Mojo Hair and Clairefontaine Sketchbooks

February 26, 2008

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I finally realized that my constant obsession with trying new hair salons is actually research. This weekend I visited a place called Mojo Pie Hair Salon that felt a little like walking into a Tim Burton goes to New Orleans theme, and had plenty of time to do these ten pages of sketches while getting a new stripy attitude on my head.

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It’s tough to draw people in motion, but sharpens the senses and makes one more observant. I came away with a lot of visual information that I probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.

sketchbook2.jpgSomeone asked about my sketchbooks. I often carry a small moleskine, but my real favorite is this sketchbook by Clairefontaine (read some interesting trivia about the French company here — talk about archival! I love the story of Frankie T.)

The sketchbook fits in a medium-sized purse, and has nice white paper that scans very well. And it’s cheap, four bucks at my local National Art Shoppe.

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Plus, it’s landscape. I have a theory that some people see the world in portrait and some in landscape orientation. I definitely see it in landscape. How do you see the world?

Filed Under drawings | 19 Comments 

Monoprinting and Dye Painting

February 21, 2008

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Maybe everything happens for a reason. That week that I laid in bed and read dye painting books really soaked in (my brain, not the bed). So I got out the dye powders I had ordered last year, and weird tools I don’t remember ordering, and started to fool around. This was done with a sponge brush and syringe.

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I have an old chipped glass table top that I got cheap at some auction, and it worked really well when I started to try out monoprinting with dyes as per Melanie Testa’s inspiring article in this month’s Quilting Arts Magazine.

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Actually this one is part monoprinting, and part mistake with a lopsided sponge roller, but a happy mistake.

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Once I got a feel for working with the dyes and the right music (jazz is best), it became really fun. My biggest mistake was not letting some of these cure long enough, and when I washed them too soon, some of the intensity was lost. Oh well… live, learn, and happiness through chemicals!

Filed Under dye, painting, process | 13 Comments 

I have a theory…

February 20, 2008

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Inspired by Illustration Friday and my friendly neighborhood moths. For related drawing, see yesterday’s post another moth-eaten sweater.

Filed Under uncategorized | 8 Comments 

Another Moth-eaten Sweater

February 19, 2008

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I did this drawing using a Tombow acid-free black brush pen. I also tried with several real brushes with ink, but the brush-pen was so much easier. I’ve been practicing drawing with a brush and watercolors lately because I love this guy’s style, and he draws a new cartoon everyday!

Just out of curiosity, what do you like better - crisp computer lines or hand-drawn brush lines?

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And stay tuned for the next episode of the Moth-Eaten Chronicles….

Filed Under drawings, mixed media | 26 Comments 

Annual Retreat 2008

February 16, 2008

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I’ve been feeling kind of wordless lately, so here’s images from our retreat. Can you guess where these were taken? The full images are here on flickr. If you’re curious what our annual retreat is about, you can read more details on my blog from 2006.

Filed Under journeys | 12 Comments 

Valentine

February 14, 2008

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Happy Valentine’s Day!
And now that I’m home, I’ll post some photos tomorrow and see if you can guess where I’ve been!

Filed Under uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Mystery Trip

February 9, 2008

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What do you pack when you go on a trip? This week the Illustration Friday theme is “Choose” so it seems appropriate that I’m trying to choose what to take. Whenever I go on a trip, I take waaayyy too much, and then when I get there, nothing matches, it’s the wrong season, or I spend most my time wishing I’d brought something else or shopping for something I’ve forgotten.

And what if you didn’t know where you were going? Tomorrow I leave on a mystery trip. I have no idea where to. I’d check the weather, but I don’t know were it is. The funny thing is, it’s kind of fun not knowing! Guess I should stop drawing and start packing.

Filed Under drawings, illustration friday, journeys | 14 Comments 

Illustration Friday: Blanket

February 4, 2008

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I feel right at home with this week’s Illustration Friday theme: Blanket, because I spent all weekend under one, still trying to sleep off this nasty cold-flu.

Here’s an interesting link called “How to be an Early Riser” if you don’t want to be like me. My advice is just the opposite for “how to be a full-time sleepyhead” — read lots of technical books like The Visual Quickstart Guide to WordPress and stuff with a lot of chemical formulas, like Color by Design: Paint and Print with Dye. Actually they are both good books, but yawn…I just can’t keep my eyes open.

One more word on blankets. I had to change hair stylists last fall because the guy keep asking me if I was still making blankets. I make art quilts, not blankets, and after a few months it stopped being funny. Actually it never was funny. Let’s just say, don’t call them blankets, that is if you want to cut my hair!

Filed Under drawings, illustration friday | 17 Comments