New Year's Book

The weather has definitely started to act more like winter in Nebraska. I have heard about various methods of keeping water-based paints in liquid form when out painting snow scenes, but I guess I am not that dedicated. Maybe sketching from the comfort of a warm car is still an option. Or I need to find the fingerless gloves I bought in the Smoky Mountains years ago on a very cold camping and painting trip. Anyhow, in the meantime, I suppose it's time to dust off those indoor art projects I came up with in the fall.

 One project was a New Year's resolution book. Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do you look back on them and see if you have accomplished any at the end of the year? One pleasant surprise I had last week was in rereading my 2015 resolutions, and discovering that I had actually accomplished some. I didn't think I had accomplished much at all, so it was a great surprise. Of course, not everything was done, so some have been bumped to 2016's list. That's ok. I aim high, and readjust if necessary. Some of the goals couldn't be reached in a year, and I didn't realize that. We need to be kind to ourselves with these resolutions, and sometimes things really are not within our control. But it is good to take the time to reevaluate our lives and our hopes and dreams.

In any case, I found a book form in Alisa Golden's Making Handmade Books called an accordion book with flower fold pages. I thought it would make a nice book for my 2016 resolutions, so I modified it. I had gouache from a calligraphy project sitting out on the worktable, so that was thrown in, too, though it didn't give the effect on the branches that I get with sumi ink or watercolor. The red for the berries, however, was as bright as I'd hoped.

The resolutions are written inside of the flower fold pages, which are glued inside of the accordion.

I am praying for a beautiful and inspiring year for my family, and for everyone who reads this. May 2016 be a year of peace and joy for you and yours!

Art, Fall, and Life!

Lately, I feel a bit like this little one:

I am finding a lot of ideas for art projects, and storing them away for winter. I've learned that part of caring for my artistic self is to spend as much time outdoors with a sketchbook now, while I can. The weather has been beautiful, if a bit warm.

Bigger projects can wait for when it is too brutally cold to set foot on a hiking trail.

I have also been experimenting with monoprinting using a Gelli plate. I don't have the results yet that I am looking for, but will be trying a few new experiments over the next few weeks.

More African violets

More flowers... this is why I need to have flowers in the house!

Sometimes, when the light hits these just so, they sparkle as though they are covered in tiny crystals.

Houseplants

Today was one of those rare days when I had a totally free schedule. No obligations, nowhere I had to be, just a free day. And it was beautiful outside!

I am slowly rebuilding a houseplant collection since our move. It just doesn't feel like home without plants all around.

I started today with three new violets. I love African violets! The flowers are gorgeous. My new plants are next to a dodecahedron made from Ekaterina Lukasheva's model, "Hypnose." Two of my favorite things: modular origami and African violets!

I spent the rest of the afternoon washing pots, shoveling potting soil, and repotting plants.

The weather is changing, and we'll soon have the windows shut tightly against the cold. I hope to have a head start on the indoor forest by then. Real plants in a home are living, growing things, and can bring joy and happiness to our lives. Taking care of them is a fun hobby, too, and we are rewarded many times over for the small effort they require. I think houseplants are vastly under appreciated.

Katrina

There is so much to say, and there are so few words.

Ten years. Since this.

For those of us from New Orleans, our landscape changed forever. The aftermath has been both good and bad. Talk to people from the city, though, and you will hear that they are back. The focus is on the positive and the new buildings, better buildings, and the spirit of community that resulted in places like Musician's Village being built. This is a good thing. New Orleanians are resilient, joyful people.

For those of you who didn't live there or grow up there, and who don't know the richness of the culture and the beauty of the people, it is almost impossible to explain. New Orleans was, and is, a very special place. It is a culture that cannot be grasped through glimpses of Mardi Gras parades on national tv. It is a culture that is all about neighborhoods and community, feeding each other good food, and rejoicing and crying together.

The city has rebuilt. Time has moved on. But there is still the loss. People were lost. A city's landscape was changed forever. Sometimes you turn a corner, and see a visible scar that makes you catch your breath.

After ten years, we can stop to pray, and remember.

This crucifix went through the storm, in a home that is no longer there. God remains with us. Always.

