Finishing Sketchbooks

I rarely end a year with all the sketchbooks I started that year filled. But this year that is my goal. Chances are I won't get them all finished mainly because I have started so many new ones this year. Why? Because I wanted to dedicate a whole sketchbook to one topic (ie. birds, my Nesting book) or a whole book to one media for planning purposes or a book just for one class I took. I probably could not do this if it wasn't for the fact that I make my own books therefore have less money invested in each one. So how many am I working to finish before the end of 2016? Let me list them and the number of empty pages to fill, if for no other reason than I will be able to see the job I have in the next month.

1) Nesting - bird sketches, 8 pages
2) Buildings - started for Liz Steel's class on buildings, 6 pages
3) Polishing - started for my class at Sketchbook Skool, 3 pages
4) Circles - a sketchbook I started a couple of years ago to practice drawing ellipses that I keep near the TV in hopes I will fill it while watching TV, 30 small pages
5) Don't Sweat the small stuff - a recycled library book I rebound with watercolor paper; it is the perfect size to take on my dog walks but it is forgotten more than taken, 18 pages.

Now I also have a sketchbook for planning acrylic paintings, book binding; oriental brush painting note and planning; and a lettering book where I try different fonts out and just play with lettering. These are long on going books meant to last until they are filled with no time attached to their completion.

So at first glance it would appear I have not finished a single sketchbook in 2016. But I have.

1) my little red oriental brush planning book
2) an acrylic planning book started in 2013
3) the Taos trip sketchbook
4) my Shift in Place IFJM 2016 journal
5)The Lady and the Unicorn, one of my recycled, refilled, rebound library book for general sketching

Therefore you can see why I haven't taken the time to post recently and may not post much in the coming days. Well I am off to bake Thanksgiving Days pies and squeeze in some sketching.

Door Bell

This is the sketch for the third painting in the Taos series. But I will probably change the formate to the same 12x12 inch square canvas I used for the other two.

Back Gate

I have been working on two of the three paintings I conceived from my trip to Taos in September. Not pleased with either one. Actually like my color sketches better than what I have on the canvases. The excitement I first felt as left me so I may need to move on. Or maybe I need to go back to watercolor.

This started out as entitled Kitchen Door but then I realized the gate that goes into the back property is the real center of interest. Therefore the name change.

Back Gate stage one

back Gate stage two

The colors are aren't as bright as they show on the computer screen but they are bright. The brightness was intentional to show the warmth of the sun. I simplified the background, removed a ladder and may add a large pot with plants in the shadow on the right.

Radishes

This was my first go. I liked it but it was too dark in real life. The values look more balanced on the computer screen. The wooden planks work for me too but I decided to go back in and lighten it up.

I lighten it up everywhere except the red radishes. The  background, foreground and leaves are all lighter. Even so I may go in again the lighten the foreground and change the background to a lighter and bluer color. Or I may just move on. 

SBS Polishing Klass 3 faces

This started with a photo of a woman wrapped in a blanket.  I cut out the face and drew one of my own with ink and gray markers. Looking back I wished I had used brown ink and makers, maybe next time. It reminds me of a old faded Polaroid snap shot the way I cropped the page.

SBS Polishing, the food continues

This one was hard for me. So much of the dinner was the same or nearly the same color and value. I tried to use line variation to give it more interest and separation in the food items. Oh, it was delicious too. Drawn from photo, I wasn't going to let this one get cold.

SBS Polishing Klass another day

Another Blue Apron entree. 

SBS Polishing Klass 5

I have filled almost every page in the sketchbook I dedicated to this kourse. I gave each klass at least space for 7 exercises, one for each day for a week. Since I started late I didn't necessarily work in the book sequentially. But often jumped around working on more than one klass a day. Some were more fun than others and learned varying amount of new nfo from each teacher. Always good to look at art from different angles and approaches. It has started me thinking about working on comics. I want to start a sketchbook where I draw at least one frame a day. More food…this one from that all important food group sugar.

SBS Polishing Klass 6

The last class was with Juliana Coles. Her topic was art journaling. She did a great demo plus a parting gift of a detailed step by step exercise. I did this homework based on her demo before opening the exercise. Remember it is a start not a completed work. Now I need to find just the right book to alter for the art journaling exercise.

We started with an incomplete drawing or failed sketch.

Then we added words, thoughts. This reminded me of the Morning Pages exercises.

Next we added paint covering some but not all of the words we had written.

Then some mark making and collage. Not sure where this will go next.

Klass 5 was with Matthew Midgley. He had us drawing our food. Now I love to eat and draw but like my food hot and fresh or cold and fresh, however the cook intended it to be eaten. So a quick outline of my salad and finished from a photo. In fact all of my other meals were drawn from photos.

Sketchbook Skool Polishing Klass 3

The instructor for the 3rd klass was Nelleke Verhoeff. She had us working on creating faces with collage and sketching. It was fun and I think it will help me work on my goal of creating a comic strip. This is actually a sketch of Nelleke I did from a photo she gave us. She is known for adding red cheeks to her faces so I could not resist giving her red cheeks.

Sketchbook Skool Polishing Klass 2

Not a masterpiece but my homework assignment in Klass 2. Kooske Koene has us working on drawing negative spaces. This is my drafting stool in my studio drawn with different tools each time. The hope is that it would be closer to reality with each attempt. Not too sure I succeeded with that goal.