My Tiny Sketchbook: First Floral Pages



First Ever Tiny Sketchbook

This winter, I have filled a very small sketchbook through a project with the Brooklyn Art Library.

My tiny sketchbook will join many others from The Sketchbook Project. 


I dedicated the book to my family.

I chose the themes of nature and travel for the entire book (around 32 pages).


Each two-page spread features a natural subject and an exotic stamp.


The first 8 pages are full of mostly flowers.



First, I drew the flower in pencil and then covered the drawing in ink.


Instead of painting the flower in color, I kept the image black and white.


Then I would select a vintage foreign stamp whose hue represents the typical coloring of the subject, or at least part of the subject.



I really enjoyed pairing the stamps with the natural subjects.


I bought the vintage stamps on Ebay.  They were a really fun find.


At intervals, I would insert a famous quote about nature.  Page the 8 spread is John Muir's quote:

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."


Soon I will post more photos so you can see the entire sketchbook.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kandinsky books to enjoy

Image
Are you looking for some excellent additions to your 2016 reading list? Recently, I have shared with students in my abstract art class a children's book about Kandinsky.  The first book, The Noisy Paint Box was written by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary Grandpre. The book deftly explains Kandinsky's gift of synaesthesia ; he could hear colors and see sounds.  Readers young and old will enjoy the imaginative drawings in this book.  Be sure to share this book with the budding artist in your life. The backdrop of the beginning of the book is architecture of society of Russian aristocracy.  Kandinsky came from a well-to-do family.  However, his family lost everything during the course of civil revolutions and the first World War.   Despite his relative poverty, Kandinsky always dressed like a well-heeled gentleman as he painted for his classes at the Bauhaus School.  His students described him as genteel and mannerly -- a...
Read more

Update on Works in Progress

Image
Clarice and I had a blast in the studio this weekend.  We added more Jackson Pollock to the blue and green painting, which I keep referring to as " Wild Sargasso Sea ."  (Clarice thinks this name is hilarious.) White splotches, silver, and dark blue swirls happened here. Wild Sargasso Sea Then, the coral painting that I refer to as the "more Mondrian -ish" piece had some gold geometric highlights added to its negative space.  After this, I felt like the painting was suddenly channeling some Gustav Klimt .  I'm calling this one "Coral with Turquoise and Gold Incidentals."  (Musical composers write incidental music to accompany or accentuate the action in scenes.)  Coral with Turquoise and Gold Incidentals I still feel like my background colors of bright blue and coral on these two paintings were inspired by Kandinsky .  I also felt that the lyrical, rhythmic lines might make him smile.  He believed each painting captured a musical symphony.  ...
Read more