Tour of Concertina Sketchbook no. 36

I created my first concertina sketchbook inspired by Lynne Chapman from her Sketchbook Skool Exploring klass. I made this using one full sheet of Saunders Waterford 140lb. cold press watercolor paper.

Here is a narrated tour of the sketchbook followed by a quick tour.

Your comments are appreciated and welcome! Thanks for watching!

Here's how I make a concertina sketchbook from a full sheet of Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. 1. Fold and tear the sheet into their DS lengthwise; 2. Connect the sections together by folding the ends with a 1/4" overlap and glue together with Modge Podge suitable for paper; 3. While waiting for the glue to dry, tape the ends together with Washington tape that can be removed after the glue is dried; 4. I cut covers from the backing of a watercolor pad and used a cute Daiso panda envelope to cover the covers; 5. Glue the first and last pages to the covers; 6. Put heavy books on top to set - done!

Tours of Sketchbook No. 25

I just finished sketchbook no. 25! Here is a quick tour followed by a longer view.

A slower tour.

An Illustrated Nature Journal

A few days ago, I signed up for ANOTHER Craftsy class, Illustrated Nature Journalng with Gay Kraeger. I LOVED it. Gay starts out by having us tear a full sheet of watercolor paper into 16 5.5" x 7.5" sheets that we can later arrange and make into a finished journal. I usually work in handmade bound sketchbooks, but I know Marc Taro Holmes prefers using single sheets so that he can work on more than one at a time (especially useful while one has watercolor that needs drying before continuing).

Gay also stressed striving for imperfection and also using simple "machines" to create landscape elements like clouds, waves, rocks, grasses, and dirt. These "tricks" such as using salt, a cut flat brush, rolled up papery towel, and wax resist we're all things I had at the ready and were surprisingly effective.

Gay also taught us a bit about designing a page using borders, lettering, and color unity. She really opened up my eyes for subjects and pleasing pages! I highly recommend this class!! Especially during one of Craftsy's many sales - like its Labor Day half off all classes sale.

Here are my pages from my illustrated nature journal from my 3 day camping trip to Steep Ravine, one of my favorite places in the world. I posted a quick video of the sketchbook that I bound with a stab stitch at the end.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the artwork, the sketchbook, or the Craftsy class. Thanks!!

Sketching on our Road Trip

Yesterday, we started our road trip to North Hollywood to go to Universal Studios for my youngest's birthday. We left at 8:30am and lucky for me, my husband drove the whole way while I got to sketch!

Before we left, I got my new Pocket Palette in the mail and prepared it with some hot glue to further divide some palettes and I also made a new small sketchbook.

I am a bit behind on my homework for Sketchbook Skool's Seeing klass with Koosje Koene. We were to draw a selfie a day for a week. I have done 5. Here is my 6th.

Here is a still life of a pear on my door arm rest. I was practicing my watercolor mixing from my Craftsy class on Luminous Watercolor Mixes and using my new Pocket Palette!

Next, I did a quick watercolor sketch while we drove over the Grapevine before descending into the Greater Los Angeles area.

We made it to our hotel, The Garland, after only 5 hours! We had brunch at The Front Yard. And I did a quick still life from our table before I dug into my eggs Benedict. I used what I learned in Brenda Swenson's Seeing klass - employing a soluble Tombow marker before adding watercolor and a format around my objects.

Finally, we ended the day at the pool and I got this urban sketch in using my soluble market again.

Tomorrow, we are spending the entire day at Universal Studios mostly in the Harry Potter Wizarding World. I will post my sketches from the day later.