Rough Sketches of Bird Behavior

I will get back to the Prairie Journal later. I wanted to show how rough some of my observational sketches are, day-to-day.

Why show the scribbles? These are *not* Art. But they are examples of how keeping a regular sketchbook or journal can prompt scientific questions. It can also help you work through some of those questions, and is an important record of what you are seeing.

If I draw something, I remember what I see much more clearly. The artistic and the logical, scientific side of the brain are working together. The scientist wins most of the battle in pages like this, though. I need to get the information down, fast. It is too easy to forget details.

Here is one of my field journal pages as an example. I was looking out of the back window, and I saw four woodpeckers (Northern Flickers) in the yard. That is unusual: I usually see only one at a time.

Sorry about the red glare!

Two of them put their beaks into the air and began to bob their heads and move them side to side. It looked like a dance. I grabbed the sketchbook, scribbled down their positions in the grass, and made some notes. I always include a date, and usually include a bit about the weather. I didn't try to get a realistic Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker drawing down. Just the rough shapes, and a record of the motion.

The next step was to comb my books. What were they doing? They flew off in separate directions after doing this dance, so maybe it wasn't a courtship dance. I found nothing in the first three books I checked, and then found in the Birder's Handbook that it probably was a courtship dance. I noted that, and the reference.

This then prompted further questions. Why now? Shouldn't I have seen this in the spring? It seems strange for the end of summer. Maybe there is time to raise another brood of Flickers. How long does it take to incubate the eggs, and fledge the young? Where are they nesting? These are questions I still need to research, and in the case of the nest, observe to try to find out.

Because I have this rough scribble, I can use this as a jumping-off point to learn more about the Flickers. Maybe someone else has observed this in my part of Nebraska in August. And, if not, here is a record! I sometimes look back through my field journals, and can see trends over time.

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Birds and other animals can be tough to sketch, especially when they are moving. The end result is worth it, even if you think it is too rough. You can always go back later and do a detailed drawing based on what you have learned. Think of this as information-gathering, and keep it in a separate field book, not where you keep your artistic drawings. That helps to separate the two.

90 units, or How Not to Make an Origami Model

I should subtitle this: Do not attempt to do this the way that I did it.

At least, please heed the advice of those who say not to attempt to assemble a 90 unit dodecahedron in two 45 unit parts. This was a real learning experience for me.

Good thing the battle scars are not too visible in this picture. It's not pretty! There are damaged units and glue spots.

I learned:

-listen to all of the modular origami experts, and assemble this in one piece, not two halves. It is really, really hard to get the two halves together. It ended with my building a construction stand out of a giant spool, a wooden block, a Styrofoam ball, poster putty, and a dowel. You know it's gotten out of hand when the cashier at the craft store says, "This is the oddest combination of items I've ever seen!" Yes, it is.

-don't use gift wrap for something this massive. It will begin to collapse. I had to use the aforementioned Styrofoam ball as an internal structural support.

- I am probably the hardest-headed person on the planet for not throwing the entire thing in the trash as I fought with this for months.

So... I post this as a warning. If you make a 90 unit model, don't be tempted to make two 45 unit halves, thinking that you can easily fit them together. It will be a nightmare. Use heavy paper. And remember that origami is usually relaxing. If you are ready to throw your model out the window, something has gone horribly wrong! I think my next project will be a nice, 6 unit cube!

And now, I can get back to painting!

Starting a New Journal, Part 3

We now have a page decorated in watercolor, but it still needs something to draw a reader in. I decided to use Copperplate calligraphy to draw a heading. I'm still learning Copperplate, and am not an expert in that hand by any stretch of the imagination! And this is drawn with a pencil, then overdrawn with a colored pencil. It is good enough for this, though. I have the look I was trying to achieve.

This is one way to approach that first page: using calligraphy, watercolor paint, and a page design. Of course, yours will be very different, but it is fun to see how other artists work.

For more inspiration and variety, here is a sampling of a few recent page designs that I've done. The astronomy journal on the bottom left is still in progress. It needs more contrast, and I will probably add inks.

You can tell from the cow design that I am playing around with different lettering, too.

Next time, we'll discuss content... thank you for reading!

