Currently Browsing: old Gutenberg paper 40 articles
In Context: Compliments from an Engineer
On the journal page in today’s post I’ve done a TV study (verso page) and a watercolor sketch of a man from a 19th Century photo (exaggerating his hair of course; recto page). But I’d like to call your attention to the top left corner of this spread when I jotted down the best compliment […]
What Is a Study?
What is a study? A study is a type of drawing artists make all the time before they engage in a final work. (We all define “final” or “finished” work differently.) I made this dog study in my journal this summer. It didn’t turn out the way I had intended. My mind said, “That’s OK […]
Building a Journal Grid with Collage and Sketches
Here’s a journal grid I created last fall. We’ll start with the final view, with every portion of the grid completed. You’ll be able to follow along with the building of the grid in the images which follow. I was working in a handbound book which I made using the Old Gutenberg paper (pre 2017 […]
Epiphany About Journal Grids
Don’t be surprised when you start keeping a journal that it will alter your life in many ways. It will help you weed through choices personal and professional. And it will remind you what matters to you artistically and creatively—if you listen. No detailed post today because of a family emergency. But “Epiphany about Journal […]
Creative Ideas Stick with Us and It May Take a Lot of Thumbnails to Work Them Through
Creative ideas stick with us over time. Sometimes it’s just days or weeks. Sometimes it’s months, years, and decades. The time something sticks with you is not necessarily a clue that you’re on to something worth pursuing. But it is an indication that your attention is still engaged. It makes sense to recognize these themes […]
Thumbnails, Stylization, Directions We Go with Our Drawings
Here’s a journal spread from the end of last year. I’m still going in the same direction with my drawings. On the verso page I have a thumbnail and some thoughts about thumbnails and finish on sketches. On the recto page I have some quick sketches where I’m thinking about shadow shapes and contour, which […]
In Context—There’s A Story in That…
One of the things journaling teaches you, if you didn’t already know it and didn’t start journaling specifically because of this fact, is that there is a story in everything—in every minute, in a bit of discussion, in a fleeting glance at the light. And the journal lets you capture all that, assimilate it, draw […]
Repairing Our Creative Capacities
Everyone has ups and downs, blips in the continuum of their creative efforts (or any of their efforts in life for that matter). It’s important to remember that we have the capacity to repair our creativity by being tenaciously devoted to our practice. We need to be intentional, regular, and playful, but not sloppy and […]
Thinking about Pigeons and Setting Puzzles for Yourself in Your Journal
I’m always thinking about pigeons. Imagine my delight when a recent New Yorker Magazine humor piece had the quotation you see on my journaling page! When we have an idea or subject in our mind we seem to see it everywhere. Of course If you are interested in pigeons and haven’t read Rosemary Mosco’s […]
What I’m Thinking When I Make a Quick Study
Often I want to sketch something because something caught my eye, but I don’t have the time to really get down what caught my eye. I don’t have the time I need to blend and build up paint, or I don’t have the time needed to carefully hatch something. When that happens I make a […]