sketching kit

pop-up pet portraits

A Creative Life, art commissions, art techniques, artistic inspirations, cat portrait, Cats in art, dog portrait, Dogs in Art, fine art, handmade papers, public art, sketchbook

Dec 7th during my pop-up shop at Vintage Books https://www.vintage-books.net/ from noon to 4 I’ll be doing some “live drawing”; I’ll work in my sketchbook and if anyone wants a small portrait of their pet I’ll happily do one using a phone photo as inspiration.

PortraitPractice

These portraits I’ll do at the pop-up shop are what I call “quickie sketches” – less complex than the portraits I’m often commissioned to do via the Caplan Art Design Gallery or the Joseph Gierek Fine Art Gallery – more like what I do in my sketchbook and still a fun gift for the holiday.  Each portrait I do will take about 20 minutes more or less.  A command performance art piece! (What fun!!!)

Since I’ll be doing these portraits on-site at the Vintage Books bookstore I’m currently in the process of testing my portable art kit to make sure I’ll have everything I need.  A dear friend let me come to her house with my art kit and do a practice session – on her kitchen table – with a pic of her dog on her phone! (pictured in this post)

I’m using my ink pens, my Pentel Water-Brushes (to minimize the need for a water source) color pencils and my gouache colors on handmade paper. During the practice session I discovered I need to pack a few more items – like more paper towels, some wax paper… –  so I’ll practice some more between now and Dec. 7th!

oh gouache its cold

A Creative Life, art techniques, artistic inspirations, sketchbook

As I posted on my blog here I’ve been experimenting with Gouache, a new-to-me art media. Well, I’ve been enjoying my efforts in the studio that I decided to add gouache to my “running around loose” sketching kit. I took an old Altoids mint can – the mini mint size – and put some of my gouache colors in it and slipped that into my go-sketching bag. I also took my watercolors. The watercolors are in a flat tin about the size of a small I-phone but just a little wider.  My bag is about the size of the unabridged hardback version of “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams. (one of my favorites!) The sketchbook is 3 inches by 5 inches.

Here’s a photo of my kit and my sketchbook – with the page I did while out-in-the-world.

GouacheKit1 Judy and I walked along the Columbia River. It was so cold that about half-way through our walk we popped in to a coffee shop for hot chocolates. I did the sketch of the boats on the river quickly while drinking my hot chocolate. It took 10 minutes or so. The paint dried fast in the cold wind.

The result of today’s adventure: I think gouache is portable enough and is workable even with frozen fingers. My only issue is that I don’t like the red color that came with the kit. It’s too magenta for my taste and not red enough – it’s not fire-engine red.  So I’ll go back to the art supply store soon!

And yes, I took a towel with me on my sketching outing. A paper towel. Douglas Adams would be pleased I think. Note to self: bring gloves next time.

more from time tavern

A Creative Life, artist book, sketchbook, The Sketchbook Project, visual story

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.

time tavern sketchbook progress

A Creative Life, artist book, sketchbook, The Sketchbook Project, visual story

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:

TimeTavernLayout72

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?

TimeTavernSettingView172

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…

TimeTavernSetting72

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/

sketchbook progress time

A Creative Life, artist book, sketchbook, The Sketchbook Project

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/

story strands in my sketchbook project

A Creative Life, artist book, sketchbook, The Sketchbook Project

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.

Time Tavern

the beginning of a fold out sheet in a sketchbook by Clancy for the Brooklyn Art Library

Insert272

the inner spread prior to opening the folds

InsertSpread72

the fold-out pages folded out

Insert472

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/

sketchbook project progress

A Creative Life, artist book, sketchbook, The Sketchbook Project

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.

CuttingInsertPages72

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.

CutPaperRemoveStaples

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.

CutPaperSewnIn

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/

me and the sketchbook project

A Creative Life, artist book, sketchbook, The Sketchbook Project

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:

FromTSP72

And yes, I’ll post updates periodically about my progress.

my running around loose sketching kit

A Creative Life, art exhibit, creative thinking, drawing as thinking, sketchbook

People attending my fine art opening at Burnt Bridge Cellars have told me that they enjoyed seeing my free ebook sketchbook as part of my exhibit and several have asked me: “What does your sketching kit look like?”

Here’s a picture of it.

SketchingKit72

Clancy’s “running around loose” sketching kit

The bag is new to me recently – but this is the contents of my “running around loose” sketching kit: a mechanical pencil, an eraser, ink pens, a small watercolor set, color pencils and my bound sketchbook.  The sketchbook is 5 x 3 inches. My new bag measures 9 inches by 7 inches and about 3.5 inches deep. My old bag was bigger but had the same contents as above plus half the library and the kitchen sink.  This new smaller bag weighs much less because the only “extra” thing I add to it is my sunglasses.

I call this my “running around loose” kit – because I take it along with me wherever I go and make 5 minute or less drawings with it.  This name also distinguishes it from my studio sketchbook – which is a different breed ….

You can download, for free, my recent “running loose” sketchbook here: https://sueclancy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/gladtobealivedrinkmusiced.pdf

Other sketches – and artist books by me can be seen here https://sueclancy.com/artist-books/