WOYWW 230

It's time again for another WOYWW. Number 230 already, so yet again time to snoop around those artsy workdesks around the world.

This time I have a different workdesk for you.



My writing desk this time, the way it usualy looks when I'm writing a blogpost.

Second spread in Beate's journal

Today I finally finished the second spread in Beate's Round Robin art journal. I had some difficulty with this one. Her theme for the journal was Fools and or Divinities and in keeping with the theme, I wanted this one to be about fools. The first one, I thought, was about Divinities. I also wanted it to be completely different.

I ended up making this one about Divinities and the first one about fools. Somehow intertwined, as they are in life. Both being two sides of the same thing, forever connected and dependant upon each other.

I did find my quote for the first spread and together with that one I found the quote to go with the second spread. They are both from Ursula K. Le Guin.

WOYWW 229

I think I skipped a few WOYWW's, I just haven't been able to keep up with all that's going on. Things are just not going to plan, as so often in life, but I think I'm getting it back together again. I just need to take it really slow and let go of the pressure.

So today I thought I would show you what my workdesk looks like when I'm like this...

You wouldn't believe the mess I make...I've got too much on my mind and it shows.

First spread in Beate's journal

Last night I finished the first spread in Beate's Round Robin art journal. I did plan to do both, but forgot I had a birthday party to go to. As my father-in-law turned 85 and we celebrated that happy fact last saturday.

At first I was a bit anxious to touch her journal, as she made such a beautiful book. I really didn't want to ruin it, with me goofing around with paints and stuff.

Once I took some precautionary measures, like taping the spine and protective sheets under the pages I intended to work on, I got a bit more secure. While working on it I gained confidence and in the end I was just painting like as if it was my book =).

I did take a few progress shots and some details...

Travelers Notebooks and a sneek peek at Beate's journal

Lately I've sortof been obsessed with making these Midori style Travelers Notebooks (MTN) and things to put in them. Trying to figure out how to put it all together and make those beautiful notebooks, covers and accesories.

What materials to use, the leather, the elastic and those nifty thingies they use to connect the elastic on the spine and yes I did find out what they were. Me being me, I obviously could not stop before I figured it all out...

I also joined two facebook groups (Midori Traveler's Notebook resources and Midori Traveler's Notebook Nederland) and have been having fun with posting a photo a day following prompts by Monia Marzo.

In the midst of all this, completely neglected my blog...well not completely, because I did make an extra page for the blog, where I keep a listing of my downloadable files for making the inserts for the Travelers Notebooks (TN).

I've also started selling these Travelers Notebooks though they are not listed in my store yet.

What I'll be sending out into the world

The last few weeks I've been really busy getting my art journal ready for a Round Robin (or circle journal) I'm participating in. I found myself getting distracted a lot and doing a lot of procrastinating, because actually I'm a bit scared about doing this.

A bit scared, as I've never done anything like this before and very exited, because I think it'll be AWESOME. So I finally finished it and I think it's ready to send on it's journey out into the world.

The round Robin is hosted by Tracy Woodsford (Sojourner) and there are 7 of us making this journey. Tracy asked us to make a journal with room for 15 spreads. Each participant would then do 2 spreads and one would be for the sign in. Obviously I deviated from that, because I'm a rebel.

Haha, no just because I wanted a certain approach to the book  that wasn't going to work with the 15 spreads.

The theme I choose for the book is: "What lies within..." and it has a subtitle, a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within us out into the world, miracles happen.”

In keeping with that theme, I felt the TARDIS* to be a great metaphor for this. I used the River Song book as an example. I also wanted the signatures to be removable, so it would be easy for each participant to work on.

* Time And Relative Dimensions In Space

I took a few progress shot, but mostly forgot to take them. Still, here they are together with some detail shots and a short show and tell video.

29 Faces Final check-in #23 - 29 or there abouts...

Final check-in for the 29 faces challenge. Though I have been practicing faces every day this month, most of them were just quick scribbles in my journal. 

As today is the 30th of september I thought I would add a quick painting in my art journal and then call it a day.

I think I learned a lot by just doing a face every day and it has been an interesting experience. I will try and keep sketching a face every day, be it in my journal, or whatever medium I have at hand =). So maybe someday I will be able to just sit somewhere and sketch people passing by...I would so love to be able to do that.

I don't have my regular camera at the moment, so here are some shots made with my iPhone.