Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Round the 4th


Here is my round 4 Moly, ready to accept all of your art.  I bought the watercolor Moly since I know that quite a few of you like the heavier paper and I want to try and challenge myself to work with watercolors in your books this round.  Break out my pen and ink comfort zone!

Why do my mandalas always go sideways?  They always end up so rigid.  I guess I better just keep trying.

Two more volunteers to go and we'll get this ball rolling.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Ballookey's A4

I've got a new A4 in hand and started working on it this weekend...


 Also...Brainless on Cherries Belgian Style Ale by Epic Brewing:


Round 4 Moleskine Cover, SP with Biker Buddy

Self Portrait with Biker Buddy
"tentative final"
click this and all images to view larger
Yesterday, my new Round 4 Moleskine arrived in the mail!  YAY!  I'm so excited.  Biker Buddy and I went out and took a self portrait photograph from which I painted the cover of my new Moleskine. Acrylics on gessoed Moleskine cover.  OH--I took pix of the stages again.  I will post them below.

I need to get back to work on my Fellowship application.  No more art until I hear that this round has officially started.


gesso and pencil sketch

blocking

underpainting and first coat

adding highlights and first details

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Barf bag art on Southwest Airlines!

Am I in round four (4) now?

Barf bag art on Southwest Airlines!

Turbulence? It's Okay!

The Southwest Flight Attendants from LAX to ABQ were awesome. They checked out the Moleskine I am completing from round three (blank pages). One of the attendants named Katie asked if she could have this one as I was leaving it in the seat pocket, so I agreed.

Barf Bag Art left on SWA

One too Many?

The start to a good day!

This is a great book ya'll... I highly recommend it. Everything is ART.

Am I in the 4th round... Two barf bag art posting soon. Just bought my Moleskine for round 4.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Round 2; outside back cover

I wanted to complete my Moleskines BEFORE I took a video of the finished Moleskine.  I'd intended all along to make a painting on the back of my Round 2 Moleskine, so I did that tonight and the book is now, finally complete.  I will attempt to make a video of it at my earliest convenience, BUT I am still working on the Fellowship application.

This is a self portrait.  I painted it from a photo my husband took of me at a restaurant in Slovenia.

I took some pictures of the steps, but I will post the scan first.  Acrylic on Gessoed Moleskine cover.

Click images to view larger.

"final" (maybe--I always like to fiddle)

(Step 2) Blocking in with pig markers
I forgot to photograph the pencil sketch

(Step 3) Underpainting
(first coat)

adding detail

Traveling Minstrel, Round 4 Experiment


I decided to try an experiment.  I am painting an oil pointing with water soluble oils for the first Round 4 pocket that I get.  The time for someone to prepare and mail their moleskine and then for me to have time as well should allow the painting to dry.

While experimenting, I decided to use only a palette (painting) knife.  So there are several factors that are fairly new for me--including the water soluble oils and the palette knife.  The painting is done on watercolor paper treated with two layers of gesso.

Click on images to view larger.  I'm including my process, not that I know what I'm doing.


sketch
added darks in india ink
Blocking in some of the color with pig markers

adding the water soluble oils part 1
adding the water soluble oils part 2
This is not finished yet, but it needs to dry a little before I attempt to add more detail.  I have a glassine to put it in to protect it in the pocket and to protect other things from it.

adding some details
Still not done--one thing I added was eyelashes, hard to do (for me) with a palette knife I mean painting knife.   Still needs more work.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Round 4 HURRAH!!!!




For the pocket of the first Round 4 Moleskine that comes my way, I have created two mandalas and a set of mini mandalas.  I am so excited for another round of the Moleskine Exchange.  YAY!

I am waiting to post a movie of the Round 3 Moleskine until I finish it. There were a lot of blank pages.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Round 4 and a bit of renewed optimism.

Hi all,

I have been fairly discouraged about the exchange for a while now and I'd like to apologize for that.  I had my first experience with a participant's decision to fully drop out.  Some folks simply just stopped communicating with me and I saw no choice left, but to remove them from the exchange.  I have felt a bit like a babysitter for about a round and a half now, and quite frankly, I don't like to babysit.

However, I had the privilege of meeting Aya and her husband Ned last week while I was on vacation in New York City!  It was the first member of the exchange that I have actually met in person.  This meeting was rejuvenating and wonderful.  We met at the Brooklyn Art Library and then walked to get some coffee.  We spent most of an afternoon together talking about art and many other things.

The main feeling I took away from that afternoon was how I would have never had such a wonderful afternoon talking art with Aya and Ned if it weren't for this exchange.  It was delightful to learn more about Aya, and I would love to meet with each and every one of you when the opportunities arise.   Alas, I am not made of money and sadly cannot endlessly travel, but hope I get the chance to meet a few more of you in the years to come.

The main thing Aya and I were discussed regarding the exchange was what a wonderful experience it has been and how we love to see people's processes and get to know other artists.  That really is the most important aspect of the exchange, not rigid adherence to shipping dates and the logistics of making sure certain books are returned to their owners.  Obviously, we all want to get our books back in the end but the most important part is how the exchange processes functions to foster the community, to facilitate the sharing of art and process, and to encourage feedback via verbal and non-verbal discussion and collaboration.

