Upcoming Talk with the Collective and Upcoming Class

Next week, on Monday night, I will be presenting at the MCBA Visual Journal Collective from 7-9 pm.  My presentation will be about my experience as a part of the moly-X sketchbook exchange project, my frustrations working with the Moleskine books and the paper that is in them, (which pushed me to create my own accordion “molys”), my experience with taking the exchange into my classroom in a high school, and some of my discoveries about journaling on a topic in my own accordion style books.
You can explore the moly-x project sketchbook exchange, started by Marty Harris, on the project’s Flickr site.  There are links to all the different project blogs and photos of work done as a part of the many exchanges past and present.  The exchange that I am a part of is Moly_X 81.  I am one of four artists in the exchange and we are about to send our books around for the second time through the cycle.
As a part of my talk I will have many different books with me including my moly test book and in process moly_x books and images of books, along with finished exchange books and my own version of the Moleskine accordion book both empty and full.

I am also going to be teaching a class this spring at MCBA that was created as a result of the sketchbook exchange project and all the fun I have been having with the idea of exchanging sketchbooks or collaboratively journaling on a topic.  It is a combination of a book binding class, a journal/sketching technique class, and a collaborative project between the participants.  The class is called “Hardcover Accordion Visual Journal: Collaborative Chain Journaling”, you can register by following this link to the MCBA course list for spring or by calling the Shop.  It begins on Sunday, May 8 from 10-3 with a book binding day where we will make an accordion journal (see above photo) with a hardcover and high quality artist paper suitable for both wet and dry media, which will be followed with five follow-up meetings on Thursday evenings from 7-8:30 where there will be a brief demonstration on a journal technique or tips as well as time for participants to share and exchange their books for the following week.  By the end of the class participants will learn how to bind an accordion style journal and they will have an accordion book filled with multiple entries created on a single topic or theme of their choosing.
It should be loads of fun!

At Guitar Lessons

Sketch done in Stonehenge journal with

a brown Pitt Pen, size S.

My daughter takes guitar lessons at American Guitar and Band. The shop/studio has a lot of great guitars to draw as well as some unusual elements (such as this huge skull) on the walls. While I wait for her half hour lesson, I draw stuff and sometimes people in the store.

The staff is starting to be used to me standing around and drawing stuff, which is good, I don’t have to stop as often to answer questions or tell them I don’t really need help with anything.

Half an hour might not seem like that long to draw but it is amazing what you can draw in that time. The skull drawing was my only drawing for that day, so it was a full 30 minute sketch. Usually, I do a couple of quicker sketches while I am there, either combined on one page or on separate pages, depending on size.

Stonehenge journal, Sharpie pen fine tip.

This page with two images done on the same lesson day, a different day from the skull, is an example with quicker sketches combined on a page. My plan was to draw the full display of vintage, signed guitars above the store owner’s desk. My attempt at beginning this is in the lower left corner.

When my plan to draw guitars was unsuccessful, I sat back down in the waiting area. I was going to put my book away and just wait, because I was frustrated with how my drawing had turned out. At that point, the next student for lessons came in and sat on the other end of the bench. He was early for his lesson, so took out his guitar to play and I decided to sketch him while he played. This sketch of the guitar player was quick, maybe ten minutes, and done in stealth mode (he was sitting less than an arm’s length away). I was happy with the sketch and it shows that I always need to push for just one more after I get frustrated sketching.

Now sometimes people ask, “what do you do with all of your sketches?” or “what is the point?”. Most of my sketches do just sit in the sketchbooks they are drawn in, on a shelf in my studio. The point – they are for me. They help me focus my mind and see the world around me in a way that is uniquely mine. For me there is no other point needed. There is one other amazing advantage to keeping a sketchbook and working from life – having sketches to use in other artwork. Because the drawing was my work to begin with, I do not have to worry about copyright or changing something so it becomes mine, it is my work in the first place, so I can use it as I see fit.

The guitar player sketch, is a simple example of that idea come to life. I am involved in a sketchbook exchange with several other artists from around the world. For my entry into one of their books I needed to come up with a drawing that had a musical theme. I thought of my little guitar player sketch right away. I got out that sketchbook and used my light table to trace the sketch out of the book and onto the other paper and then added other more abstract elements and paint to complete a more finished piece of artwork from the quick sketch done in my sketchbook.

Artwork done on Arches hot press

90 lb paper, drawing in Sharpie pen,

with Grumbacher watercolor –

approximate size 8 x 11 inches

Now, if I had left my book in my bag and skipped the sketch because my first one had failed, I wouldn’t have had the image for reference. I may have remembered the moment and wanted to use the idea but instead of having my own sketch to use I might have been tempted to find a picture online. Sometimes that seems like the easy option but it is always important to remember that the image you find online to use isn’t yours to use. It is one of the many reasons that I sketch or snap my own picture – the image is mine to use in my work. No toes stepped on, no one else’s art “borrowed” so I can make mine.