Starting a New Journal, Part 2

We've traced the rectangle from the right hand side of the layout onto the first page of the journal, using a light box. What next?

I would love for this rugged looking journal to have a formal feel inside, but not too formal. I decided to make it look like a more contemporary version of an illuminated book. I decided to use a watercolor sketch of my new favorite wildflower, and to have it break through the rectangle, for a contemporary look. I'll also plan to use watercolor, because I love splashing paint around, and this Ingres paper can take it.

The next step is to draw a flower sketch in pencil. I decide to use an arrangement of grass leaves next to the flower that is a bit Art Nouveau and decorative, rather than realistic.

And then it's time to splash paint.

On the side, you can see a test strip. It's always a good idea to test your paints on the paper that you will be using, as each paper reacts differently. I like to collage these in, or use them as a bookmark, by adding perle cotton to the top.

There is more to do before this page is done. Stay tuned!

Starting a New Journal

Opening a new journal and staring at a blank white page, with many other blank white pages behind it, can be an intimidating feeling.

Over the next few weeks, I'll share some ideas on how to get started. Remember, these are just ideas. Your journal is just that... yours! If you have a gut feeling about how you want to proceed, go for it. Don't worry about messing up. Worry and fear will make you freeze, leaving you with blank pages and an empty book, which is not what we want. Keep in mind you can always slice out the first page with a hobby knife if you really don't like it.

We'll start with that very first page. What are you going to do with it? I admit, with almost 30 years of nature journaling under my belt, I've only just begun to think about page design. In the past, my journals were just resources, field notes that I took to give me something to go from for more finished work, or a record of beautiful days spent outdoors. Very few people ever looked in my field journals. Now, I find that the world of art blogging and sketching is encouraging me to think about sharing these sketches, which means they have to communicate something to others, not just to me. And they should look good on the page, ideally.

So, with that in mind, I'm going to share the process of designing pages for a few new journals. We'll start with my Prairie Journal, housed in the Lewis and Clark-inspired journal that I wrote about a while back.

The journal has a rugged look. I thought it would be a very interesting contrast to have a more formal interior. With that in mind, I turned to Dubay and Getty's Italic Letters book for instructions on how to lay out a Canon page design. This is the design used in the late Middle Ages to the beginning of the Renaissance, and it has a wonderful feel to it. There is something indescribably beautiful, I think, about the way this page layout looks.

Notice the geometry? That's probably why I love it.

I traced the text area in red ink to make it easier to see. The next step was to place it on a light box, with the first page of my journal over the right hand side of the layout.

Next time, we'll look at how to get started after tracing the rectangle.

 

Wildflower!

I found the wildflower I was searching for: the purple prairie clover, Dalea purpurea! For more about where I found it, and the other flowers that were flowering on the prairie today, see my other blog, NE Digital Daybook.

I will be using this flower as a theme in my artwork, since I now live in a prairie state. I chose a clover as a connection to my Irish ancestors, who were also once strangers far from home. And I chose this specific clover because the color is so beautiful. Local guidebooks also mention the strength of its stems. So how could I not love beauty, strength, and symbolism all in one flower? But wait, there's more! It was collected by Meriwether Lewis, too!

I set out today with a sketchbook and camera, but when I broke out the sketchbook, I was swarmed by black flies. I remember reading somewhere that Lewis and Clark complained about them. Anyhow, it became a photography-only trip. I will have to work from my photos, and the mental notes I took about the plants to paint them. So much for plein air sketching!

Have a beautiful evening. The fireflies are everywhere here!

Astronomy Journal

This has been an exciting summer for astronomy. I was awed by the sight of the Venus and Jupiter conjunction, and I am now eagerly checking the news from NASA as they post pictures of Pluto and its moons.

In August, the Perseid meteor shower is supposed to peak on the night of the 13th. The New Moon is on the 14th, so this means that there will be a greater chance to see the meteor shower without competing light from the moon.

Astronomy has been finding its way into my journals lately, but I decided the subject deserved a journal of its own. I chose a dos-a-dos (back-to-back) format, casing the pages into a hardcover binding. I think I will use one side for events like the meteor shower, and the other side for everyday observations. However, I discovered that this format is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult to get everything to sit perfectly in the binding.

