Pink Bird Studio

Sketchbook Project 2019 Complete!

It has been awhile since I posted progress on the Sketchbook Project, but I’m happy to report I’m finished in record time this year.  The due date is mid-February 2019!

I continued to use gouache as my primary medium, which each page having a few words on it that I tried to connect to left and right pages, but not the book in general.

 

Back inside cover

Inside front cover

And front and back cover.  The bar code must be left untouched as this is how the book is tracked, both at the Brooklyn Art Library, where it will have its permanent home, as well as when it goes on the road as part of their travelling exhibit.  

Thanks for joining me today!  

Sketchbook Project 2019 Continued

The first post for the 2019 Sketchbook Project can be found Here.  I have continued to plug along since then and although my momentum hasn’t been quite as good as it was before (what with ICAD etc.) I’m happy to report that I’m only a few spreads away from completing the book.  It is not due until February.

I’ve continued to alternate between tissue collage and gouache, but seem to favour the gouache.

Each page still has some words, and I’ve tried to make left and right connect through both design and words.

 

Sometimes the right words just appear.  And this one has a heart, so it will be #200 in the 365 Somethings Project.

I love the sunny colours and the opacity of the gouache (compare to watercolour, which I always struggle with).

Here is the final one for today.

Thanks so much for joining me today - I hope you enjoyed looking at my Sketchbook Project entries!

 

 

The Sketchbook Project - 2019

It’s that time of year again - the time when I get a big gung-ho start on my new sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project, brought to us again by the Brooklyn Art Library.  You have plenty of time to play along if you’re interested - see their website Here for all the details.

Every year it’s the same - I order early and submit on the due date.  Even if the due date gets extended, I’ll use every minute.  Not because I’m making a masterpiece, but because I’m busy with other stuff and procrastinating over what to do in the darn book.  

But this year is different.  :)

I have a plan :) 

Last year I was a bit stymied by a new rule (no acrylics, no gesso), and had already made cutouts in my book that I specifically wanted to approach with acrylics.  I started using gouache and watercolour crayons, only to find that the paper quality has degraded over the years - it warped and even seeped through the pages.  To be honest, it put me off a bit and I set the book aside, only to unearth it just before the deadline.  I finished the book with some fun collages that I wished I’d used in the whole book.  Oh well!

This year I’m using hot press watercolour paper postcards. They are on a watercolour paper block, which means they keep flat, even with wet media.  I am alternating between gouache and collage, adding pen and found words to each page.  I’m taping them in with good quality double-sided tape (I swear by Scotch brand).  I’m half done - it could still go off the railed - I have until February 2019 to put it off!  So far I”m really pleased.  Here is the first half of the book.

The first page is the facing page of the front inside cover.  I haven’t decided what to do inside the front cover - I might write a little preface to my book - we’ll see.  I may just add another postcard. 

Because I’ve used a heart on this one page, I’m counting it is number 165 in my 365 Somethings project (200 to go that means).  This started out as a painted page that I did NOT like, so I collaged over most of it and decided to keep it for the book - it almost went into the recycle bin.  I’m really glad I saved it.

It should be noted that these aren’t necessarily in the order they appear in the book.  I am uploading multiple photos and they kind of go in the order they want to.  Not sure why, but not too concerned!  This is one of the ones that is predominantly collage - the shapes are cut out tissue paper, as well as some map, music, other paper and postage stamps.  Accented with pen.

This next one is predominantly gouach, accented with pen and pencil.

More tissue...

More gouache - you get the picture.

More gouache - I love the opacity of the gouache.  I have had it for years and haven’t used it much at all.  I’m learning to like it.

 

More gouache.

More tissue and brown paper, washi tape and lots of pen work.

Last but not least - more gouache.  See the staples there - that’s the middle of the book!  :)

Thanks for joining me today.  I really hope this book gets completed well before February!

 

 

Sketchbook Project Finale

Well, my friend Elizabeth called it many months ago - I said I was going to get my Sketchbook Project done early this time, and she said ‘we’ve heard that before’.  And here it is - I’ve finished my book one day before the deadline!

