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I’m working on a series of nocturnes for my spring show at Playhouse on the Square called “Night Vision.” I’ve been working from photos, since it’s hard, though not impossible, to sketch in the dark. And a photo lets me capture light at different meters so I have a little more information. But to keep myself from getting too tight, I’ve been doing fast watercolor studies before diving into the oils. They’re tiny and greatly fun. Here are a sample of the studies I’ve done getting ready for the show. I hope I end up liking the oils as much as I like these tiny watercolors. They’re fast and loose, which is a quality I sometimes lose when I’m more consciously working on finished pieces. It’s very good practice for me to do these.
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I like to have special days and memories in my sketch journal, and it was my birthday last week. My friend Melissa Bridgman left these lovely flowers on my doorstep in one of her handmade vases (I love polka dots!), and they were so lovely I had to draw them. I also had cake at Muddy's (my very favorite) with a marvelous friend, and it was fun to have both of those occasions in here. Plus I get to enjoy cake again later without the calories if it's in my sketchbook. I get a great deal of pleasure from dessert sketches. There was a creme brulee in Asheville years ago that lives on my in my memory and my journal because I was so pleased with the sketch.
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I got distracted by the #oneweek100people challenge and forgot to post about FINALLY making it to Parnassus Books in Nashville. It's amazing. A beautiful space, kind people, dog greeters, hanging stars, a tiny door for kids into their section, comfy chairs, and (best of all) many well curated books. I came home with a good stack (see photo), mostly about writing books and being creative.
There was also an abundance of letterpress. Hatch Show Print has a long history in Nashville, and it seems to have inspired other presses as well. Ann Patchett (one of the owners of Parnassus) had a number of beautiful, letterpressed broad sheets that
There was also an abundance of letterpress. Hatch Show Print has a long history in Nashville, and it seems to have inspired other presses as well. Ann Patchett (one of the owners of Parnassus) had a number of beautiful, letterpressed broad sheets that
celebrated her new books. It's a great idea. But the one I came home with was for Mary Laura Philpott's book Penguins with People Problems. The book is hilarious, and I loved the poster that went with it, so festive and full of old school letterpress whimsy. It made me dream about one day having a published book of my own to do a letterpress poster for.
I had gone hoping to meet Mary Laura, because she introduced me to my very favorite podcast, #amwriting with Jess and KJ. She was a guest, talking about building a relationship with your favorite book stores even before you have a published book out there to promote, and Parnassus shared the episode on Facebook. I've been listening my way through the back issues ever since. Jessica Lahey and KJ Dell'Antonia are both successful writers sharing how they get their work done, how they pitch and get writing jobs, how they work with editors and agents, and how they make space for creativity and reading in their busy lives. It's been inspirational as I work on Mr. Darcy's Odyssey, but I'm also learning lots about this whole new world of publishing. Plus they're good friends and delightful people and make you feel as if you're sitting at the kitchen table with them talking. I can't recommend it enough.
Mary Laura is also delightful. She happened to be there, and I was glad to get to say thank you face to face. I've been reading her witty book ever since, a page or two at a time, so I can keep it going longer. She was kind to me as an aspiring author and gave me one welcome piece of advice (that I don't HAVE to be on Twitter if I'm already on Facebook and Instagram, even though lots of publisher folks are there as well). That was good to hear from a social media professional.
This turned into a total fan girl post, but all three of these amazing women are well worth going fan girl about. If you're interested in books and writing, please look all of them up. And by all means, stop in Parnassus next time you're in the Nashville area. You won't be sorry.
I had gone hoping to meet Mary Laura, because she introduced me to my very favorite podcast, #amwriting with Jess and KJ. She was a guest, talking about building a relationship with your favorite book stores even before you have a published book out there to promote, and Parnassus shared the episode on Facebook. I've been listening my way through the back issues ever since. Jessica Lahey and KJ Dell'Antonia are both successful writers sharing how they get their work done, how they pitch and get writing jobs, how they work with editors and agents, and how they make space for creativity and reading in their busy lives. It's been inspirational as I work on Mr. Darcy's Odyssey, but I'm also learning lots about this whole new world of publishing. Plus they're good friends and delightful people and make you feel as if you're sitting at the kitchen table with them talking. I can't recommend it enough.
Mary Laura is also delightful. She happened to be there, and I was glad to get to say thank you face to face. I've been reading her witty book ever since, a page or two at a time, so I can keep it going longer. She was kind to me as an aspiring author and gave me one welcome piece of advice (that I don't HAVE to be on Twitter if I'm already on Facebook and Instagram, even though lots of publisher folks are there as well). That was good to hear from a social media professional.
