Thursday, January 25, 2007

A Little Change Of Pace






After reading through some other online illustrated journals, I caught the journal bug myself (actually I've been keeping journals since I was ten, but this is my first foray into illustrated journals). So I put the order in for a Molskine sketchbook - a type of high quality journal sketchbook that people have been raving about. It really does look like a beaut even online. But being the impatient type, I had to jump right in like a horse out of a gate and try this stuff out. I was especially eager to see what it's like to draw without sketching first, and to add to it, draw on the fly while walking around different places. So yesterday I grabbed a very cheap booklet full of graph paper - and no it was not that great to draw and paint on - in fact it was like painting on tissue paper, but worse. I Then picked up a few pens (a micron, a rotring tech pen and a pencil--in case I didn't like drawing without sketching first).

So here are some of the pages - most drawings were of people that were walking around the Talbots where I had met my Mom for a shopping trip. Let me tell you, I had to be very careful about being caught drawing people. I couldn't just stand there and draw them - it had to be fast and while moving. Some people gave me some interesting looks, but most people were so into finding a good jacket or pair of shoes they didn't notice me at all.

Oh and in the end, I LOVED drawing with ink right on the paper without a sketch. It was very exciting - my marks looked much different than I was used to. It brought out a new side of me I think. I'm looking forward to drawing on some good paper when that Moleskin arrives--hurry, darn it!

The focus of my blog is still of course going to be children's art, but I'm going to throw in some journal stuff here and there as well.

And yes, I did spell 'bizarre' with two "z"'s in my journal. So sue me. :o) I was in a hurry.

3 comments:

June said...

Oh well done you brave person! It is quite a different thing to be out in public sketching, than drawing in the solitary studio. And people feel they have a right to look at your work too.. quite intimidating when you are trying to be free and experimental with lines.
I must go out with my sketchpad more often. Your pages show how much fun it can be, and how good it is to practise quick observation for characters.

Ginger*:) said...

I loved these and I loved reading the comments alongside your images. Yes, drawing with a pen is fun and a really good exercise. I like to sketch at night, with a pen (cause I can see it better) and pretend I am watching TV with my husband.

When sketching in public I am ALWAYS aware that people are staring, asking to peek and also wondering what the Heck?

If they get too close, Paige, why don't you tell them there's a charge for watching you draw.

I am looking forward to more of these, they are wonderful!

Anonymous said...

These sketchbook pages and your journaling is wonderful, Paige! Highly entertaining! Your sketches look so much like your illustraions, too. I, too, look forward to more.