Here is what the cover papers looked like, before they were glued on. The color of the illustration is subtle, as is the paper itself. To the right on the top is a test paper. You can see in the top left corner that a watercolor gold test did not go well! The tiny bit of water that I used left a large water ring. This is the messy part of illumination... finding out what works, and what doesn't! The beautiful bright gold moon was gouache, but it was too stark on this paper for my taste. (You can click on the image for a better look).

I had to use a PVA glue on this paper since my usual wheat paste left water spots. The one I used is called Jade, which has many good qualities. Its drawback is that it dries fast, so with a binding like this, I did not have much time to get things right! If I had been able to use my usual PVA/paste combo, it would have allowed me to shift things around and reposition them without rushing.

This is my book press, made for me by my husband and son. It is simple, but effective. I leave finished books to dry in there for a few days, and opening it is like opening a Christmas gift. The book always looks better when it is removed.

And here is the book being released from the press!

Tearing paper for the pages, rather than cutting, is time consuming, but gives a lovely handmade feel to the edge to the paper. It always seems to stick out a bit more when I do this. If I ever decide to make this book format again, I will add additional width to the covers.

I like how the illustrations came out on the covers. I was playing around with a monoline Uncial calligraphy written on a curve. I really like this effect- probably because Uncial is so rounded, and the curve echoes this look. I have chosen words from Psalms 147, 148, and 104 that mention stars and the moon.

Thank you for visiting! I hope this inspires you to get out and look up at the sky. There is so much beauty to see all around us.

Dodecahedron, continued!

Still waiting on the wildflower to start my journal.  It should be soon! I hope...

In the meantime, the modular origami using Sonobe units continues. Remember when I mentioned the 90 unit dodecahedron? It is taking months to finish. I put it aside to work on the journals, and am only now picking it back up. Here is what it looks like right now.

This is the bottom section, assembled. Imagine another *big* section like it, inverted over the top. That's kind of how it will look when it is finished. Once I get to this point in the assembly, it is exciting to see how it's coming together. I think the half-finished model is pretty in its own way, too.

You can see a bone folder on the side, on top of the pile of gift wrap squares, and some individual Sonobe units piled up. The bone folder takes some time to get used to, but it really will help you get the creases sharp. The finished model will be prettier.

Anyhow, I don't think I've shown how Sonobe units can form a cube, too. Here's a picture of how six of them can fit together to form a cube.

This cube only lasted long enough to take a picture... those six units are needed for the 90-unit dodecahedron!

I also made a rhombidodecahedron using Thomas Hull's bouncy units. He has instructions on his YouTube channel that show how to make this. It required 24 bouncy units.

Notice the shape of the interior holes. This model came out squishy and bouncy, just as he said. We were surprised at how much fun it is to hold. Again, I made this from gift wrap. It might be a little sturdier made from different paper, but I enjoyed how he designed the bounce into the units, and it worked well enough with gift wrap.


Enough origami for now... Happy Fourth of July!

Wildflower search and journaling

Well, I promised to return and talk about how to start a new journal. I still hope to do that. But my own journal is delayed because I am in search of a very specific wildflower, since it has important symbolism for me. (Sorry for the mystery and suspense! The reason will be clear later.). I will say, though, that I plan to use the image of this wildflower throughout my journal.

You won't need to go this far to start your own journal, of course. But I will talk about choosing your own meaningful images or text.

Anyhow, I went out today on one of my favorite wildflower walks, and didn't find it. All is not lost, however, since I suspect some species are running a little late this year. You can see some of the beautiful flowers I did find on my other blog, Nebraska Digital Daybook.

Finding the flower is important to me because I always rely upon firsthand observations for my artwork. I have to see the flower to determine its true color, and its overall form. Until I see it, I can't draw it or paint it. Half of the fun for me is in the search, too. I am still the 18 year old girl who spent a day mesmerized by minuscule orchids hidden in my lawn back home.

And I don't want to start the journal without it. So, I will wait, and when I find it, I will be back, and I'll show you how I started the journal, and how you can adapt my techniques to get started on your own. Stay tuned!

