Stawberry Moon Eve and Full Moon

Stawberry Moon Eve and Full Moon, a photo by PJBee on Flickr.

You know I can't let a full moon pass me by :)

One more painting at Sketching in Nature blog. And, the full story on my blog.

The book is in, at Amazon!

Well , cool, it appears the book got to Amazon and is being shipped out earlier than they had expected!  Rachel Kopel on our open Facebook group just announced it, and I'm excited to hear what you all think. 

This spread, part of the "Designing Your Pages" section, shows a couple of mine up top, with friends and blog co-authors Nina Johansson, Pam Johnson Brickell and Ellen Burkett arranged at the bottom.  As you can see, the book is just FULL of ideas on designing pages (the top entry in our poll at right!)

This spread is on memory pages...my grandmother's necklace and a childhood toy, plus blog co-author Vicky Williamson's visit to grandchildren and Roz Stendahl's "Daily Dots," her daily project sketching her beloved dog.

Here are a couple of representative spreads, but I'd recommend you go to Amazon and click "Look inside!"  LOTS more...

Meanwhile, I just got off the phone with Nicole Miller, North Light's terrific new fine arts publicist who has so many ideas my head is spinning.  How about a podcast?  Webinar?  Interview?  Babble babble...

Having kept journals for 40+ years, and being completely committed to the benefits, creatively, personally, and even spiritually, I can't tell you how delighted I am! 

Some of the books on journaling written 30-50 years ago are being reissued...tells you something, doesn't it!  (We'll do some reviews as we get the chance...)

Pool Party Birthday!

This was the new Noodler's Flex nib pen with watercolor...Platinum Carbon Black ink.

You do need to wait a minute or so when you're using a heavy application of ink, on this paper (Fabriano HP) to let it dry thoroughly, because it doesn't sink into the paper.

 

I do love those lines!  

Here's a comparison with my beloved old vintage Waterman 152, from the 1920s...it was almost out of ink, so the lines are lighter, but you can see almost the same variation in line is possible...

Overall, very happy with the pen, as well as with that ink!

Noodler's Flex Pens on Amazon

Noodler's Flex on Amazon




Yep, someone just said they've got these on Amazon now...maybe more easily available, now that a new shipment is out! This is the color I got...quite nice.

They are smaller than a lot of pens, but I like that...fits my hand, and my need to lighten up!

New book in Kindle edition!

Well this is interesting! You can get the new book on Kindle, right NOW--one of my students is reading it (bound copies are still a week or two out.) I'm not knowledgeable about these things, but looks like it's available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, PC and Mac, AND they let you read the first chapter free. Cool!

Has anyone tried it that way?  Any idea how it looks?  I gather it's not color on her Kindle...and it NEEDS color, with all that lovely art from our contributors!

Noodler's Flex Pen

I got mine today, and I am VERY pleased.  It's amazingly versatile, with a wide range of line widths.  Interestingly, when you fill it with their Lexington Grey ink, the lines vary in value too...thinner lines put down less ink, so are grayer.  Press on the nib to flex for a wider line, and you get quite dark ones!  (You do need to wait a bit for those dark ones to dry...)

The pen is lightweight, which I like, and it writes and draws smoothly, particularly on this paper--Fabriano Hot Press.  No feathering or sinking in in blobs...

It has a screw cap, which I like and my husband doesn't--I LIKE it to stay put.  It has a built in piston so you don't need a separate converter or a cartridge to fill it, and little translucent "windows" so you can see how much ink you have left.

All in all, I am well pleased...it was worth the wait!  For $14, I am in LOVE.

I got mine from Goulet Pen Company, who were very nice to work with, but I understand there are a few other places that sell them, like ISellPens.com.  They go fast, though...looks like Goulet's mostly out again!

For this price, they can't be beat...and I'm delighted that they flex as much as my beloved antique Waterman 152, which wants to leak all over the place!

*Note:  There have been some negative reviews too, please read the comments below...

