Finally, I have finished the sketchbook for the sketchbook project! I dedicated most of the day yesterday, all last evening, and most of today, ignoring all other responsibilities and spending a lot of time with my new best friend, the hair dryer. I was able to get all the remaining sketches done, plus the front and back covers.
First, the sketches, then the commentary.
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| Front Cover |
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| Back Cover |
Covers are mixed media using some collage papers, acrylic paint, acrylic ink, transparent stickers, a postage stamp, and stamps with stamp pad.
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| Cave Church, Cappadocia, Turkey |
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| Memorial to the Victims of Communism, Vidin, Bulgaria |
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| Caesar's Greek and Mexican Drive Thru, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
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| May's Coffee Shop, Japan Center, San Francisco |
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| Jardin de los Inocentes, El Mozote, El Salvador |
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| McDonald's, Plovdiv, Bulgaria |
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| Occupy Santa Rosa, October 2011 |
So now the observations and commentary, mostly so I can remember next year what to do and not do....
- First of all, taking out the paper from the sketchbook and putting watercolor paper in may have been a waste of time. I didn't know how to do it correctly, the paper is fragile where it is folded, and it's not clear how well the sketchbook will stand up to handling. I have the original pages still, so I can experiment with coating them with something that will help keep them from buckling OR I might try another attempt at binding following some of the excellent suggestions that some of my EDM friends have been posting.
- I was pushing the deadline the last few days, one advantage of which is that I didn't have time to care too much about all the mistakes, and there was a limited amount of fixing that I could do. On the other hand I was feeling pressured rather than centered. Maybe an earlier start next year?
- I did try some new techniques and different ways of approaching both the initial drawing and the painting, and some days there was a really good flow. Others didn't have that feeling, but you can't really plan that.
- I might try a more open theme or take a more open, intuitive approach next time...these sketches are fairly literal interpretations, though not always exact. I find it difficult to work on such a small page, and found myself not really letting the water and paint flow. I'm ready to work on some BIG paper for awhile now!
- All in all, I enjoyed myself and can see some growth. It's been great getting community feedback from the folks at EDM and Creative Every Day, as I find comments and suggestions to be very helpful.
Next step, flatten it out under some heavy books overnight, then put it in the mail! Letting it go now....