When in a rush, I turn to collage.  Funny enough these are probably the fastest pages in the book and also my favourites.

 

One of the best things I found was a page full of legs, each with a different patterned legging - they really made the series.

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Before I found the legs, I used washi paper...

I don’t usually title my pages, but if I did I’d all this one Queen B.

I draw attention to the background in this page - unfortunately the paper quality is not great and the watercolour crayon I used on the previous page have bled through, and there’s a lot of warping.

If I was titling this one I think I’d call it Swan Lake.

This is one of my favourites - that big eye belongs to a cat in an ad for cat food.  

My book will be going in the mail today - phew!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 2000 Blog Party - December 27 and 28

It’s a good thing I wasn’t the one explaining how this fun Blog Party works that I’m playing in!  The objective is to send in your work for the next day, and here I was trying to play ‘beat the clock’ within the day.  Oh well, the organizers are very graciously posting my ‘late’ work, and I am grateful.  So today I’m going to get caught up.

For day 3 (December 27) I am using Annie Lennox’ ‘Why’ as my inspiration song (number 1462).  The line about ‘the words falling from your mouth’ created a strong visual for me that I’m not sure quite came across, but it’s close.  I actually like the way this postcard turned out.  I again used a ‘Multo’ game card as my substrate, and added acrylic paints some rub on letters and lips from a magazine ad.

Others songs I considered for the 27th were:

Isn’t she Lovely (Stevie Wonder) 1300

Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell) 1215

All You Need is Love (the Beatles) 1205 - which I have already done in journal form earlier this year.

For December 28 I chose Bicycle Race by Queen.

I feel like the words are describing longing for more carefree days of childhood which is why I made this a childlike page.  I put it in my Sketchbook Project book - not really sure how it fits with my theme but trying to keep some momentum going.  Again I have to say this year the paper quality seems to have degraded from previous years; however it’s still fun to be part of a global art project.  Get your own Here. Deadline has been extended to April 30.  

I used a gel pen to draw the bike, and roughly blended water soluable crayons for the background to maintain that childlike feel.  I added a strip of map tissue paper (wish I’d bought more of that - I think it came back from the UK with me), and a bicycle postage stamp from Mexico.

Other songs I considered from the 28th were:

Tainted Love (Soft Cell) - 1144

Hey Ya! (OutKast) - 1113

I wish (Stevie Wonder) - 1071

Sketchbook Project Continued

I am getting close to the middle of my book for the Sketchbook Project.  The deadline isn't until March 2018, so there's still plenty of time to procrastinate.  Phew!  Wouldn't want to finish early!  

In the last update, you could see that Eiffel Tower image poking through the window envelope.  Alert readers recognized this image from an index card posted recently.  It is actually from a note pad.  It was in my mum's things, so I'm not sure where it came from, but I think it might have been from the Michael's $1.50 bin.  I continue to struggle with the paper quality and not using acrylics for this project.  I've used mostly Gelatos for this page, and some pencil and a bit of pen.  

For the next pages I decided to stick to some pens (acrylic paint pens - they are so watery there is no way they would stick together), a cut up paper bingo card, and another window envelope.

The right side has a folded window envelope (closed).

And this picture shows it open. I thought this fit the theme of Textures, Lines and Graphics.

The next page, which you could see through the window, looks like this:

I've also made a couple of cheery postcards for a friend who is having some health issues.  This was from last week.

And this I made last night and finished up with doodling etc this morning.

Sketchbook Project Progress

I mentioned receiving my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project a few weeks ago.  I said I was not going to procrastinate and leave it until the day or two before the due date (March 2018) as I may have done, or heard about people doing, in the past.  :)

To that end I have completed the first page (which faces the inside front cover, which I have left blank, for now) and three spreads.

There aren't a lot of 'rules' for this project, I'm happy to report, but one really threw a wrench into the works for me.  "Please refrain from using acrylic paints or gesso". Oh dear!  They are worried about pages sticking together.  I get that.  I also use acrylic paints in my altered books and journals and have for years, and have had very little trouble with this.  I tend to have a light touch with the acrylics - I don't slather them on with a pallette knife!  Anyway, I decided I should try to be compliant. :(

I have decided to try making friends with my little set of gouache that I bought in the UK.  Gouache is basically an opaque watercolour paint.  I can't say I'm thrilled with most of what I've done so far, but if nothing else, by the time I've finished this book I'll know if I love them or hate them!

