really room for him on my desk...)

Big Lipped Diva

2008-03-02T22:50:00.006-05:00

I couldn't stop once I began working on her. Nicci's drawing was mostly watercolor I believe (correct me if I am wrong Nicci). I wanted to work with a few different other types of color alongside hers. I broke out my Caran D' Ache Neopastel 11's and got to work! They color nicely and blend easily with water. For more shine - I used my Mainstay Acrylics and they were perfect. I did take time to gesso over a few places to make sure my colors covered areas that had been worked on prior. I used a glaze on the lips and eyeball pupil. The bottom right corner was "abstract" with the blunt end of a wood coffee stir. I used my Pitt Artist pens to 'write' the product info here and there on the page.

Posted by: Maralena

My journal arrived from Nicci!

2008-03-02T12:47:00.003-05:00

My package arrived Friday! I was so excited to open it but decided that I would wait until after dinner to do it with a nice cup of coffee in hand. I was so lucky to do it while "semi" in the company of 'Nicci' online on Messenger. She was by me every page of the way.

Nici's cat 'Spike' attacked the giant plastic zip lock bag that I had placed her journal in for safe keeping during its travel to her. She reused the bag for my journal and it did not go unnoticed by my two cats, Xena and Sama. Xena was very curious but Sama wanted to jump right in and do a through investigation.

She sent me a nice surprise of aluminum tape to try and filled the box with loads of pages from an 'Oriental Trade' catalogue - which I will have fun browsing.

Here are some kitty pics of the opening!

I could not wait to touch the pages and take my time and read all the little stories and sayings she included in my journal. Beautiful work... and I am so excited to have it in my clutches.

That night I went right to my studio and gesso'ed 2 - 2 page spreads and then on the 3 rd 2 - page spread I did:

2 layers of gesso
2 layers of purple
3 layers of gesso
2 layers of sage green
2 layers of gesso
2 layers of orange

Next.... I will do a little sanding... but have not gotten that far yet! More photos to come.

Posted by: Maralena

el corazon

2008-03-02T03:20:00.003-05:00

i went to see an exhibit at the museum center today. it's called BODIES. i haven't quite processed my thoughts on it, though i did get to spend some quality time with a human heart under plexi. if you can call approximately 30 seconds quality time. too many people!

anyway, here's my first attempt at some work in my journal, on maralena's backgrounds. i ran out of gesso the other day, and i still haven't gotten out to pick some up. yargh! anyway. heart.

in transit - yellow robot on the way!

2008-02-28T02:36:00.005-05:00

today i sent off the box containing maralena's journal! it should be to her in a matter of days, hopefully two! the inside is a mystery... well, not really. though, truth be told, the images here only give you some of the sense of what the journal is like. you really do have to fondle the pages to tell how thick they are. tactile experience!

i started some layers of gesso in my sketchbook that maralena worked in first. i am working on gessoing the pages between the ones she did, so i will be ready to rapid fire work on a bunch of stuff without having to wait for gesso to dry!

above is an image of a keychain in progress. remember how maralena sent me some to be altered? i figure i'll do those between waiting for coats of gesso to try. multi task!

the one pictured here has already changed a bit since i took the photo of it. more to come!

the last 2 pages

2008-02-27T04:34:00.004-05:00

these are the last 2 pages i will work on in maralena's journal before sending it home to her to be worked in. they are also the last 2 pages of the sketchbook--rather the lats page and the back cover. i decided, tonight, to work on them some. the whole idea came about just from wanting to glue in my business card to the very back. plus i broke in my new metallic gel pens.

painting on a blue watercolor + gesso surface was interesting. i plan to go back into this somehow if maralena doesn't. i think the watercolor stains in pink and sepia didn't really come out, and it just looks dirty. must to be fixing. =b

the little sketchbook with the yellow robot on the cover is soon to be winging its way to maralena's house! stay tuned for more posts from both of us!

