Doldrums

I've been in kind of a funk the last few days, so I thought I needed to do something to shake things up. This is what I came up with. I drew the curved lines in pencil and then just started writing in pen, without working it out beforehand. That's a breakthrough of sorts for me - I generally have to see that everything will fit first.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Ken Follett is best known for writing thrillers, a genre I'm not particularly fond of.  But Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel, a genre I like a lot.  This book is set in 12th century England and tells the story of the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge.  It is a sweeping saga that covers approximately 40 years.  I enjoyed it for the most part, but wasn't unhappy to reach the end (of almost 1000 pages).  I found it mildly annoying near the end when I felt like the author was trying to tie up every single loose end; I rate it 3 out of 5.

Pug ATC

I recently joined ATCsforAll, and I made this for a 1:1 trade there. I saw an atc I wanted, and when I asked the artist if she was interested in trading, she asked me if I could do a pug. So this is my pug for her.

Snowman ATC

Just another snowman atc.

Clever Christmas - Cat ATC 2

I wanted to add a Santa hat to the cat I painted in my last ATC, so I did another one. Lots of fun!

Sketchbook Challenge

I'm going to be participating in the Sketchbook Challenge beginning January 1, 2011.  This is the brainchild of Sue Bleiweiss and she has put together a great group of artists who will be sharing their sketchbooks and suggesting monthly themes.  She has even gotten some sponsors to donate prizes for participants!  It sounds like a lot of fun, so if you're interested, you can read more about it on the challenge blog, here.

Clever Christmas - Cat ATC 1

Our final lesson was plays on words - so this was what I came up with. It's been LOTS of fun!

Clever Christmas - Stocking ATC 2

Playing around with stocking designs of my own - and with writing haiku.

Clever Christmas - Stocking ATC 1

Lesson 4 was Christmas Stockings. This one was straight from Laure's demo and was fun to do!

Clever Christmas - Wreath ATC

I decided to add a bit of word art to my wreath for lesson 3. I used a sponge and rubber stamping ink for the edges of this atc. This is a fast class, but we're doing little projects and it's a lot of fun!

Clever Christmas - Snowman ATC 3

Lesson 2 in Laure's Clever Christmas class is all about snowmen - and this one is my favorite.

Clever Christmas - Snowman ATC 2

Lesson 2 in Laure's Clever Christmas class is all about snowmen - I love snowmen!

Clever Christmas - Snowman ATC 1

Lesson 2 in Laure's Clever Christmas class is all about snowmen - I love snowmen!

Clever Christmas - Hat ATC 2

This is another ATC for Laure's class. I used watercolor and ink, then added a couple of snowflake rubber stamps to the background.

Clever Christmas - Hat ATC 1

I'm taking another class from Laure Ferlita (my favorite teacher!). This one is a quick one - 5 lessons in 10 days! But we're doing quick little pages so it's LOTS of fun. I used glitter on the fur of Santa's hat, which of course doesn't scan well, so you'll just have to imagine that part. This is ATC-size (2-1/2 X 3-1/2 inches) on Stonehenge paper (which I've never worked with before).

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

This is my book club's current month's selection.  I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.  I knew it would be a somewhat interesting story, but I generally prefer reading novels to non-fiction.  But this wasn't a somewhat interesting story; it was fascinating.  Greg Mortenson wandered into a small rural village in Pakistan after a failed attempt to climb K2 in 1993.  The villagers took him in, fed him, and nursed him back to health.  When he learned that the village didn't have a school, but the children met in the open, kneeling on frosty ground, to practice lessons that a neighboring village's teacher left for them, he promised to build them a school.  The book traces how Mortenson kept his promise.  Mortenson is now the director of the Central Asia Institute (CAI), which has built at least 55 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  It has also awarded scholarships to graduates who wish to further their education, assisted in teacher training, and provided resources for clean drinking water and sanitation.  CAI's motto is Peace and Hope Begin With Education: One Child At A Time.  I highly recommend this book.

Figure Drawing

My husband bought this manikin for me (at my request, since I'm not getting out much with a broken ankle), so I wanted to paint her as she is before I start using her for figure drawing.

Journaling reads:  This is Mandy my new art assistant.  I'm hoping she will help me draw the human form, but I wanted to start by drawing HER form.

Daisy Miller by Henry James

I have mentioned in other posts that I haven't read very many classics.  I decided I wanted to read this book a couple of years ago after listening to the audio version of Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, since it is one of the books discussed in that book.  It was very short - really more of a novella than a novel - and so I finished it in just a couple of days.  It is about an American man (Winterbourne) who has lived in Geneva most of his life.  In a resort town in Switzerland, he meets a beautiful, rich young American woman (Daisy Miller) who is traveling in Europe with her mother and her younger brother.  She is an innocent flirt, and Winterbourne is quite charmed by her.  She goes to Rome shortly after they meet.  Winterbourne goes to Rome a few weeks later and is dismayed to learn that Daisy has been seeing a handsome Italian and has scandalized the American community with her behavior.  I'm glad I read it, but have to admit I was glad it wasn't any longer; I prefer a more modern writing style.  I rate it 3 out of 5.

