For Christmas, I received a Barnes and Noble gift card, which ranks high for me on the “gifts most appreciated” list. I love books, perhaps too much. Every room in my house has a full bookshelf, save one…the bathroom but it does have magazines. Rest assured, there is something to be read everywhere here.
So this makes the gift card also not a good gift since I do have quite a library already. It is probably time to de-book to a degree. However, I could not pass up the opportunity to look and see what they had.
After spending time in the children’s section enjoying illustrations and stories, and browsing through books on letters to dogs, African lions, Ireland, mountains, and the bird in art history, I settled upon a sketchbook. The sketchbook is entitled “One Sketch a Day.” It is compact (5” x 7” – great for travels) with a greenish-blue cover. Brilliant orange is used for the font and the sides of the pages. Each page is divided in half indicating what day and a place put the date. I debated whether this was the best choice. I have enough sketchbooks. I could easily take one of those sketchbooks, write on the cover “One Sketch a Day” and date each day but I liked the formality of this one with its reproduced, printed text and lines, and pressed in letters for the cover. It represented making a commitment. No matter what, a sketch would be drawn each day because that is the title of the book. In the months to come, I will share it as it evolves.
I am keeping the drawings to just a few minutes so they are truly sketches. Pencil and ink pen with touches of watercolor from time to time will be the main media.
So here is the beginnings- the first nine days.
For the first four days, pets were an easy, accessible choice to begin.
Days five through eight were more varied with one cat involved, a visit to the Milwaukee County Zoo, and practice studies of harvestmen spiders found in Model Cave in Great Basin.
Tonight I choose working from a photo of another insect from Great Basin (I am in the process of creating paintings on the small life found at Great Basin, hence the interest in these creatures the last three days).
356 days to come….
I love it! You will have such a marvelous book at the end of the year–well, it’s already fantastic, but it will be even better as you keep adding to it! Good choice!
Thanks, Gretchen – GB arthropod residents always make good subjects!
Cool idea! I got a journal at Christmas time for written work. But with a sketch journal I’d probably be more likely to draw regularly and with more focus. I’m hoping to collaborate with a pastor who has started to write children’s books and would have me do cartoon-type illustrations for it. If you have any suggestions for software, etc., I would appreciate it. Thank you.
I hope the children’s books work out! As far as software, I am not the most tech savvy but Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are always very helpful.