For the recent Urban Sketcher's Symposium in Chicago, I made two hand-bound sketchbooks to bring along - one in landscape format (Sketchbook 42) and one in portrait mode (Sketchbook 41). It was useful to have two sketchbooks with me to have the option of either orientation and to let one dry while working on the other. Since coming home from #uskchicago2017, I continued working on the sketchbook and just completed it. Here's a tour of the sketchbook (for a view of the individual pages, see the sketchbook here).
A tour of one of my USK Chicago Symposium Sketchbooks
Before I went to Chicago for this year's Urban Sketcher's Symposium, I made two coptic-bound sketchbooks (here is a great how to video if you want to learn how to make one) from my favorite watercolor paper - Fabriano Artistico in both 140 lb. soft- and cold-pressed finishes. While both were about 8" x 11" in dimension, I made one in landscape format and the other in portrait format. I think I generally prefer landscape format as this was the one I finished first after coming back home.
Here is a quick tour of the sketchbook with my sketches from the USK Symposium at the start - including sketches done on my own in Chicago, sketches from the group sketch crawls, and sketches from the workshops I took there with Marc Taro Holmes, LK Bing, Marion Rivolier, and Liz Steel.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Stay tuned for more posts on the individual workshops I took in Chicago as well as the demo from Stephanie Bower on Watery Reflections.
Travel Sketchbook from Washington DC and NYC Trip
I recently took my daughter (with her friend and friend's mom) on our own 8th grade Washington DC/New York City trip. We had a great time seeing the Washington monuments and going to a lot of the excellent (and free!) National museums. I tried to sketch as much as possible on site, but being on a trip without other sketchers doesn't allow for a lot of sketching time. I was able to convince the girls, however, to sketch with me in their own little books whenever we had a few minutes of downtime at restaurants, etc.
Here are my sketches done in my hand-made concertina sketchbook (made from a single sheet of Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. soft-press watercolor paper). I was forced to buy another sketchbook in NYC once I filled this one. Stay tuned for additional travel sketches in that sketchbook tour.
Tour of Sketchbook No. 30
I made and started this sketchbook back in February and finally finished it the other day. It is composed of different shades of Canson Mi Teintes toned paper. I hope you enjoy this slower tour and the quicker one that follows.
Tour of Sketchbook no. 35
This is my first Stillman & Birn sketchbook with their Beta series paper. I liked it very much - but I think I prefer using my favorite Fabriano Artistico watercolor papers in the size and format of my choosing when I bind my own sketchbooks. But, it was fun trying a new sketchbook.
Here is the slow tour of the sketchbook followed by a quick tour.
Thanks for watching! I'd love to hear your comments.
Tours of Sketchbook No. 34
It seems as if all my blog posts are tours of my completed sketchbooks - but I am planning a major redesign of my website with plans of more frequent blog posts.
I just finished my sketchbook no. 34 - which is a handmade sketchbook from a single sheet of Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. soft press watercolor paper folded into 7.5" x 5.5" pages. Here is a narrated tour of the sketchbook, with a quick one to follow if you don't have the 8 minutes to watch the narrated version.
Please let me know your thoughts! I would love to hear if you like the narrated version, or if you only have time to watch the quick one. Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the artwork as well. Thanks for watching!
Another completed sketchbook - No. 31
Here are some tours of my completed sketchbook no. 31. This was a handbound sketchbook about 7" x 7" using Fabriano Artistico watercolor papers in rough and soft press finishes (both 140 lb. weight).
A quick tour and a more leisurely one to follow.
Sketchbook No. 29 Tour
Yesterday, I completed my hand-bound sketchbook no. 29 - which is a 7" x 7" square sketchbook comprised of various watercolor papers: Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. soft-press paper; Saunders 140 lb. rough-press paper; and Strathmore 140 lb. cold-press paper.
Here is a quick tour of the sketchbook with a slower tour below.
Completed Toned Paper Sketchbook (No. 26)
Here is a tour of my completed hand-bound sketchbook no. 26 with 13" x 10" Canson Mi Teintes toned papers.
And a quicker tour, if you don't have the time for the first one.
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Sketchbook No. 28 Tours
My last hand-bound sketchbook was a fairly slim one that I finished in record time (for me)! Here is a tour of the sketchbook followed by a quick version of the tour. Thanks for watching!
Completed Sketchbook No. 27
Here is a tour of my most recently completed sketchbook (no. 27) with artwork completed from 12/11/16 to 01/13/17. I hope you enjoy! I would appreciate any comments.
A quick tour of Sketchbook no. 27
A tour of my completed Sketchbook no. 27 with artwork done from 12/11/16 to 01/13/17.
Tours of Sketchbook No. 25
I just finished sketchbook no. 25! Here is a quick tour followed by a longer view.
A slower tour.
Colmpleted Sketchbook #23
Here is a sketchbook I made from a sheet of Arches 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper folded into an accordion sketchbook with 5.5" x 7.5" pages. The sketches were done between 10.20.16 and 10.31.16.
Here is a speedy look through the sketchbook with a slower one to follow.
Tours of my competed Sketchbook 22
I recently completed this handmade accordion fold sketchbook (consisting of a single 22" x 30" Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper - folded into 5.5" x 7.5" pages). Here is a quick tour followed by a more leisurely one. Thanks for viewing! I would love to hear your comments.
Steep Ravine Sketchbook Tours
I combined the pages from our trip to Steep Ravine in September with the ones from our quick trip this week and bound the sketchbook with a slab stitch. Here is a quick tour:
Here is a more leisurely tour.
Latest Sketchbook tours
Here's a slower tour of my most recently completed sketchbook no. 15 with artwork from 08.23.16 to 10.02.16.
And a quick tour.
Tour of our Sketchbook 18 - Steep Ravine Camping Trip
I loved my latest Craftsy class - Illustrated Nature Journalling with Gay Kraeger. She gave me some great ideas for using her "landscape machines" for making clouds, rocks, trees, etc. I used a lot of her techniques in this sketchbook and even for making this sketchbook out of a single sheet of Fabriano Artistico cold press 140 lb. watercolor paper torn into 5.5" x 7.5" sheets, which I later stab stitch bound.
Here is a leisurely tour of the sketchbook.
And a quick tour.
What do you think of this type of sketchbook/illustrated nature journal?
Accordion Sketchbook Tours
I love this little square accordion sketchbook I made from folding and cutting a single piece of 20" x 20" Fabriano Artistico hot press 140 lb. watercolor paper - inspired by Cathy Johnson.
Here is a quick view of this sketchbook with artwork from 08.26.16 to 09.02.16.
Quick sketchbook tour
And a more leisurely tour.
Have you made one of these accordion sketchbooks?
Finished Sketchbook No. 14
Here is a quick tour of my completed homemade sketchbook no. 14 with artwork from 07/29/16 to 08/22/16. The sketchbook is a Coptic bound book with 140 lb. 7.5" x 7.5" watercolor paper.
Here is a more leisurely tour of the same sketchbook.
I would love to hear your thoughts/comments! Thanks for watching!