And nope, I don't get a cut from Noodler's, I don't work for them, I just trust Nina's judgement and had to try one.  As I said, for the price I am delighted!

Interview #11--Meet Lapin!

Meet Lapin!  He's a charming and talented guy whose work I first saw on the wildly popular Urban Sketchers blog--I fell in love and I know you will too. As we noted in our teaser--and as you can see in this interview--he works on old ledgers and lined paper a lot, to amazing effect. 

He goes by lapinbarcelona on Flickr, so take a peek, there's a lot to delight you there.  His portfolio shows a lot of his illustrating work, as well...a versatile fellow!

Here he is in his own words, but keep reading--interview below!

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I'm a French illustrator living in Barcelona for 4 years and a half.

I’m graduate of the private art school Pivaut (2001, in Nantes, France), and worked for 5 years as a graphic designer in Paris and in Barcelona, and than decided to work as a freelance illustrator.

I'm working for edition, fashion, advertising and magazines, and participate to many exhibitions in Europe, mostly about travel books and sketchbooks. I’m also used to teach “sketching” during workshop in university and in art school.

I am an Usk correspondent from Barcelona, and was one of the instructor of the first urban sketchers symposium in Portland last summer.

My illustrations were published in “Illustration Now 3” (Taschen) and “Illusive 3” (die Gestalten Verlag) and by many creative review as Elephant (UK), Computer Arts (UK), Grab (Italy)…

Whether he's drawing boats, buildings, people or nature, Lapin's work is immediately eye-catching..

And now to our interview!  This time, Lapin's answers are in italics...
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Q.- Do you work in your sketch journal every day?

A.- I have to sketch in it every day, and I’m in a very bad mood when I do not have time to do so. It became an habitude and a necessity.

I love this whimsical tree with a face, feet, and tail...

Q.- How did you happen to start using ledgers and graph paper?

A. -I’m sketching in notebooks for nearly 10 years now, and very quickly, I was wondering which kind of notebooks will fit the best to me.
 
My love for the flea markets is part of the answer. I found there some old diaries of the 60’s and 70’s, and decided to bring one for a trip in Mexico. I immediately fall in love for this lined paper that create a new dimension to my sketches, and I’m still amazed by the quality of this “vintage paper”.
 
Each time I show one of those sketchbooks to some other sketchers, they can’t believe that a paper that fine support some watercolour on the both side.
 
So I’m looking for new ones every time I go to a flea market along my trips.
 
I actually published 3 facsimiles of my sketchbooks numbers 98, 108 and 120, which are originally some old Spanish book accounts.

Q.- What interests you most? (people, travel, buildings, and why?)

A.-More or less in that order, meeting people, travelling every day, and sketching the cities I visit. It’s how I record my surrounding, and all my sketchbooks are my personal archive.

Q.- How does your sketch journal relate to your job, if it does?

A. It relates to the place I visit for my job, but today my sketchbooks ARE my job, the most important part of it. I had some commissioned sketchbooks about some village in France, more recently about the Sagrada Familia of Gaudi in Barcelona (coming soon), and I'm working secretly on a personal guide of Barcelona, and this will be a very long job, there is so much to tell about this lovely city.
I could tell you a scoop, I will publish my very fresh Istanbul's sketchbook, but don’t tell it.
Q. - Other thoughts? Whatever else you feel is more important, personally, to YOU...

A. I like the way sketching every day what I have in front of me keep me curious and attentive to the most simple details of my life. It’s also a spontaneous way to meet any kind of people everywhere!

Lapin's sketch of correspondent Nina Johansson

Lapin gets to meet up with a number of other sketchers, many of whom are devoted to travel sketching.  He's met our own Laura Frankstone (Interview # 5, here), Liz Steel (Interview #2), and again, Nina Johansson, Interview #10!  (Click on the links if you missed them or would like to revisit!)

Don't miss Lapin's blog, with new work all the time...it's HERE.

And thank you, Lapin, for sharing with us, here an in the upcoming book!