This turned into a total fan girl post, but all three of these amazing women are well worth going fan girl about. If you're interested in books and writing, please look all of them up. And by all means, stop in Parnassus next time you're in the Nashville area. You won't be sorry.
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I made it! Only because I had two different stints in waiting rooms last week. The #oneweek100people challenge could not have been better timed for me. Quite often I'm working at home by myself and see a couple of people, tops. But this particular week I was up and out, and I added in a park trip and a little sketching in the passenger seat one evening to make sure I got my quota, since I was so close. It was fun to have a challenge to mix up my sketching a bit.
I kept them all pretty small and quick, but I did one longer one to celebrate #100. I figured it would be right to end with "my" special person...
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There's an Urban Sketchers challenge to draw 100 people in one week this week. In a stroke of good luck, it is also my week to sit for extended periods in waiting rooms twice this week. I'm delighted to have a challenge to make the time pass and feel productive. I've been wanting to practice people more for my illustration work anyway, so I went for it this morning. I managed to make it to 54 in one day. I asked Elizabeth Alley if that was cheating, and she said, no, it's winning! So yay.
I did all of these with my latest favorite pen for sketching (except for my lovely Pelican I'm using for the Mr. Darcy book, which lives on my desk now) -- a Lamy safari pen with smokey gray ink inside. The darker, wider bits are a brush pen with some diluted Sumi ink inside.
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I went to see Sarah Ruhl's modern reworking of Eurydice by the New Moon Theater in Memphis. New Moon specializes in difficult plays or plays that don't get put on very often. They did King Lear a few years ago that was one of my all time best theater experiences ever (and I tend to go to a decent amount of theater). I knew the myth -- it was my sister's favorite one growing up, so we heard it a lot, but I didn't know the original play (which now I want to read). The production was visually stunning: a sparse set and exquisite costumes, and these hanging cranes, folded from letters the cast members had written to loved ones they have lost. The letters and cranes moved me even before I heard that back story, and I sat sketching before the production started.
I've continued to think about this play during the week since. The father/daughter interplay wasn't something I remembered from the original myth, and it truly moved me. The father even quotes a Lear and Cordelia scene, which is oddly dear to my father and me. I may have the only dad who thinks reading Lear out loud is ideal father/daughter bonding, but I have totally bought in.
I was also struck by how Eurydice kept asking Orpheus early on, during the courtship scene, what he was thinking about. The answer, to her dismay, was always music. That rang very true. My brain is so very often thinking about art. It's so critical to who I am that I have to work hard to make relationship time. My partner must often feel like that when I am woolgathering and planning a new print or children's book in my head. My intention for this year is to savor all the places I am in and the things I am doing in any given moment. The writing podcast I listen to (#amwriting, which I can't recommend highly enough) was talking about choosing a word for the year. Mine is "savor," even though I haven't done anything like this before. I'm at least still thinking about that, now that we're in March, and I hope I will get better with practice.
I've continued to think about this play during the week since. The father/daughter interplay wasn't something I remembered from the original myth, and it truly moved me. The father even quotes a Lear and Cordelia scene, which is oddly dear to my father and me. I may have the only dad who thinks reading Lear out loud is ideal father/daughter bonding, but I have totally bought in.
I was also struck by how Eurydice kept asking Orpheus early on, during the courtship scene, what he was thinking about. The answer, to her dismay, was always music. That rang very true. My brain is so very often thinking about art. It's so critical to who I am that I have to work hard to make relationship time. My partner must often feel like that when I am woolgathering and planning a new print or children's book in my head. My intention for this year is to savor all the places I am in and the things I am doing in any given moment. The writing podcast I listen to (#amwriting, which I can't recommend highly enough) was talking about choosing a word for the year. Mine is "savor," even though I haven't done anything like this before. I'm at least still thinking about that, now that we're in March, and I hope I will get better with practice.
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Every once in a while I'm lucky enough to go out for a sketching dinner with some like-minded girlfriends. We catch up on our lives, eat good food, talk about art, and draw while we're doing all of it. Last night we went to Next Door in Crosstown. I had the meatballs, and they were utterly delicious. I've traveled a lot over the last year, and it's good to have relaxed, sit down, face time with friends I value.
I'm also still working on drawing people more, so I did a bit of that too.
I'm also still working on drawing people more, so I did a bit of that too.
