I’ve been very busy lately on several major projects that I can’t talk about publicly yet. Which is why you’ve not seen much of me online. I have managed to squeeze in a bit of work, 5 minutes here or there, on my sketchbook for the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project. I’m still thinking the title of my sketchbook is “Time Tavern”.
Anyway, below are pics of what I’ve gotten done.
And yes, when I can I’ll post about the projects that I can’t talk about yet.
The sketchbook I’m working on for the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project now has a name, a working title: “Time Tavern”. As you can see from previous posts I’m thinking about time – and uses of time in cooking, food service, music and in telling wordless visual stories.
When I began this project I’d thought “Time Tavern” would be the title but I held off declaring it until I’d drawn a few pages. Things sometimes change as a drawing progresses – particularly when I’m working on a wordless visual story.
In my earlier posts (see below for links) I’d shown close-ups of musicians and a chef at work. I’d also shown a birthday party in progress. These 3 story strands are main ones – but they also need context in order to become a story. The association or juxtaposition of images – and the sequence of them – is how I’m crafting my tale visually rather than by written words in a row.
The issue is how to do the same things writers who use written words do – plot movement, foreshadowing and character development – but in my case how to do those using only visual imagery.
As part of my original planning for this story I created a “layout” of the “Time Tavern” the pub setting where my story takes place. This layout is part of my story strand weaving strategy. Here you see my architectural layout:
This architectural drawing won’t be included in my sketchbook – that’s just to help me organize my story. The book to the side in the above photo is included as it shows me referring to my architectural drawing during work on that sketchbook page.
Below is one of the first setting drawings within my “Time Tavern” sketchbook – it shows the chef looking at his recipe cards. In the background you see the bartender looking at her recipe cards. You also see a bit of the stage area the musicians will use. Perhaps you can see how I’ll be using my setting drawings as story context – and foreshadowing?
I’m sure you’ll also note the large clocks in my settings – I’m using those as a story device to show the progression of time…
Lots more to work to do…
My past posts regarding this project (so you can follow my progress) are here: https://sueclancy.com/2017/08/10/sketchbook-project-progress/ https://sueclancy.com/2017/08/14/story-strands-in-my-sketchbook-project/ https://sueclancy.com/2017/08/16/sketchbook-progress-time/
General info about the Sketchbook Project is here: https://www.sketchbookproject.com/
More progress in my sketchbook for the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project. As per my recent reading I’ve been thinking about time… and how food and music utilizes time. So does sequential visual art. Anyway here’s some photos of my progress – and yes, I’m indulging by drawing some of my favorite recipes (for drinks and soup) as well as drawing metaphoric portraits of some of my favorite local musicians.
Here’s a link to the last post about this project (so you can follow my progress): https://sueclancy.com/2017/08/14/story-strands-in-my-sketchbook-project/
And here’s a post listing the books I’m currently reading (that I alluded to above): https://sueclancy.com/2017/08/07/reading-books-making-art-eating-popcorn/
I’m beginning the ink work on my sketchbook for the Brooklyn Art Library’s sketchbook project. I’m starting in the middle and working my way out. In my last post you saw me sewing the binding and adding a page that will fold out. The work you see in these photos is on that fold out page. It’s in the middle of the book.
The waiters are one of my story strands. The birthday party is another. The recipes are still another story strand. I’m doing my best to link them visually – non-verbally. We’ll see how it goes. But it’s a fun experiment! Photos of my most recent progress below.
the beginning of a fold out sheet in a sketchbook by Clancy for the Brooklyn Art Library
the inner spread prior to opening the folds
the fold-out pages folded out
the inner fold-out sheet folded back into the sketchbook
If you want to follow this thread here’s a direct link to my last post https://sueclancy.com/2017/08/10/sketchbook-project-progress/
My first step in my work towards my Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Project was to brainstorm my story design. I’m trying something new: weaving at least 3 different story strands together using a wordless picture book format. “Brainstorming” means that over several days I doodled on a few pieces of paper, doing thumbnail drawings, and writing my thoughts in long-hand. Many of my brain-storming thoughts were sparked by the books I’m reading now (see my last blog post for a book list). Eventually my idea for this project “gelled”.
The next thing is to rebind the sketchbook I’d gotten from The Sketchbook Project in accord with my design. I’ll be using a 5 hole pamphlet stitch because this allows me to securely add a new page that will open out larger than the original sketchbook.
In the photo below I’m cutting and folding the thin handmade paper to be inserted in my sketchbook.
With my new paper now cut and folded I proceed to remove the staples from the bound sketchbook as it came to me from the Brooklyn Art Library. I have my sewing needle and my black linen thread ready for sewing my new binding with the new cut and folded paper. The wooden handled awl will be used to poke the holes for the thread. I’ll be reusing the holes made by the staples and adding one more hole.
Below you can see my almost finished binding and a bit of the way the new paper will unfold from the book. Now I’ll finish off the stitch and trim the excess thread.
In case you’re following my project’s progress my last post about it is here: https://sueclancy.com/2017/08/01/me-and-the-sketchbook-project/
General info about The Brooklyn Art Library and The Sketchbook Project is here: https://www.sketchbookproject.com/
Below are some books I’m currently reading that are “feeding” many of my upcoming art projects. That’s art exhibits, illustration projects and yes even my sketchbook work for The Sketchbook Project I blogged about last post. Even though it may seem that I produce a random variety of things – there’s a uniformity to my randomness and it begins with what I read. I see all of the things I make as telling a visual/tactile story about being human, enjoying life and living well. And to help me develop my visual story I read…
In case you can’t see all the titles in the picture they are:
“Wonderland; How play made the world” by Steven Johnson
“Books for Living” by Will Schwalbe
“The Creative Spark; How imagination made humans exceptional” by Agustin Fuentes
“The Foundations of Mindfulness” by Eric Harrison
“Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel
All of these books relate to themes I’ve been working with artistically for some time now:
How being willing to try new foods, to eat diverse foods, has helped us develop biologically as physical human beings. And how it helps us still.
Playing music, playing games, “playing” with our food – each kind of play in it’s own way has helped humans as a species develop and maintain physical and mental structures as individuals – and also social structures as communities. This is still true today. When we do not take time to play we hurt ourselves and each other.
Reading books (and writing them) has helped us – as a species – to pass on information so that each generation doesn’t have to completely reinvent the world from scratch. This ability to collect information, and learn from it, informs our abilities to play – to playfully combine/recombine things – helping us to develop and maintain our mental skills.
Which leads me to mindfulness. Mindfulness for me is the human ability to pay attention, to focus attention and also to have a state of open/non-judgmental acceptance – curiosity even. This is essential to developing, having and keeping our human ability to imagine and be creative. Mindfulness is part of being able to play and learn…and being able to play and learn is a way of being mindful. And for me, keeping a sketchbook, making art, is at it’s heart an exercise in playful mindfulness – but more about that in another post.
The novel by Esquivel is included in my current reading list because woman does not live by non-fiction alone.
Now please pass the popcorn. Thank you.
I’m participating in The Sketchbook Project – https://www.sketchbookproject.com/ and I’m excited about it! I love the democracy of the project. That us professional artists are on a shelf along with school teachers or students, with college kids and with art-as-a-hobby enthusiasts. I love it that we’re all in this sketchbook project together!
I’ll be trying something experimental with my sketchbook. I’ll be working at creating a somewhat wordless story that combines my interests in food, music and…. dogs!
Here’s what I got in the mail from The Sketchbook Project:
And yes, I’ll post updates periodically about my progress.