So, even though not all of the books are home I am going to start round 4.  This is both posted here on the blog as well as being emailed to everyone who has participated in our previous exchanges.  In addition I included the six people who have contacted me over the past year who want to be part of the next exchange in the recipient list.

Here is how round 4 will look and a few things I want you to consider if you think you may wish to  participate:

1 - We will work in either the A4 or the Large size Moleskine (sketchbook or watercolor book- your choice) but no bigger or smaller, please.

2 - We will have at least 6 and no more than 8 participants, and the books will circulate twice.

3 - We have one month to work in the books, I will send reminders every month, and I know and accept that some delays due to unforeseeable circumstances will occur.  Life is busy and can feel chaotic, people get ill, family members pass away, things happen - patience is necessary.  However, please honor the social contract into which we will enter with one another and respect yourself and the rest of the participants.  We each make a commitment to do the work so keep up your end of the bargain.  Communicate with us if something happens in your world.

4 - It is your responsibility to keep up with the work.  Should you find yourself with two books you need to get to work on the first one quickly and get it shipped to the next person - backlogs are not fun for any of us.  If you absolutely cannot do the work in the book mark your pages and ship it anyway.  It will come back to you.

5 - This is a collaborative project that includes posting your work to this blog - at least one post a month is required.  As the process continues we actively create our on-line community, and we are only as strong as our weakest link.  Don't deny us your insights and self-expression by dropping the ball on this vital piece of the project.  If you want some thing to be a surprise you don't have to post everything, but please post something.  Tell us about an idea, an experiment, a failure, an evolution in your work - whatever - just post.  Also please comment on your fellow artists work.  It doesn't take that much time and it goes a very long way.

6 - I will keep a spreadsheet available to indicate where the books are so you know who to contact with questions about your own book.  I am here as a resource if anyone runs into a huge problem, but please  work together to keep each other motivated, encouraged and engaged.  It becomes too arduous and upsets me when I am in the bad-guy role and that seriously diminishes my enjoyment of what ultimately is a delightful, meaningful, and fulfilling project.  Please update the spreadsheet as you ship and receive books so we all know where they are.

Primarily I just want to collaborate with all of you again (and again and again!) so lets make this next round the best one yet!

If you agree to the 6 stipulations above and want to go 'round this ride with me once more... get your Moleskine do your first drawing or painting or collage in it and post it to the blog.

The first 6 to 8 people who post new work (in these new sketchbooks) are in ROUND 4!
You know what is expected of you and you know you want to do it!

Thanks y'all.  I have my book and plan to get to work in it soon.

Cheers!

~Andrea

Once we have at least 6 participants we'll exchange addresses, figure out page counts and the shipping order.  If you are not one of the first 6 to 8 artists to post, you'll have to wait until round 5.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Garrett's Broken Arm

Garrett's Broken Arm
acrylic on water color paper
in Round 3 Moleskine
click image to view larger.

This is my latest painting in my round 3 returned Moleskine.  It is an illustration from a serial novel in progress, Discovery at Little Hog Island.  It's an adult novel, in spite of the fact that these are children, but I may also use the illustration if I ever finish it, for a children's novel. I know it's imperfect, and I may work on it more later, but I have to quit for now.

There are a LOT of empty pages in the Moleskine, which is a water color Moleskine, so I don't understand why.

Monday, January 14, 2013

My Second Oil Pastel, Round 3 book

Click to view larger
This is my second ever oil pastel, which I did my Round 3 returned sketchbook.  I concentrated on practicing technique.  I drew the image freehand, but copied the boat from an online image and the background from a different online image.  I had already started it when Ballookey told me that the oils will damage the paper over time.  Too late.  Any way to save it?  Not that it is great art, but I'd like the book to remain intact.  It is on the page facing the pink elephant.  I photographed it rather than scanning it--I didn't want to damage the scanner.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Holy Molly!

Look what I just got in the mail! My round 2 book from Heidi! I'm so excited about it, because it's been so long and I totally forgot what any of the art work looks like. Looking at my own artwork in it, I cringe a bit since my style really evolved a lot since, but I love everything else and how many animals there are in my book.

She also send me a beautiful gift.

Really I couldn't be happier right now!

Thanks everyone for making such beautiful art for me!

moleskine-1
moleskine-2
moleskine-3
moleskine-4
moleskine-5
moleskine-6
moleskine-7
moleskine-8
moleskine-9
moleskine-10
moleskine-11
moleskine-12
moleskine-13
moleskine-14
moleskine-15
moleskine-16
moleskine-17
moleskine-18
moleskine-19
moleskine-20
moleskine-21
moleskine-22
moleskine-23
moleskine-24
moleskine-25
moleskine-26
moleskine-27
moleskine-28
moleskine-29
moleskine-30
moleskine-31
moleskine-32
moleskine-33
moleskine-34
moleskine-35
moleskine-36
moleskine-37
moleskine-38
moleskine-39
moleskine-40
moleskine-41
moleskine-41
moleskine-43
moleskine-44
moleskine-45