I am showing you my journal... Normally my journal is all my own, private. But I got it in my mind to do a flip through. Sorta like a walk through. It runs about a minute and a half. Put your sound on to get the full page turning effect!
The book is a Moleskine Sketchbook. Gouache is a perfect paint for the paper used in these books; it is substantial and glides onto the page smoothly. I am at the end of the book and I have glued so much into it and stuffed the pocket in the back so full that the binding is broken. I am sad that I am almost to the last page. This book has been a refuge, a page of self love and artistic commitment. It has helped and soothed me through this move.
I have a new book, a hand-made book with watercolor paper all set up and ready to go but am not sure if I can move away from Moleskine right now. The watercolor paper will make me think about using the book in a different manner and I am having too much fun with the pages I am doing right now.
This fall I am going to teach a mixed media journaling class at the Coconino Community College. I have never taught this sort of thing before. It will be fun.
I sometimes use papers found stapled onto telephone poles, miniature golf tally cards, reciepts, any old found bit will do.
Sometimes I draw from life while I have my coffee at Macy's, my favorite local coffee digs. When I draw birds they are taken from photographs from the pages of my favorite bird magazines.
Sometimes when I want to learn how another painter did something... I trace paint. I lay a piece of tracing paper over an image and paint it. Like the third page- the greek female.
Sometimes I use tracing paper to draw on because when I glue it onto the page transparencies begin to occur and I like to play them up. In my mind tracing paper is akin to silk organza, when i get to the point of translating a page into a work in fiber. Thinking in this way really helps me if I get to the place where a page is asking to be made into quilt art.
So I hope you enjoy this walk through! Please leave comments, I would love to hear from you. Maybe some of you will do a video walk through to show me how you journal!?
Lovely! what fun. You went too fast, I wanted to savor each page! I too, love my moleskine sketchbook and never thought of using gouache on it! (Colored pencils work beautifully, and watercolor does not.I'll give gouache a chance...)
I also appreciate how you relate tissue paper to organza. thanks for the inspiration!
This was a wonderful minute and half! YOur sketchbook is beautiful with so mnay different works of art in it. Thanks for sharing your artwork this way!
Posted by: Sherie at May 27, 2007 09:23 PMI love the flip through! Thanks for this look into your work! Now go fill up another one! :)
Posted by: emmajane at May 27, 2007 02:32 AMMelly, Your journal is like how I want mine to be when it grows up! I have three sketchbooks in different sizes with not one thing sketched! I see beautiful books like yours and want mine to be the same (but different, you know) and can't seem to get started. I wish I could take your class.
What I need to do is start carrying one with me all the time so I can add stuff as I think about it, but I have all of these lovely art supplies (colored pencils, oil pastels, charcoal, watercolors) and don't know what to carry with me.
I like your idea of the tracing paper and the translucency. Just lovely...
That is a great idea to do a journal flip through. Your journal is great! I hope you get used to the new one, or start having two maybe? Good luck witht the journalling class.
Posted by: JulieZS at May 21, 2007 02:21 PMreally cool video and a great way to see your journal!! I would have no idea how to do that?
Posted by: sandy at May 21, 2007 10:14 AMThis is so cool! I love you collection of feathers as well...
Posted by: kristine at May 20, 2007 06:41 PMThis is just WAY TOO FUN!!! What a treat; my only complaint, like a few others, is that you were turning the pages so fast that I couldn't savor the work. I had to chuckle at the feathers you kept pulling out of the way, I especially liked the one you pulled out of page with the drawing of the forest and rocks, wondered if you found it when you sat down to draw...
Posted by: Tami at May 20, 2007 10:54 AMOoohh, LOTS of fun! I kept wanting to say "no, wait, go back to that page, I want to see it again!" Beautiful!
Posted by: Cathy (Kate) Johnson at May 20, 2007 10:42 AMway cool m. I mss ournaling and seeing yours makes me want to do more. Thank you.
Posted by: martha Bilski at May 20, 2007 08:17 AMThanks for sharing your journal - what a great idea. Did you have someone else filming? Was it by camera or VCR?
Posted by: shirley at May 20, 2007 06:50 AMYour journal is a real work of art - I love it. I'm so glad to find your blog.
Posted by: Casey at May 20, 2007 04:33 AMI love it! I love the idea of doing the video and I love the journal, too! Awesome! :)
Posted by: laserone at May 20, 2007 03:29 AMThis was such a treat to watch, the pages are done with such flair, you have a great sense of page design. My only compliant, you turned the pages too fast, LOL. I had to watch it three times to feel like I had a chance to really view the art. So much variety too. Thanks!
Posted by: Nel at May 19, 2007 11:07 PMVery impressive ... both the journal and the woman who created it.
Posted by: mom at May 19, 2007 10:34 PMVery cool video. What a creative journal! I found it very inspiring.
Posted by: Linda T at May 19, 2007 10:01 PMHow inspiring! Makes me want to run right to my little Moleskine sketchbook and fill pages. You have a wonderful sense of the space of the page...
Posted by: Virginia Hanley at May 19, 2007 09:11 PMWow, very cool. It's fun to see the whole book at a glance. And it's really a beautiful journal. I like what you said about "a refuge, a page of self love and artistic commitment." Yes.
Good luck with your class. Sounds like fun.
--Joanne
this was a wonderful idea. beautiful work! wow wow wow.
I want to do something like this too!
lshannon