Tags
Fabriano, hot press watercolor paper, mixed media, mixed-media artist, Sketchbook, Sue Bleiweiss, The Sketchbook Challenge, The Sketchbook Challenge Giveaway
Last year I was part of The Sketchbook Challenge, a blog created by Sue Bleiweiss devoted to challenging its readers to keep a sketchbook. You probably already know that Sue took her concept and authored a great little book (recently released by Potter Craft), and I was included!
The bulk of this book features sketchbook pages of 24 mixed-media artists, each working to a theme, and then taking the sketchbook pages to a finished painting, quilt, or artist book. It also includes text which each participant contributed to walk the reader through their process.
My theme was “symbols,” and I ended up choosing the rabbit as my symbol. The finished piece was this painting, which is titled “Sad Bunny” and now hangs in little Liam’s bedroom:
Sad Bunny, watercolor, gesso, pencil on wood.
Before painting, though, I made a 12-page medium-sized sketchbook with Fabriano hot press watercolor paper (140#), and filled the whole thing with different interpretations of rabbits. I was just trying to explore different media and ideas mostly, as well as draw from photo references so that I could get a better feel for how rabbits really look!
Here are a few spreads that made it into the book:
And, for fun, a few spreads that didn’t make it in (click to enlarge):
It was really fun to work with a theme in mind over so many pages — a way of working I don’t usually attempt (thanks, Sue, for the challenge!).
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The Sketchbook Challenge Book Blog Hop:
Sue (a.k.a. “Sueperwoman”) has lined up a list of very generous sponsors who have donated prize packages (worth over $1100!) to give away during the hop.
Comment on this blog now for your chance to win
a $25 gift certificate to Joggles.com
(Joggles.com is a site which hosts online classes.) I will choose a winner randomly on Sunday, July 8th.
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And the winner out of 170 commenters is #168 — artexpectations!
Thanks to everyone who commented (and said such nice things about my rabbits)!!
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And don’t forget to check out these other blogs, where giveaways are already happening!
June 26:
Jill Berry http://jillberrydesign.com/blog/
Sue Bleiweiss http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog
June 27:
Violette http://www.violette.ca/
Kathyanne White http://kathyanneart.blogspot.com/
June 28:
Kathy Sperino http://finishinglinesbyksperino.blogspot.com/
Leslie Tucker Jenison http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/
June 29:
Jamie Fingal http://jamiefingaldesigns.blogspot.com/
Lynn Krawczyk http://fibraartysta.blogspot.com/
July 2:
Jackie Bowcutt http://stitchworks-jackie.blogspot.com/
Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/
July 3:
Jane Davies http://janedavies-collagejourneys.blogspot.com/
Kim Rae Nugent http://kimraenugent.blogspot.com/
July 5:
Carla Sonheim www.carlasonheim.wordpress.com/
Carol Sloan www.carolbsloan.blogspot.com/
July 6:
Susan Brubaker Knapp http://www.bluemoonriver.blogspot.com/
Diana Trout http://www.dianatrout.typepad.com
July 9:
Tracie Lyn Huskamp http://www.thereddoor-studio.blogspot.com/
Judi Hurwitt http://www.approachable-art.blogspot.com
July 10:
Jane LaFazio http://janeville.blogspot.com/
Kelli Nina Perkins: http://ephemeralalchemy.blogspot.com/
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The Sketchbook Challenge Book blog hop is sponsored by:
Mistyfuse http://www.mistyfuse.com
My Creative Classroom http://www.mycreativeclassroom.com
ArtPlantae Today http://artplantaetoday.com/
Gelli Arts http://www.gelliarts.com/
Joggles http://www.joggles.com
Sue Pelland Designs http://suepellanddesigns.com/
ProChemical and Dye http://prochemicalanddye.com/home.php
The Thread Studio http://www.thethreadstudio.com/
Blue Twig Studio http://www.bluetwigstudio.com/
The Artist Cellar http://artistcellar.com/
And you can purchase a copy at any local bookstore or the following online outlets:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sketchbook-Challenge-Techniques-Inspiration-Achieving/dp/0307796558
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sketchbook-challenge-sue-bleiweiss/1106242576
ArtPlantae: http://www.artplantaebooks.com/book/9780307796554