time to pick another one

a journal page . . . of journals!

I have only 2 1/2 pages left in this current sketchbook journal, so I gathered all the unused ones off the shelf. Those on the left side are purchased sketchbooks; those on the right are hand-bound. The upper 2 of these still needs some kind of embellishment on the outer cover.

I think I'll try out Strathmore's Visual Journal next. I often pick up manufactured sketchbooks when I see them, just in case I don't have time to bind any new ones. I'm also curious about how differing brands handle ink and watercolor.

The little book bracelet is something new found at Border's. I hadn't heard of them before, but our granddaughter asked for one for Christmas. Fun way to mark the next page to be sketched!

taking votes, anyone?

First of all, let's get one thing straight (besides my hair, that is) . . . . I am about as excited about self-portraits as I am about having my photo taken. In other words, NOT AT ALL!

That said, an explanation about why this pitiful attempt is in my sketch journal. For a couple of years, I have been protesting all those style police who say no one over age 30 should wear long hair (I'm 56). --- I also went along with those nameless people for years when they said no one with baby fine hair should wear hair below their shoulders. Mine is extremely baby fine but I have a lot of it. But I like long hair!

OK, so I'm ready to admit that the longer it gets, the flatter and straighter it hangs. Been thinking of cutting a few inches off. Want to vote on it? Leave a comment below!

I have never colored my hair and I actually DO have a few gray hairs finally. I guess it to be around 8 or 10 hairs; Bill says more like 4 or 5. I refuse to color it ever . . . . maybe I refuse to grow old as well.

BTW: I found out that burnt sienna plus a bit of purple makes a pretty good brunette (plus some sepia in the shadows).

Sunday scribbles

With a simple Pilot ink pen and a touch of white gel pen, I have finished this Moleskine sketchbook today. Yeah! Now on to better paper . . .

Oddly, the page on the left side is glued down a bit at the spine, causing the previous page to show a bit. This was the page I came to today while taking down a few notes in church. After church, we ate at a re-opened restaurant in town so I sketched their logo while waiting to be served. And take-home boxes; too much food to eat in one setting.

Don't understand my need to finish each sketchbook even if I don't like the paper --- Maybe it's because there have been so many projects in the past that were begun and never finished?

I like my newer habit of at least attempting to finish everything that I've started. It's all a learning process in one way or another. But I also learn from my mistakes and will never again try one of these popular little books with nasty paper.

Wednesday morning

praying with friends, as usual . . .

I love this terra cotta pot of Ginger's, covered with rough tree bark. So a quick scribble sketch.

BTW, gouache wasn't working much better for me than transparent watercolor on the Moleskine sketchbook pages, so I've switched to watercolor pencils to finish the book with.

getting serious . . .

. . . or at least thinking about getting serious. I lost a bit of weight just before and while visiting Texas last spring. Then gained it all back after returning home to Kansas.

A while back, Liz / Borromini inspired me to be more aware of what I eat by drawing it. I've decided to return to that for a while, though I may not post every day's sketch.

Slowing down to sketch while eating gives the body time to realize it is full. In restaurants where they serve endless appetizers such as chips and salsa, I often sketch to avoid eating those mindless calories. And I'll have a record of everything I have actually eaten --- perhaps helping me to decide NOT to add something unnecessary at the end of the day.

I also started walking again. After a good beginning, I had stopped due to rash problems on my ankles (itchy, oozy eczema that made wearing shoes and socks unbearable). But that is finally clearing up and it's time to get moving again . . .

a night hat for Quen

Who really knows the mind of a three-year old? Our grandson told his mom he needed one of these. So I knit one.

In fact, I'm glad I had this to work on this weekend, as a sinus headache kept me from doing much else. I had the yarn left over from a purse I had knit for granddaughter Mikala. Both of her parents and Quen's dad are graduates from K-State so the purple and white were good.

Working with double-pointed needles isn't so hard after the four pairs of wool socks I knit a few years ago. But I can't seem to remember how I used to make tassels; I need one for the end of the braided tail. Can't be all that hard.

By the way . . . . Besides his love of wearing hats, Quen also loves button-down shirts and ties. No, his dad doesn't wear them. Just decided on his own that it's the look for him.

another morning at Ginger's

A few of us gather at Ginger's home on Wednesdays to pray for needs we hear about during the week. I often write down some of the prayer needs . . . and add a quick sketch while I'm at it. Color was added later at home.

This time I walked instead of driving. The wind finally calmed down and the sun was shining --- nice! Today it is much cooler and rainy.

I decided to use the color swatch card because that's the only metallic gold watercolor I have and the bronze candlesticks had some gold trim.

The bronze color was a bit of a challenge, especially since this Moleskine paper isn't the best for watercolor. First I put down the quinacridone gold, then added burnt umber shadows, and topped it off by dabbing in a bit of the olive green, letting the colors mingle on the paper. Seemed to work.

another K.C. museum

One of the many steamboats that sank in the Missouri river, the Arabia hit a snag in 1856 and quickly sank in 5 minutes. No human fatalities, though one forgotten mule drowned. All cargo was lost. Even though the water was not deep, the boat soon disappeared from sight as it went further and further down into the deep muck of the river's bottom.

It wasn't found until 1988, in a Kansas farm field. The river had long since changed its course. The boat was now lying 45 feet underground, 1/2 mile from the river's edge. Just excavating it was quite an engineering feat!

Years ago we went to this museum, not too long after opening its doors. So long ago that we decided to go back there last weekend. The exhibit has grown immensely and is still growing. There is a restorer's lab on site, where you can ask questions and observe them restoring artifacts.

A humorous side-note: I had seen the introductory film years ago. But this time, I recognized one of the actors dramatizing the boat's history. Years later, she was director of a history museum that hired me as special project researcher! I knew she had done a bit of reenacting . . . . how funny to see her in action years later!

more from our K.C. trip

What a moving experience the World War I museum was, with both of us having a personal connection to this war through grandfathers. One of the most incredibly designed museums I've ever seen. We went both Friday and Saturday to take it all in. The main exhibit is underground, surrounding the tower's base.

I was fascinated by the sculptures flanking the sides of the tower and the guardian spirits on the upper part of the tower. The Liberty Memorial (217 ft. tower) was built in 1926 to honor those who served in WW I. We climbed to the top on Saturday -- I would have taken photos from the incredible view except that was when I realized I had lost my camera (we found it later).

The 4 guardian spirits in the upper sides (sculpted by Robert Aitken) symbolize Honor, Courage, Patriotism, and Sacrifice. At night, there is a "flame effect" coming from the tower, using steam and special lighting.

The 2 Sphinxes facing east and west stand for Memory and Future. "Memory" shields its face from the horrors of the battlefields; "Future's" face is shrouded because the future is yet unseen.

On a lighter note, the first stop when we reached KC was at an art supply shop. We came in on Interstate 35, so this was the first planned stop we would come to. I had purchased a set of gouache on eBay but was sent some wrong colors; the seller refunded me and I came here to replace them. And cool! I had just been e-mailed a 50% off coupon for the first 3 items!

As we stopped here, Bill noticed the hamburger-mobile parked in front of the Westport Flea Market Bar & Grill. I told him the burgers are supposed to be really good; he determined to have one before we left town. So that's the last thing we did Saturday afternoon . . . . and they ARE great!