of gesso + gel pens

2008-02-25T17:01:00.006-05:00

i prepped this first set of pages here with gesso (many layers!) and some page bits ripped from my favorite old dictionary, which has contributed to many an art project in the last couple of years!

it's still got a very rough surface, so it's ready to accept any medium maralena decides to use, be it paint or conte crayon or collage!

i doodles some things, made up a little story about fish, and the last set of pages i started at Outback Steakhouse when i went for a family dinner. they were much amused to see me show up with a sketchbook and a box of pens. i asked my niece to help me (Danielle) and she started a page, but got thoroughly distracted by the cheese fries. kids today! ;)

my entry on the left here was done with sigma pens: pigma micron and gelly roll glaze. i heart these pens! a couple small accents are done with other types, and i went to the evil den of evil craft supply (nasty corporate empire), and picked up opaque white, black, and a set of metallic gel ink. i need a Dick Blick nearby. it pains me to give that craptastic hole of a craft store money!

we shall speak of it no more!

so anyway, my favorite part about these pages are the blue lips. i drew the whole thing freehand in about 20 seconds (of course it took longer to color in). that's always fun. it's a little distorted, but that makes it more interesting!

oh, yeah. regular rough gesso surfaces seem to sort of clog the gel pens. suck.

wire wrapped + beaded

2008-02-23T23:01:00.003-05:00

i did a little variation on the binding maralena did, and when i wired her sketchbook closed, i used a long length of wire (so i could wrap it a lot), and added some of my favorite glass beads! i only have a very few of these left. i heart the color!

at first i was worried the bind would be too tight, but the pages seem to turn just fine. which is good because it didn't occur to me until i was halfway finished wiring it.

i still have a couple more pages to go before i am ready to mail this out to maralena, though i did receive mine and have been barely restraining the urge to go nuts with collage and paint on the pages. must finish and mail this one first!

it's all in the details

2008-02-23T00:10:00.003-05:00

1. gesso 3 layers.
2. paint on watercolor.
3. coarse sand.
4. gesso 2 layers.
5. paint on watercolor.
6. coarse sand.
7. gesso another layer.
8. paint on watercolor.
9. coarse sand.
10. fine sand.

below you will note some various detail shots of the pages in the journal!

this last photo is a process shot. i am embellishing/altering some plastic keychains maralena sent to me. the trick is, i painted both sides, and was stuck sitting there holding it. then i used that thinkin' brain and came up with a paintbrush and a cup drying rack. which, you know, worked real well until i took the one off the short side and the other ones fell off. tee hee.

when polka dots attack

2008-02-23T00:05:00.004-05:00

here you can see the progression of 2 pages that i started on while i was on the phone with a friend. i wasn't really paying attention to what i was doing, but i did snap a photo before i got on the phone, and after.

this page features: gesso, watercolor, cloth paper (handmade!), aluminum, board, and a cut up coin envelope containing a miniature zine i made. the zine is folded down from 1 sheet of paper. it's a little insert surprise for whomever gets their hands on this journal--namely maralena!

i started going in with doodles in silver pen (one of my favorites!) but stopped when the phone call ended. make of it what you will!

revision + 1 more so far!

2008-02-21T04:51:00.002-05:00

as you can see, i went back and worked on the third spread of pages. there was just something missing, and i wasn't ready to send it off to maralena without another couple of layers of color. on the left, i added 2 more layers of color, some sharpie, and a little gesso painted heart. on the right, i added several more colors, as well as an ATC with a blue background, edged with textured aluminum. i'll have to take some details soon, so you can really see the finish.

these pages feel really wonderfully thick from several layers of gesso on each side, plus the paper! the paper is pretty thick anyway. there's between 4-6 layers of gesso on each side of every page + the paper itself. kind of plastic-y, but without being sticky, since it's watercolored and sanded. you'd have to feel it to really get the picture.