Lewis and Clark inspired journals

I still find myself saying that I am new to Nebraska, even though I have been here for a year. This landscape is so different that I still feel as though I am seeing it all for the first time. This will be my second summer here, but the first one was lost to unpacking boxes. I know now where I want to go, what flowers and plants to look for, and some of the wild places that I want to explore before the cold comes again.

Thanks to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Nebraska City, I have also rediscovered my interest in Lewis and Clark. I have my own journey of discovery now. There are new vistas to explore, new plants to catalog and paint, new scenes to admire.

These are views of the Missouri River from the National Headquarters of the Lewis and Clark trail.

To commemorate my personal journeys of discovery, I made my own versions of an explorer's journal.

Clark's journals were bound in elk hide, with a very specific paper. The top journal, which does not yet have the pages inserted, is made from leather remnants. The bottom journal is made from imitation leather. (I found one that did not have a strong plastic odor). I like both of these journals very much, though I think the imitation leather may actually be a bit sturdier and more water repellent. They are constructed by sewing the signatures on bookbinding tapes, with a wraparound cover. This is probably the sturdiest construction for this type of journal, which I hope will be used heavily. I've dropped journals in the dirt so often that I know they need to be sturdy!

Inside, I have bound in Thai Uruyu and German Ingres papers. These are meant to be used. Once you get past the intimidating feeling of a handmade journal, and start to actually write in it, they become like old friends. Next week, I hope to show how to break in a new journal. Stay tuned!

Clear Modular Origami

One last origami post, for now! I would only suggest attempting this if you are curious, or stubborn, or both. 


This is another Toshie's jewel folded from three Sonobe units. It is made from clear giftwrap, the kind you would use to wrap baskets.



 

 

I found that to make this model, it's easiest to use a bone folder to get sharp creases. Also, use a grid underneath, so you can see through the wrap and fold along the lines.



Traffic flag book

Anyone who has lived near Baton Rouge since Katrina knows the traffic flow problems on the interstates there. One big wreck can shut the interstate system down for the afternoon, so I began carrying food and water in my car in case we were ever stranded. It happened with alarming frequency while I was living there. In true Louisiana fashion, I decided to poke fun at the situation with this book. One of the things that I really miss about LA is the sense of humor.

The covers of this book are painted museum boards.

And when you open it, the flags open up and point out in two directions. I drew cartoons of people stuck in traffic, with dogs barking and drivers taking a nap. There were times you just had to turn the engine off, and wait, and it could be for hours if it was a large wreck.

I know there are commissions studying the situation right now. The interstate there was simply not designed to handle the traffic patterns that have developed post-Katrina.  I hope they can find a solution.

Origami Envelope book

This was a fun book to make, and it's from my series of Louisiana Impressions books. I thought it would be fun to make something that might capture a child's eye, and light a creative fire. I suppose I am reaching out to kids who might be creative like I was, and give them some ideas and encouragement.

I got the idea for an origami envelope book from Alisa Golden's book, Making Handmade Books. The paper I used is painted with acrylic paints, and the book is tied together with linen thread.

The book is called Louisiana Backyard, and has removable creatures in each pocket. Inside is a crawfish, a dragonfly, a lizard, and a June bug, all of which I found in my backyard one warm summer day in Louisiana.

A Very, very small book!

A long time ago I wrote that I had made a very small book. Sometimes, it is fun to just play, and see what you can do. I wanted to see how small a hard cover could be, so I made this accordion book with a G. M. Hopkins quote.

This little book is 1" by 1 1/2". It falls into the corners of my box of finished books, and gets lost. I love foundational calligraphy, so I used that in a single line on both sides of the paper, with illustrations of wild roses. The paper is luscious Arches Text wove, and the covers are museum boards covered with Thai Uruyu paper. This is one of my favorite books!

I will be posting more of my book art over the next few weeks. It's the original reason I started to blog, so I want to get back to sharing it. The more I write, the more I love book art. Book art, I think, also uses both sides of the brain- the left to measure and plan, the right to accommodate whimsy and illustrate. I think it also brings me back to childhood, and the joy I felt making books on greenbar computer paper. Joy is something we should celebrate... we do not have enough of it in this world.

