Moleskine Five (05)

In mary's book

As you can see from the drawings, I was trying to avoid making invoices for jobs we just finished shooting, so there's even more details than usual.
All the texts are from the beautiful poem by Neil Gaiman, Instructions.

Some of those were also challenges on Facebook groups, the dragon on the half page with Steve was for "dragon rider", The wolf's skeleton was for "Bony", The girl on the right was for "Flamenco dancer and cherry blossom" and the one in the middle was for "Fashion". The bloody wolf, at the bottom of the half page was "leader of the pack".

In mary's pocket - I got the oil paint which I never used out of the drawer to make a portrait of my mother in law's dog, Lulu, that just passed away. so I made Mary 3 tiny paintings on wood slices. They are for the last 3 lines of the poem:

And then go home.
Or make a home.
And rest.

Andrea in Luis' Book ~ Round 5

Round 5, Month 2, Mary in Bridie Rollins Book

Bride Rollins' 1st half collab
click this or any image to view larger

My collab with Bridie Rollins

Kiss
this is done with monoprints, cut up and glued into a sketch

2-page spread

coming storm/monoprint with pen and ink

Keith with Cardinal
this is an intaglio transfer print subsequently colored with colored pencil and pen and ink

2-age spread

Toad
monoprints with pen and ink
1st half of a collab for Steve Spetseris

Envelope front

envelope back

I also included a small pocket item for Bridie, but forgot to photograph it and have already mailed it.

Look what I just got!

Mary's book!
The art in it is absolutely amazing, and I hope I can do it justice.

Circus in Steve's book

This is how I met Steve:

Because there was no Moleskine Exchange in ages, I joined a few groups on Facebook that gives a weekly, a daily or a bi-weekly creative challenge, and people draw or paint according to specific prompt. Steve was one of my favorite participant in a group called Daily Drawing Challenge, in which a guy post a daily photograph and everyone use that as a reference. I quit that group pretty shortly after, because the lack of diversity in the images was pretty depressing, but me and Steve became Facebook buddies and we both do a lot of those group challenges.

So in Steve's book, all the drawings were results of some challenge or another. Also, just because I have an easier time working with a topic, this one became "Circus"

This one was for an Israeli group called Daily Speed Sketch Israel, The first group I joined probably over a year ago. Each day there are 3 words and participants draw some combination of them. In this case it was Unicycle and Compass. You have to draw in 1 color only, and in half an hour or less. I only did a part of it in half hour and finished it later.

The one on the left was for the same group and the words were Acrobat and Blowfish, on Saturday they actually do allow color! so when I finished it, it had a purple background, but I added the text and diamonds after.
The one on the right was for a different group called Daily Spitpaint, each day they give 4 topics and people choose one and draw it in 30 minutes or less, that's the only limitation. The topic here was "Lion Den".

This is my half page, it was also for Daily Spitpaint, and the topic was "Fat Rat"

And in the pocket - a very small paper doll that I made for yet another group, called Daily Sketching Workout, which have one topic everyday and also it's a group that started by an art book publisher and each week they pick a drawing and someone get a book in the mail! the topic was "Butterfly Wing".

I don't do all the groups challenges everyday, but I try to get at least one everyday, it's a really good way to get me drawing. I highly recommend it!

First pages in my book

It's always so much easier to me to work with a topic, and with this one it was "The White Rabbit".

Woohoo

Dropped my book in the post box on my way to the dog park this morning and when I got back I found Steve's book waiting for me.

Envelope 5/1

Here is the front of the envelope for mailing the first Mole of Round 5 to Steve
and here is the back of the envelope.  I hope to mail tomorrow because I will be in the hospital Feb 1, and if not tomorrow, very soon.  This completes my packet for this mailing, I believe.

Box turtle on back of envelope for Steve, click this and all images to view larger.

Mary's First mailing for Round 5

So wait, I'm confused.  Are we supposed to be posting our work HERE or THERE (at the group page.)  I just posted there and guess I'll post here, too. As always, click images to view larger.

I painted, with acrylics, the front cover and am calling it:  "A Marriage Blessed by Love."

"A Marriage Blessed by Love"

 Then I painted 3 watercolors of animals, a fox, an owl and a pika.

fox, watercolor

owl, watercolor

pika, watercolor

 Then I made a half of a painting for Steve.

Frida, watercolor

Then I made 3 cards for a pocket gift for Steve.

The first rule of Moleskine Exchange

Sorry guys, I broke the first rule of moleskine exchange club, which wasn't that you aren't supposed to talk about it, because if it was, then I'd be kicked out years ago. The first rule of moleskine exchange is that you use a moleskine. However, I gut overly excited at the art store, and didn't notice till I gut home that this cool proportioned book wasn't even a moleskine, but a Shinola. It's pretty much compatible, so I'm useing it, because - the pages are square!

The paper is a mix between the moleskine sketchbook and the moleskine watercolor, which is nice, it doesn't react amazingly well to watercolor, but better than the moleskine sketchbook. I hope you'll enjoy drawing in it, even though it's not a moleskine.

Also, welcome to all the new people, and to all the old ones - I missed you and I'm so glad we are doing another round!

Round 5

Round 5 starts Feb. 1st!

Elephant Envelope for Mike

elephant envelope front
Mary Stebbins Taitt
to Mike Kline
acrylic on padded envelope
addresses cloned out

elephant envelope back
Mary Stebbins Taitt
to Mike Kline
acrylic on padded envelope

I have painted an envelope to send my Mole back to Mike who has offered to finish his work directly in the Moleskine.  YAY

Last gasp in Mike's

Everyone cheered to watch racers run
"final?"
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt

I am finally finished with Mike's Moleskine, and will mail it ASAP on hopefully Monday or Tuesday.
*The paper is getting progressively thicker!  Below is the prior version.  Since then I have repaired the head of the last wolf, opened Frankie's eyes, changed the color of the grass and added detail.  This was the hold-up. I kept fiddling with it, trying to get it right.

"Had Races and Won"

Acrylic on thin Moleskine paper*

4th coat

Because I had it so long, I did some additional pieces:

Biker Buddy
by Mary Taitt

At the end of a long day
By Mary Taitt
markers, Copic, Faber-Castell pigment artist pigment markers,

The Nature Conservancy wants to publish 20,000 elephant pictures, so I am trying to help them out.

Old Bull
collab for Mike

And a new pocket item--with elephants:

Dusk
card by Mary Taitt for Mike's pocket