Good bye moleskine
I drew this at dinner tonight. This is the last sketch on the last page of my moleskine sketchbook. I threw some gray marker on it, and was surprised to learn that the flimsy, slick moleskine paper loves marker. I've been limiting these sketches to the usual pencil and smudge tool, but now I almost want a do-over.
Anyway, keeping in the spirit of my new year's resolution, I'm completing things left incomplete. So instead of buying a new sketchbook, as I would normally do, I'm finding old, half-finished sketchbooks from the past and finishing them! I've found a sketchbook that my wife actually stitched together and bound from scratch and gave to me for a gift back a few years ago. It seems to be from 1999, mostly. Just to illustrate this, my daughter Lily, seen in the middle of the sketch above from this evening, is shown below how she appeared to me in 1999 in a sketch from my new/old (or is it old/new?) sketchbook.
I drew only in ink in those days, mostly fountain pen. These days I'm liking pencil: less fighting, more flow. So here's a new sketch in the old book from this evening just to kick things off:
Joan put Strathmore drawing paper in this one, and I really like how it takes the 6b pencil. I have no idea whether anyone else finds any of this interesting, but it's amusing to me, so hey...
posted by Anthony at 12:05 AM
5 Comments:
I think there is something so satisfying about taking something that you once discarded and making use of it. It's like tying up a loose end, or rather, really taking full advantage of something. I hope you find your second time around with this sketchbook as fulfilling as possible.
Somehow I missed this! I find what you've written very interesting. for one thing, I love seeing sketches of your family. For another, I love seeing your sketches, period ;D. It's nice to see the earlier ones, showing different technique and style. Do you date your sketches? If you don't, you're going to confuse future generations who will try to figure out abrupt stylistic shifts in your sketchbooks!
I read your comments hungrily so yes, someone is interested in reading what you have to say, along with seeing your artwork. I like the idea of finishing off old sketchbooks. I'm doing that too and it is satisfying, even if they change time and style abruptly in the middle. I like the starter drawing for this one and I like your current pencil style better than the ink.
Thank you Suzanne, Laura and Jana. Yes, it's been great rediscovering this old sketchbook -- and I have at least four or five others to finish up when this one's done. Laura, I'm much better now at dating my sketchbooks than I was then, but there are dates here and there for the old stuff, so it should be easy to figure out. And, yes, Jana, I agree with you about the style thing. I've really been enjoying drawing in pencil lately.
I think other peoples sketch books are more than facinating so keep blogging about them, I am reading. Like your drawings very much and the way you record family life.
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