Love This Book and the Things it Taught Me!

I finished reading Danny Gregory's book, "An Illustrated Life" yesterday and I enjoyed every page. The big bit of wisdom I got from his book is that no matter your journal style you should just focus on working in your journal/sketchbook. Many of the artists in his book have been working in their sketchbooks for many years, while others have just started. Another bit of information I gained is that these sketchbooks to most of the artists are treasures and that they would run through fire to protect them.

I loved seeing the art from these featured artist. Some made me laugh and others brought tears to my eyes. Danny's book is one of those art books that belongs on your bookshelf with all the other art books. Not to just sit there and collect dust but to be taken down read and to be inspired by the treasures inside. If you must check it out at your local library do so often. It is worth the effort.

I begun this sketch the day I got Danny's book and finished it the same day I finished reading his book. What caused the subject of this page is this. When I first receive books I will skim the pages look at the contents, the index, Artist bio and then the catalog information. I like knowing when an author is born. Most modern books have done away with listing the birth year of the author but Danny's book does. In the shipment of books I had also received another art book and finished doing all my scanning of that book and then started on Danny's. Both books listed the birth year of the author, the other book the author was born in 1943, and Danny's says that he was born in 1960. I was shocked to see that he was born the same year I was. Then it sunk in, "he was born in the same year as I was, but he has books published and is successful!" and I thought, "what have I done?" "What do I have to show for my 49 years?" That is when I got the idea to make a page, in the fashion of a mind map to see if I had actually done anything important in my years.
Guess what? I have done extraordinary things in my wonderful 49 years and this journal page shows nearly all that I have done. Not all because the page is only so big, but most of the major activities and accomplishments. I have done cool things and I plan on doing more cool things. Thank you, Danny for a wonderful book and the inspiration I got from it, oh, and Happy Birthday!

Kabob Spine Handmade Book

I have finally finished a project that was started a month ago. I made a book out of a heavy drawing cardstock type paper and Kabob skewers. Not quite sure what the name of this spine is but it was a dickens trying to get it to work. Of course it would have been easier if I had found instructions on the internet for it instead of going on memory. What is the fun in reading instructions;-)
After I finally got it together I painted and added pattern paper and ephemera. Once that was done I used this little book as my writing journal for nine days off and on.

Front cover

First page spread

Second page: There is a quote under the film.

Third page: I started writing around the edge.

Fourth page: My bird, Chickie chewed on my book, bottom of right side. Silly bird!

Fifth page: Made transfers with packing tape.

Sixth page: Made stamps out of wine bottle corks.

Seventh page: Kids thought Mom was silly for gluing chocolate wrappers in book. Hey! What ever is not nailed down I might use it in an art project;-)

Eighth page

Ninth page: I got a new purple Sharpie pen to write with.

Back cover

Well that is all of the pages that this fun little book contains. I hope to do another one in the future, perhaps I will read the instructions, or not!