i am awaiting maralena's package in the mail, which has my journal in. i will switch out that journal and send her this journal when it arrives! well, as soon as i can get to the post office. so i think i will have a couple more days to work on these pages. i have a few more sets prepared for color.

first 3 - maralena's journal

2008-02-19T14:05:00.005-05:00

i have been working on maralena's journal, slowly but surely. i started with some pen drawings, and then added color in layers afterward. this is a labor intensive process, and requires several layers of gesso, so it takes a while! you really have to run your hand down the page to appreciate the yumminess!

i have about six or seven more sets of pages with the first layer of gesso down on them. i'm working on the third coat on the next set after those pictured here. i may go up to five. the color blue is really working for me this week, as you can see!

i will soon have my hands on the journal maralena started for me, so i will have to kick it into high gear to get hers to her for the month! it will be fun working on her beginnings for me, and i am sure she will be entertained with my beginnings for her, though i have to admit, it takes a while to get over petting the pages before you can work on them...

(posted by nicci.)

Finished up with my first sets for Nicci

2008-02-19T10:39:00.002-05:00

I really enjoyed working on this first set of pages for Nicci's Art Journal. I have it all packaged safe and soundly and am shipping it off today, via PRIORITY MAIL. I can't wait to see what she will do to the pages I added - and vice versa! I am on needles and pins waiting to see what she has made for me.

Final five of this months entries in Nicci's Art Journal

2008-02-13T09:22:00.005-05:00

Well, these are probably my least favorite of all the backgrounds I have created thus far. I felt inspired by the photos when I saw them. I immediately knew I wanted to use them in a few of my pages. I am really going to try to stretch my style in this project - but cut and paste is not usually something that comes naturally easy for me. I am hoping that Nicci will see an opportunity in these spreads and breath some new life into them.

I think there is room for some opinion, fashion adjustment, social statements and fun here. Enjoy.

Posted by: mcdc3s (aka: Maralena)

Three more acrylic backgrounds for Nicci's Art Journal

2008-02-13T09:16:00.004-05:00

Same style - Assorted acrylic paints, smudged oil pastels and workable fixative.

I am really loving the colors a lot. Bright, bold, and inviting. I can't wait to see what becomes of these pages.

Posted by: mcdc3s (aka: Maralena)

Two more Background spreads for Nicci's Art Journal

2008-02-12T20:15:00.000-05:00

For these two spreads - I used assorted acrylic paints, and oil pastels (smudged) around painted circles and squares are then topped with Krylon workable fixative. I can't wait to see what gets added to these pages.

So far, that makes 12 double page spreads. I think I will do 3 more sets - for a total of 15 focusing on acrylics. Then, I want to do another 5 in a different medium for a grand total of 20 sets for the first month.

Posted by: mcdc3s (Maralena)

Beginning pages of Nicci's Art Journal - Backgrounds

2008-02-12T19:50:00.001-05:00

I am new to Art Journal exchanges between two participants - but seeing some of Nicci's past experiences - I was so intrigued that I couldn't wait to give it a go too!

For the most part, I am primarily an Abstract artist... but I can tell right away that working with Nicci's input and inspiration - I will be stretched in all sorts of directions. Hopefully - so will Nicci! When I say, 'stretched' - I certainly mean in a good way!

Okay, for starters I did 10 double-page, side by side pages or spreads. I see these as backgrounds for either Nicci to explore or myself - if the feeling is right. For these pages I used assorted acrylic paints (opaque and transparent), gesso here and there for texture/thickness, and Krylon Workable Fixative.

Posted by: mcdc3s (Maralena)

Nicci's Art Journal

2008-02-12T19:32:00.000-05:00

This is Nicci's art journal. While working in it I did experience the cover not being fully cooperative so I stitched the spiral binding with the thinnest wire to keep it in tact. It was actually a little tip I read from another artist's blog - and it works perfect.

Posted by: mcdc3s (Maralena)