US Civil War Reading Challenge 2011

As mentioned in my earlier posts, I'm participating in War Through the Generations reading challenge again next year - the topic is the US Civil War.  I've already chosen my first two books for the challenge - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (which I read when I was in high school or before - 40-some years ago - so I don't remember it), and March by Geraldine Brooks (which is about the father of Little Women, and is why I'm reading Little Women again).  I'm sure I'll find lots more good books for the challenge.  I'm signing up at the Dip Level, which is 3-5 books.  I can always read more, but I do have 3 other challenges I've sign up for.  If you'd like to join me, you can sign up here.

Off the Shelf Reading Challenge 2011

I decided to go ahead and sign up for the Off the Shelf Reading Challenge that I mentioned in yesterday's post.  I am signing up at the Tempted level, which is 5 books.  I know I can achieve that level.  I can always increase it if I want to later on.  Two of the books I'll read will also count for the Civil War Reading Challenge I'll be signing up for as soon as sign ups are ready:  March by Geraldine Brooks and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  I have LOTS more books on my shelves to read - I just have to decide which ones.

Reading Challenges for 2011

Kathy of Catching Happiness (isn't that a great name for a blog?) did a search for reading challenges and wrote about it on her blog here.  I visited the blogs she mentioned and found TONS of challenges.  I have enjoyed doing reading challenges the last 2 years, and it's time to think about what challenges I want to do for 2011.  So here are two challenges I've just signed up for:

2nds Challenge 2011:  Have you read a book by an author that you really enjoyed and felt moved to read another of the author's works? Or are you thinking to give an author another try even if you didn't like your first taste of their work? If yes, then this challenge is for you! You're going to go back for seconds of an author that you've only read once. The great thing about this challenge is that it's not just for your second in a series books, but the second time you've read an author as well.  I've signed up at the Just a Spoonful level, which is 3 books.


I Want More Book Challenge 2011:  Have you read a book and at the end said you must read another by this author but haven't?  Then this Challenge is for you, what are you waiting for.  :-)  There are so many amazing authors but sometimes we get caught up in reading all the new we forget about the authors that have already impressed, excited us, gave us what all readers want, a great read, that wow moment, so this Challenge is to show all the authors that have pleased us already how thankful we are by reading more of their literary works.  I've signed up at the Waited Too Long level, which is 2-4 books.

These 2 challenges are very similar, but they seem like a great follow up to my participation in the New Author Challenge 2010.  A few of the authors I want to read more of are Jane Hamilton, Jane Smiley, Rebecca Stott, Dara Horn, Ariana Franklin, and Kathleen Kent (I'm not sure whether all of these authors have written more books, but I know that some have and I have some of these books on my shelf).  And that leads to one more challenge that I'm considering:

Off the Shelf Challenge:  Are your books multiplying like rabbits before you even get a chance to read them? Trying to keep up with them, but can't stop buying new ones?  Maybe this challenge is for you. I know what it's like. There's so many titles and so many beautiful books out there sometimes it's hard to keep that TBR shelf under control, but if you really want to try why not challenge yourself?  Note: This challenge is to read those books you own copies of, but have never got around to reading.

And then I'm sure that I'll sign up for the War Through the Generations Challenge again.  The WWII challenge in 2009 was the first reading challenge I ever participated in.  I read Vietnam War books this year; it looks like I'll be reading Civil War books in 2011 (I've already got my first 2 books selected for this challenge).

So what about you?  Are you signing up for any reading challenges?  There really is something for everyone!

Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien

Cacciato, a private, goes AWOL in 1968 Vietnam to walk 8,000 miles to Paris.  The rest of his squad goes after him.  The events get more and more absurd as it goes along, until you really wonder what is real and what isn't.  It is told from the point of view of Paul Berlin, one of the soldiers in Cacciato's squad.  I wasn't sure whether I was going to like it at first, but I did.  It probably took me longer to figure out what was really going on than it should have, but it was well written, and I rate it 4 out of 5.  It is my 6th book for the Vietnam War Reading Challenge.  This long quote explained why Paul Berlin let himself go to war, and it really resonated with me:

"Not because of strong convictions, but because he didn't know.  He didn't know who was right. or what was right; he didn't know if it was a war of self-determination or self-destruction, outright aggression or national liberation; he didn't know which speeches to believe, which books, which politicians; he didn't know if nations would topple like dominoes or stand separate like trees; he didn't know who really started the war, or why, or when, or with what motives; he didn't know if it mattered; he saw sense in both sides of the debate, but he did not know where truth lay; he didn't know if communist tyranny would prove worse in the long run than the tyrannies of Ky or Thieu or Khanh -- he simply didn't know.  And who did?   Who really did?  Oh, he had read newspapers and magazines.  He wasn't stupid.  He wasn't uninformed.  He just didn't know if the war was right or wrong or somewhere in the murky middle.  And who did?  Who really knew?  So he went to the war for reasons beyond knowledge.  Because he believed in law, and law told him to go.  Because it was a democracy, after all, and because LBJ and the others had a rightful claim to their offices.  He went to the war because it was expected.  Because not to go was to risk censure, and to bring embarrassment on his father and his town.  Because, not knowing, he saw no reason to distrust those with more experience.  Because he loved his country and, more than that, because he trusted it." (pg. 264)

Broken Ankle

"I broke my ankle 12 years ago, in December of 1998, by stepping in a hole. Today I stepped on a large piece of gravel and turned my ankle. At least we were in our own driveway. Glen had to bring the car around because I couldn't walk on it.  I still had the boot and crutches."

