Patterns in Nature a new Artistic Collaboration

Patterns in Nature Journal Lichen spread Water colour pencils and ink

Here is the journal for the latest collaboration that I have entered into.  This is again with Anna Warren (see her blog here) from Sydney and two lovely American artists, Gale Stahlke (see her blog here) and Cathe Jacobi (see her blog here).  They will all be blogging about the journals they are working on as we work our way through the collaboration.

This time we decided to do things a little differently, to the other collaboration I am in.  We will be each making our own little journals, choosing our theme and doing the initial drawings, before we hand them onto the next person.  The first page will be a joint effort, then we will each do a double page spread then there will be a shared double spread and finally a little paragraph on the back page on what we did and why.

Patterns in Nature Journal Cover

So for my journal I decided on the theme Patterns in Nature – Forrest.  As most of you know who have followed me for awhile, I love patterns and in particular patterns in nature, so it seemed to be a great theme for the book and easy for each artist to interpret in their own way.  I have also been fascinated by lichens and have been meaning to do a drawing of them for ages so I narrowed the focus to patterns in the forest.

So I made the booklet out of 300g Somerset CP watercolour paper for the cover and used a lovely creamy Japon proofing paper for the interior.  I had great fun playing with the cover and used some spray inks on it, then to waterproof these I covered it with matt medium, then drew a abstract lichen/moss pattern over the top.

Patterns in Nature Journal Front group Page and inside cover

For the first page I couldn’t go past an image of a curled fern frond.  Then for my double spread I was able to play with the lichen.  I got a little carried away with this drawing and it became more complex then I wanted for this project, but hey once I got started away I went.  Very happy with this, think it could be done again in another format.  For the last spread I drew a fern frond with spores on the back.  These were all done with ink and water colour pencils.

Patterns in Nature Journal Group spread

Well I am about to post my book up to Anna for her to add her pages before it wings its away across the sea for the others to work on.  I can’t wait to see what they have done and how they made their books and out of what?  Just love these collaborations.

Karen

My week in sketches

Pope Joan Garden  Ink and Watercolour Sketch from my sketchbook

Here are a couple more sketches from my life last week.  I am still having fun just documenting the things around me in my daily life.  Nothing out of the ordinary and of no startling significance, but it is a part of finding the beauty in the everyday.  The thought that we do not have to spend money or travel to find beauty and joy, it is all around us if we take the time and trouble to look and really see.  It is part of the slow movement, slow food is the most popular.  Just taking the time to treasure the moment and enjoy the process.

The first picture is of a lovely little restaurant where I had dinner with a friend.  She is a real foodie and always has a new restaurant idea for us to try out.  I do a lot of drawings before I go out to dinner with her, as I fill in the time between finishing work and meeting up for dinner.  She is very supportive of my art and would your believe she is now suggesting restaurants which she thinks I would like to draw.  This is one of them, Pope Joan in Brunswick, they have this fantastic long courtyard filled with planters of herbs that leads down to their vegetable garden.  A fabulous garden and the service and food were as good.

Mont Albert Station Watercolour pencil and ink in my sketchbook

Here is a more prosaic subject, my local train station where I wait every morning to catch my train.  It is a sweet, little old station, surrounded by the leafy suburbs.  I just love these old buildings and just thought a picture of it belonged in my sketchbook.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed drawing them.

Karen

More Art Supplies

Art Supplies

I have finally received my package of art supplies,  I used a Christmas voucher to buy it but took ages to decide what to buy.  So I thought I would share my little treasure trove of art goodies with you.

Not pictured here but one of my favourite supplies is my Lamy Safari Fountain pen.  I have used it in my latest sketches and I am totally hooked.  Finally a fine inky line and a pen that does not die on my harsher watercolour/printmaking paper that I made my journals out of.  It will also go over coloured pencil, yippee!  I can’t tell you how many fine liner pens I have massacred, they don’t last more than a couple of drawings in my journals and they are killed by all the wax in the coloured pencils.  Plus there are different nibs and a whole world of inks.  The people at Goulet Pens have the best site and great YouTube videos to truly entice you into the world of fountain pens, plus they give you lolly pops in each order!  I am so easily bribed with food.

Colour swatches of Derwenk Gaphitint pencils

I also bought the new Derwent Graphitint pencils.  They are coloured graphite and although the colour range is a little limited, they have lovely subtle colours and they are water soluble, so work in well with the Derwnet Inktense that I already have.

There is also some more Sennelier water colours to complete my set which I purchased before Christmas.  They have honey in them so a very creamy.  I don’t have much experience with water colours and this is the first set of professional paints I have bought, so not sure how they compare, but I am happy with them. I just need loads more practice to get proficient with them.

I also had to have some  water soluble graphite that Anna Warren has been using (see here), so I bought a couple of sticks and a tin.  I have not played with them yet but am looking forward to trying them out.

Karen

 

Making little Note Books

The set of finished notebooks

A couple of weekends ago I found enough time and energy to make some little note books that I had been meaning to do for ages.  I wanted to get back into some book binding and to use the paper that a friend had brought back from Sennelier Art shop in Paris for me.

Note Book 1 front

 

The set of finished notebooks

I had brought some of the same paper on an earlier trip to Paris and hadn’t been able to bring myself to use it, although I would bring it out and admire and pat it on occasion.  With the extra my friend bought and the possibility to get more I thought it was time to get brave and use them.  The idea of using the paper as covers for sketch books seemed a great idea and I was itching to have a go.

Making the Notebooks

These are small (A5) size and I wanted to give them to some friends who would not necessarily use them for sketching but would be writing in them.  With that in mind I used some lighter bleed proof paper.

Note Book 2 front

Note Book 2 inside

They have light cardboard covers that I covered with my special paper on the outside and used some photocopies of my drawings on the inside for a pop of colour.  The binding is a simple saddle stitch, it really could not be easier to make a book.  I gave them all different closures to mix things up.

Note Book 4 front

Note Book 4 inside

So please with my few hours work and happy to have such useful little gifts.

Note Book 3 inside