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I’ve been working for two days on stuff to be published (a cover for my Mr. Darcy book plus an album cover, my first ever), so I don’t have a lot to post. But I did do one double page in my sketchbook over the last few days. It just kind of happened that way, but cupcakes and my favorite tree together make up one exceedingly happy journal page.
I also realized that I hadn’t posted a couple of sketches from my last trip to Concrete. The feather and penny were both found on one of my walks, and I ended up really liking that sketch. The other is my Coronation teacup. I had seen it over the summer, but it was pricey. Then when I was there after Christmas, the antique mall was closing down and having a major sale. I went in to see if it was, by any chance, still there. I was so delighted that it was. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying The Crown, and it’s fun to have a teacup from the actual celebration.
I also realized that I hadn’t posted a couple of sketches from my last trip to Concrete. The feather and penny were both found on one of my walks, and I ended up really liking that sketch. The other is my Coronation teacup. I had seen it over the summer, but it was pricey. Then when I was there after Christmas, the antique mall was closing down and having a major sale. I went in to see if it was, by any chance, still there. I was so delighted that it was. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying The Crown, and it’s fun to have a teacup from the actual celebration.
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I've been doing some random sketches scattered into the main work of book manuscript and painting. Here are a batch of them, including two different trips to Muddy's bake shop. Cupcakes were called for.
I've also been working more intentionally on people practice lately. I have to get myself out of the house and away from my easel to do this, though.
I've also been working more intentionally on people practice lately. I have to get myself out of the house and away from my easel to do this, though.
Plus I always enjoy sketching my tea things.
One last one. Memphis Urban Sketchers met at Cleveland Street Flea Market (a recent victim of gentrification) on its last weekend. I've bought many clothes there, including cowboy boots and my current favorite sweater, plus my dvd player and vacuum cleaner. It was a great community of folks every weekend and an irreplaceable personal resource. I am so very sad to lose it.
One last one. Memphis Urban Sketchers met at Cleveland Street Flea Market (a recent victim of gentrification) on its last weekend. I've bought many clothes there, including cowboy boots and my current favorite sweater, plus my dvd player and vacuum cleaner. It was a great community of folks every weekend and an irreplaceable personal resource. I am so very sad to lose it.
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Here is. The carving process. The top right is the earliest, with just the moon and stars cut out to print the sky. Once I had the skies printed, I could carve down to the tree. Before putting the tree on the good backgrounds, I proofed it a few times on newsprint to make sure it looked like I wanted it to, carved a little, proofed it again, etc. Finally when I had it ready, I went ahead and printed on the sky backgrounds.
I finished a new print for my letterpress. I haven’t done too many prints on it, mostly note cards, since it doesn’t do big images well. It was made for type, and my blocks have a huge amount more dark space and much less white, which means it’s hard to get enough pressure across a full dark surface to print it evenly. I had mostly given up for several years after getting it, but it occurred to me fairly recently that it would be a lot easier to print smaller blocks on the treadle press instead of inking each by hand and carrying the plate and paper together to the proof press. So I started thinking of designs where the foibles of the bigger press would be an asset.
I’ve been thinking about nocturnes a lot lately, and it occurred to me that a dark tree against a dark sky would work better (be more visible) if the sky were not fully dark. The mottled printing texture would be great. I also have wanted to try a reduction print. Usually I do separate blocks for each color in a multi color print, but I thought if I’m locking a block into the metal chase to put it in the press, that would hold it steady and secure if I could leave it in there to print, so my blocks wouldn’t have trouble lining up.
For a reduction, you carve a bit, and then print, and then carve more before printing the second color. The upside is the block stays steady. The downside is that you can’t proof it with both colors and then adjust. You’ve already committed and printed the first color and gone past the point of no return.
I’ve been thinking about nocturnes a lot lately, and it occurred to me that a dark tree against a dark sky would work better (be more visible) if the sky were not fully dark. The mottled printing texture would be great. I also have wanted to try a reduction print. Usually I do separate blocks for each color in a multi color print, but I thought if I’m locking a block into the metal chase to put it in the press, that would hold it steady and secure if I could leave it in there to print, so my blocks wouldn’t have trouble lining up.
For a reduction, you carve a bit, and then print, and then carve more before printing the second color. The upside is the block stays steady. The downside is that you can’t proof it with both colors and then adjust. You’ve already committed and printed the first color and gone past the point of no return.
Even with the block in a steady place, I still lost some prints when the paper moved on me. I ended up with an edition of 28 on 9x11” paper. It was a good learning process for me, but I still think I prefer doing separate blocks so I can color test ahead of time and get the colors just right.