Progression of the Season

I finished this two page spread in my journal yesterday - I started it on November 1st. It took that long because I've been waiting for the leaves to change color. I knew I wanted to put either 3 or 4 leaves on the page over time. After leaf number 3, I decided the page was finished. So I added my title (which smeared when my pen put down a blob of ink), border, and journaling.

"The leaves on our Bradford Pear change colors slowly. On November 1st, there were a few leaves that had changed color, but most were still green or had just a touch of color. By November 10th there were quite a few more that had turned, but still a lot were green. By November 23rd, most of the leaves had turned and many had dropped, but there were still some green leaves on the tree. It's been interesting to follow the progression of the season."

Sketching and Watercolor: Journal Style - Portfolio

In Jane LaFazio's class, we worked on individual sheets. For the last lesson, she gave us directions to make a portfolio to store all of our sheets in. I decided to change things up a bit and make my porfolio out of fabric instead of paper. This is the front of my portfolio.

This is the inside with all my sheets inside.

And this is the back.

Sketching and Watercolor: Journal Style - Lesson 6 - Machine Made Objects

Here is my first page for lesson 6. I love balsamic vinegar, but I don't know the difference between different brands, so I bought this bottle because it looked so pretty! Hope it's good!

I used a white gel pen for the writing on the label (but NOT the highlights on the bottle - I remembered them). There is a pale green background that barely shows in the scan.

The writing in the background is just about making my own salad dressing and how I chose this bottle.

Autumn

"Claire, of Claire's Sketchbook Blog, posted this quote a few days ago. I liked it, so I wanted to record it here [in my journal]:
'Autumn is all about letting go. Leaves flutter to the ground. Flowers launch seeda into the wind. Pumpkins loosen ties with mellowed vines. It's time for gardeners to let go, too. Frost reminds us that we're not in charge, after all. How do we let go? Laugh at our failures -- but don't repeat them. Be amused by perennials intent on taking over the world -- then mark them for dividing next spring. You get the idea. Observe. Learn. Let go.'
-Jane McKeon, Senior Associate Editor
-Better Homes and Gardens
-October 2010"

This page is across from my Lunch at Couch Park page which can be seen in the post below.

Lunch At Couch Park

"In between appointments, I ate a sandwich at the park. Most of the leaves on the ground were very brown, so I picked this one off a tree (shh!). I'd never noticed the inside of an acorn cap before."

Journaling "Mistakes"

I just read an awesome post on Roz Stendahl's blog, titled Journaling Superstitions #15: You Must Fix or Cover Up a "Mistake".  Basically what she suggests is that your journal should be where you play and experiment and let go of what she calls the "perfect pages myth."  I think every journal artist should read this post; so please go here and read it!  Really - you should read this post!  Then come back and tell me what you thought, if you're so inclined.

A Life in Hand - Creating the Illuminated Journal by Hannah Hinchman

This was a fast and easy read with some good information; not a lot in depth, but enjoyable.  The first quote that really struck home with me was this one:

Is there an ideal time to begin a journal?  A person at fifty-five may be in the midst of profound life changes, but thinks it's too late to start one, that it wouldn't make any sense because so much of his/her life has elapsed.  But it doesn't work that way.  When you begin a journal, it's like arriving at a mountain pass.  Even though it has taken you days to get there, as you look back, the whole route is open to your inspection.  Facing ahead, you're in a good position to look at the country before you, and choose possible routes from there.  (pg.17-20)

I am not in the midst of profound life changes, but I am fifty-five.   So this must be an ideal time for me to begin a journal (I've actually been keeping a journal off and on for the past 2-3 years, but I want to be more consistent with it).  Another quote that resonated with me:

The habit of keeping a journal changes the way you absorb experience. (pg. 129)

And this one, in a section titled MOMENTS OF TRUE WAKEFULNESS:

By making a record of what you have seen with a note, a phrase, a sketch, or a lengthy, absorbed drawing, you make it your own.  Next time you turn to look again, the world will be a degree richer and more distinct, and you will belong to it more completely. (pg. 144)

She recommends an inclusive journal where you record all kinds of things:  sketches, thoughts, quotes, recipes, lists, addresses, etc.  And that you carry your journal with you everywhere so you would at least use it for practical things.  This was my 20th book for The New Author Challenge 2010, and I rate it 3 out of 5.