Okay, here's mine...

I think it's probably about time I posted images of my sketchbooks. These are a couple of my older sketchbooks. I used to enjoy using old hardback books, tearing them, cutting them, painting and drawing in them, sticking pieces of work/found items into them, and such. I know that a lot of people find the idea of cutting up old books a bit destructive but I carefully chose books which were printed in large editions with little value. I also feel (I know a lot of my book artist friends feel this way) that by taking an old, buried and ignored book and re-working it, I am giving new life and meaning to an object which would otherwise be forgotten.

I will post pictures of some more recent sketchbooks soon. Please let me know if you would like to share some of your own images.

Happy bank holiday weekend!

DETOUR/Moleskine

I have just spent quite a while looking through the Moleskine City website. If you're interested in being nosy and looking through other people's sketchbooks, this site is for you. You can watch short films of the personal Moleskine notebooks of artists, designers, architects, illustrators and writers. The above video shows the sketchbook of London artist, Todd Kelly.

Sketchbook Series - Amie of Gournals

Today's sketchbook images are from Amie. Take a look at her Etsy shop where you can buy some of her beautiful books made from recycled/reclaimed/salvaged materials. This is what Amie says about her books:

My journal is the place I work through any kind of mood or creative space I'm in. I use any medium I can get my hands on. My favorites? Pens (I always have a plethora of colors in my backpack), glue, paper bits, and watercolors. Sometimes my most interesting pages are just beautiful accidents. I'll use some watercolor, or I'll be drinking something cold while playing in my journal and condensation drips on the page, and things will bleed through to the next page. I just incorporate all that into the next thing I'm inspired to create.

Any one else fancy sharing?

Sketchbook Series - Holly Ormrod

During my Master's degree in Book Arts at the University of the Arts London, I met an amazing artist, and wonderful person who quickly became one of my closest friends. Holly Ormrod is the subject of today's Sketchbook Series. This is what Holly says about her sketchbooks;

For me, my studio space is my sketchbook.
Rather than confining my sketches thoughts and ideas to the rigid format and
systematic order of a bound book, i find the act of collecting and adding to my
creative space far more suited to my organic way of working. Sketchbooks hit the
reflections of our minds at different points and at different places, through my
studio space i can physically juxtapose or group together these ideas or items i
have collected to give them different meaning. For me environment is crucial to
creativity and inspiration.

Take a look at her jealousy-provokingly beautiful website here.

Thank you Holly for letting me show your photos! If you would like to share yours, please comment and I'll be in touch very soon.

What's your day job?

I am just sitting here at my desk yawning as I enter data (I'm doing a temp job for The FA), wondering what other artists/makers do for their day jobs. Leave me a comment! What do you do? (Maybe I just need a bit of comfort.)

Sketchbook Series - Laura Baillie Designs

Laura is the first person to offer up her sketchbook images. Thank you Laura! She has a beautiful Etsy shop crammed full of delicate and delicious jewellery. Also, check out Laura's blog.

This is what she says about her sketchbooks;

"I make them up myself using brown paper bags, newsprint, tissue paper, made paper, wrapping paper, paper tissues, basically anything I can scribble on! I use PVA glue and stick sufaces together."

One of my closest friends and fellow book artist, Holly Ormrod is next on the list. Tomorrow I will be posting images of her 'sketchbook'. Holly sent me this link today which contains some interesting sketchbook related reading.

Okay, I gave it a go.

I said I would try my hand at making a paper dress up doll. Well, here she is. I'm quite pleased with her. She's drawn and cut out of beautiful handmade Japanese paper. I like to use this paper for a lot of my work and books. I am going to extended sketchbook weekend to sketchbook week because no-one wants to show me their sketchbook, apparently. If you have a picture to show, please let me know. I'll post some of mine up later, to get the ball rolling. The paper doll will be in my Etsy shop any moment now.

More Paper Dolls

I have been doing a spot of paper doll research today and look what I found! Quirky Paper Doll Prints from Egg Press. I think my next shop item will be something paper doll related.

Remember these?

Oh... I used to love these. I think I might make some this weekend. I will post the results. There are some amazing ones on Lulu's Vintage Blog.

Sketchbook...

I have been feeling a bit stuck with my work lately. I'm not sure whether I'm stuck or I've been avoiding doing it subconsciously. Well, after seeing some of John Copeland's journals on the beautful blog Aesthetic Outburst I have decided to focus on my sketchbook/journal. I think i will buy a nice new Moleskine and be sure to carry it around with me and work into it. Soho in the spring is the perfect place to be! Well, no one can ever say that my intentions weren't good.

I know what! I'll make this sketchbook/journal weekend. I'll blog about some more, please send me some pictures of yours too, I'd love to see them!

Enjoy the beautiful weather today, London!

Ugh... Hayfever...

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as regularly, I have been so busy over the past few weeks. Anyway, here I am. The weather in London is glorious at the moment and I am not going to let the fact that I look like some kind of hayfeverish horror movie creature spoil it for me. So, in keeping with the subject I want to draw your attention to 'Pollen from Pine' by Wolfgang Leib which was exhibited at the Art gallery of New South Wales in 2005. He spends the spring collecting the pollen for the pieces.

“I was facinated with what pollen is in itself. Pollen has incredible colours,
which you never could paint, but it is not a pigment and its colour is only one
quality out of many, like a hand has a colour, or blood is red but it is not a
red liquid, and milk is white, but it is not a white liquid. It is the difference
between a blue pigment and the sky.”

“Milk or pollen are extremely beautiful - like the sun or the sky. And why be
afraid of beauty? Recently so many artists, especially German artist, seem to
think it has to be as ugly and as brutal as possible. Beauty is bourgeois
what a strange idea. I tried to participate in beautiful things…and this is
my great fortune.” - From 'Light Seed' catalog 1991

Robyn - Cobrastyle

Oh my goodness... this is totally off the subject but I HAVE to post this. Robyn's cover of Cobrastyle by the Teddybears. Don't worry, I'm not going to start blogging about music.