This is the first page opposite the inside cover.  The theme I picked (from their themes) was Texture, Lines and Graphics.  

The second spread started out very much an abstract but at the end of it all the right hand side was begging to be a tree.  

The next spread was just a bunch of pretty colours, bingo numbers, white gel pens and papers or various kinds.

For the next spread, I added some reinforcements in the form of an index card, as well as a window envelope that provides some insight into the next spread (although it hasn't been worked on yet - you can see the Eiffel Tower will be a part of it.  

That's it for this time.  At this rate I should easily be done before Christmas.  

What the mail carrier brought

I recently participated in iHanna's International Postcard Swap.  What a great thing to be getting postcards handmade by artists in the mail for several weeks.  But once it's over it's usually back to bills and junk mail (although both can occasionally end up in an art piece, they are mainly a big yawn).  So when this week's mail brought two art-related items it was cause for celebration.

The first is something that wasn't a surprise (because I ordered it online).  My brand new Sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project arrived.  Exciting!

I have participated in this project at least three times (maybe four).  And I got to go to one of the tour stops when I was working in Toronto several years ago.  It was so much fun to see all of the books and be able to check them out.  I had fun checking out a couple of books by online friends and letting them know I'd seen their book in Canada.  

But I confess that I rushed my contributions.  Left them to the last minute and then resorted to all kinds of shortcuts to get them finished and mailed in by the deadline.  But this year is going to be different (honest!).  

The theme I chose is Textures, Lines and Graphics.  There are 16 two-page spreads and two covers to do.  If I did one a week I'd be done long before Christmas and the deadline is March 2018.  So here we go.  I've started pasting some random papers into the book to give my substrate a bit more interest and also make it a bit sturdier.  Here are a couple of pages where I've done this.  Once the pages are complete you probably won't see much of this!

Making use of what's on my table...

The second art related item I received was a surprise.  I visited my friend Helga Strauss Stevens in her studio a few weeks ago.  She often creates heart-themed art work, so after our visit I sent here this postcard to let her know it was great to see her:

What I received from Helga this week was my own postcard altered.  What a fun collaboration!  This is what her version looks like:

She wrote a nice note on the back and said feel free to keep it going.  So I am now considering if I want to alter it further and send it back to her, or maybe even to someone else.  Fun!  This week's ICADs are a series of hearts based on this piece.  Stay tuned for the weekly update this Wednesday (ish).  

I hope the mail carrier brings you something exciting this week!

Sketchbook Project & die cut pockets

My sketchbook is getting so close to being done - one more spread and the covers!  Should be done in plenty of time for the January 15 deadline, right?...? 

Here is my latest spread:

I received some dye cut pockets to play with from an online friend - this is what I came up with:

The one on the right was actually made with ledger paper.  All were closed with washi tape - the one on the right is my favourite.

This blog will almost certainly be inactive for the next few weeks.  Unfortunately I must give up on the Art Every Day Month challenge - it was fun while it lasted though.  Nothing is wrong - life just gives us different priorities sometimes.  See you around the Holidays!

Sketchbook Project & Altered Playing Card

Made these yesterday and never got them posted. 

First is another spread in the Sketchbook Project Journal.

Rectangle on the right is a window envelope - I cut a window in the pages and pasted the window envelope to it.  I then added an abstract transparency, on which my design and colour scheme were based.

I'm going to be in an Altered Playing Card swap this month - I don't have a parter yet but I wanted to get it done so I can focus on my holiday cards next.  I will be winding down my swapping activities so I can get them made and finish up the Sketchbook Project before the mailing deadline of January 15 which is really going to be here in a blink!

One of the swap criteria for this one is that you must decorate the "face" of the card (not the back) and must leave at least one number and the suit exposed.  I used a playing card that is slightly larger than standard. 

I am linking to Art Every Day Month since I am still doing something creative every day even when it doesn't get posted on time!