Sonobe Unit Models

I can't remember when it was that I bumped into modular origami. I do know that when I found it, I was fascinated. It is the perfect blend of art and geometry. Sonobe units were the first units I discovered while doing an internet search. From a flat square of paper, you can fold many different geometric solids.

This photo shows a basic sonobe unit- the small, winged square in the front center. To the left is a triangle made from three of these units, called a Toshie's Jewel. Above that is an octahedron made from 12 units, and on the right, an icosahedron made from 30 units. The octahedron is a variation of the basic sonobe unit by Meenakshi Mukerji, from her book Marvelous Modular Origami. You can see that all of the peaks are white. This is accomplished by a variation in folding the basic sonobe unit, described in her book, which is wonderful, by the way.

The Sonobe unit above was folded from a 4" square of giftwrap. I love using the kind with squares printed on the reverse. I can get beautiful colors, and the measuring is easy! I have learned that with many types of giftwrap, if the paper is slick, the first few units will need a touch of glue. I use a basic white school glue, and put a very small drop, before locking the units together. Later, as I complete the model, I may or may not need to keep using the glue. It all depends on the model and the kind of paper. And if others will be handling the models, sometimes it is just good insurance to use a bit of glue.

To show how the units go together, here is the beginning of a 90 unit dodecahedron that I have started. 90 units seems like a tremendous amount of folding, but these units fold very quickly, and I usually fold them while watching tv with my family. I can get quite a few folded during a football or baseball game. :)

The ability to make beautiful geometric solids out of humble squares of gift wrap and other papers has not lost its wonder for me, even though I have been playing around with this for a few years now. It seems to me that origami, and modular origami in particular, uses both sides of the brain. It has elements of math, in its geometric form, and art, in the infinite possibilities of color and patterning of the models.  And it is just pure fun, and makes a great decoration for a writing desk.

Origami Model

This is a Five Intersecting Tetrahedra model that I made from directions in Thomas Hull's book, Project Origami: Activities for Exploring Mathematics. The book is wonderful for those of us who think in three dimensions. Making this model took patience, but it was a lot of fun. I am still not sure if I got the last tetrahedron woven in properly, but I think I did!

I am looking forward to making more models from this book. Kudos to the author for writing a math text that is fun!

Reading List

While I have been researching ways to redo this blog, I quit posting... but I've decided to keep going. I'll give it an overhaul this summer, when I have more time.

In the meantime, I think I will jump back in by posting my current reading list. There are a lot of books here, but it includes some (like the physics and math books!) that are taking me a very long time to read. I tend to read a chapter of those and let the concepts soak in for a month or so.

Art books are underrepresented here. The list would grow too long. I'm not including all of the ones I pull out as I work.

In no particular order, here goes!:

Wizards Aliens and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction, by Charles L. Adler; I love this book!!! It is taking me a very long time to read- there are a lot of equations. But the concepts are fascinating, and I think it will be an invaluable writing resource. My teens are enjoying the bits I am passing along to them, too.

Cover to Cover (20th Ann. Ed.) by Shereen LaPlantz; this is a new purchase. I can't wait to dive in.

The Art of Slow Writing by Louise DeSalvo; do I really need this encouragement???!!!  :)  I am so grateful to know that I am not alone in taking a very long time with writing projects. This is a nice counterbalance to the book by Isaac Asimov I recently read, in which he said you can write well, or prolifically, but probably not both.

Living Things by Anne Porter (again...)

Splitting An Order by Ted Kooser; this is another new favorite

As You Like It by William Shakespeare; because I have to have a Shakespeare play going at all times!

Rendevous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke; I am having a hard time getting into this one. I think it is the *tiny* paperback print and yellowing paper that is giving me problems.

Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World by Jane Hirshfield; library selection; there is a good chapter on Basho. Still reading through the rest.

National Geographic's Backyard Guide to the Night Sky; there is a nice brief section on each constellation's mythology.

Project Origami: Activities for Exploring Mathematics by Thomas Hull; thank heavens for interlibrary loan! This book is wonderful. I made the five intersecting tetrahedra model, and it is stunning. Math would have been my favorite subject in school if I had been introduced to this.