Time to start a new sketchbook journal, and I’ve decided to finally break down and work in a larger sized book. Five years ago my beautiful friend Kate gave me this Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook, size 7 x 10”. The label on the front had a wonderful watercolor sketch of an old wise woman, painted by Kate (also known as Cathy Johnson). Up till now I’ve been too timid to work any bigger than 5 x 8”; working in a larger size felt more “professional” and might require more perfection.
Such a silly idea!
But for those times when I need something to fit in a smaller purse or pocket, I also started a small Delta softcover journal, also from Stillman & Birn. This is the book I sketched our sharing pieces of pie in on the official PI day this past week.
I’m using the same basic palette for both books, though using larger full pans and bigger travel brushes for the larger journal. Since the ivory paper in the Delta book is nearly the same color as buff titanium, I switched it out to be replaced with white gouache in the small Pocket Palette.
I like drawing my palette or pens on the first page of each journal, sort of a record for what I was using at the time. After taking photos of these, I added personal contact info in case of loss.
Love this, Vicky. I'm getting close to wrapping up my *first* art journal & am glad to have come across your post/blog on how you get started on a new journal. Timely, informative, inspiring!
ReplyDeleteAlways starting each journal with the same subject allows me to get past the “oh, it’s new! What if I mess it up?” thinking, as well as keeping a record of what I was using at the time. From here, the journal is now “used” so I can get on with enjoying myself. 😄
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