Sketchbook Challenge - Doodles

I don't doodle a lot, but the Sketchbook Challenge theme for the month of January is Doodling, so I decided to give it a try. I started with the idea of trying to come up with some free motion quilting designs; the leaves are something I like to quilt in a border. But below the leaves are just some random doodles.

And here is a second page of doodles.

Grapefruit

I'm sewing again so I'm not sketching as much these days, but I did manage to sketch my lunchtime fruit before eating it. I used a gray Copic Multi-liner for the sketch and the journaling, which I like but it's pretty light - almost like graphite. And I used a Preppy fountain pen with Noodler's Lexington Gray for the title and border.

Just for Fun

Take the Jane Austen Character Quiz here!

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

My first book for the WWI reading challenge hosted by War Through the Generations blog was this classic anti-war novel, which I'd never read.  It tells the story of a group of young men whose school master shames them into enlisting in the German Army.  It describes the fear and horror they experienced much of the time.

"We crouch behind every corner, behind every barrier of barbed wire, and hurl heaps of explosives at the feet of the advancing enemy before we run.  The blast of the hand-grenades impinges powerfully on our arms and legs; crouching like cats we run on, overwhelmed by this wave that bears us along, that fills us with ferocity, turns us into thugs, into murderers, into God only knows what devils; this wave that multiplies our strength with fear and madness and greed of life, seeking and fighting for nothing but our deliverance.  If your own father came over with them you would not hesitate to fling a bomb at him."  (pgs. 113-4)

And it discusses the futility of war to those who fight.

"A word of command has made these silent figures our enemies; a word of command might transform them into our friends.  At some table a document is signed by some persons whom none of us knows, and then for years together that very crime on which formerly the world's condemnation and severest penalty fall, becomes our highest aim.  But who can draw such a distinction when he looks at these quiet men with their childlike faces and apostles' beards.  Any non-commissioned officer is more of an enemy to a recruit, any schoolmaster to a pupil, than they are to us.  And yet we would shoot at them again and they at us if they were free."  (pgs. 193-4)

I rated this 3 out of 5.

Tangelo

I'm sewing again so I'm not sketching as much these days, but I did manage to sketch my lunchtime fruit before peeling and eating it.

I also doodled in the title (the theme for the Sketchbook Challenge this month is doodling).

How to Make a Journal of Your Life by Dan Price

This is a very quirky little book hand drawn by hobo artist Dan Price.  It was a fun read because I like looking at other artist's journals.  If you're looking for instructions on making a journal, you won't find it here, but it's a worthwhile book anyway.  I rate it 3 out of 5.

Louie's

I intend to start taking my sketching supplies with me more often, so I started by taking it to the restaurant we went to for my birthday dinner (not where we had planned on going, but we forgot how crowded restaurants get on Friday nights).

My Birthday

Roz Stendahl writes in her blog, Roz Wound Up, about doing a little bit of everything you love on New Year's Day to set your intentions for the year. I wasn't able to do that this year for whatever reasons, so I decided it would be a good thing to do on my birthday instead. I spent some time quilting, piecing, sketching, and photo-designing (I'm making a calendar for my husband using his photos). The one thing I didn't find time for was machine embroidery, but I did work on installing my embroidery software on my desktop computer, which is newer and faster than my laptop where the software has been. All in all, it was a good day.

2012 Challenges

My friend Kathy (Catching Happiness) asked me whether I was doing any new reading challenges this year and I realized that I hadn't posted about that yet.  I'm doing one reading challenge this year.  It's my 4th year to do the War Through the Generations Challenge, and this year the focus is on World War I.  The previous 3 years were US Civil War (2011), Vietnam (2010), and World War II (2009 and my first ever reading challenge).  Last year I did 5 challenges, but I selected challenges that I knew I could finish easily, which isn't really the point of a challenge, is it?  So I decided to do just one reading challenge, but to choose the Wade level (4-10 books) instead of Dip (1-3 books).  I've selected my first 3 books: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (which is the book for the 2012 read-along), and War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (I don't usually read children's books, but I wanted to read this before seeing the movie).

The only other challenge I've signed up for this year isn't a reading challenge; it's the Sketchbook Challenge.  I did this one last year too, and participated in 9 of the 12 monthly themes.

Shadow of a Quarter Moon by Eileen Clymer Schwab

1839 North Carolina - After her father dies, Jacy's unfeeling mother Claudia calls her a quadroon and reveals to her that her real mother is a slave who is still on the plantation.  Claudia tries to marry Jacy off to a man whom Jacy fears and hates.  Jacy runs away when Claudia threatens to sell her slave mother.  While I mostly enjoyed the story, the dialogue felt stilted to me.  I also thought that Jacy came to understand herself and her place in the world a bit too quickly.  But I did enjoy learning about the role that the Great Dismal Swamp played in the Underground Railroad.  While the book was set before the Civil War, it dealt with the issues of slavery and the Underground Railroad, so I included it as a book read for the Civil War Challenge 2011 (I finished it one day late - January 1st).  I rated it 3 out of 5.

The Traitor's Wife: A Novel by Kathleen Kent

This is a prequel to The Heretic's Daughter, which I read in 2010 and reviewed here.  Set in 1673 New England, Martha Allen works as a servant in her cousin's household.   Thomas Carrier is a laborer for the family with a mysterious past.  I enjoyed this book, but I thought The Heretic's Daughter was even better.  I might have liked it more if I had read it first, although it was interesting to learn the history of Martha and Thomas.  I rated it 4 out of 5.

A Day in Books (meme)

My friend Kathy Johnson posted about her day in books (here), and I thought it was so much fun that I had to try it for myself.  All books are ones I read this year.

I began the day with Abundance.

On my way to work I saw The Falls

and walked by A Room With A View

to avoid The Fiction Class.

But I made sure to stop at Coventry.

In the office, my boss said, “Let the Great World Spin,”

and sent me to research The Curious Incident of the Dog in theNight-Time.

At lunch with The Traitor's Wife,

I noticed Enemy Women

under The Black Flower,

then went back to my desk, Radioactive.

Later, on the journey home, I bought Dinner at Antoine's
 

because I was Lost in the City.

Then settling down for the evening, I picked up The Book of Ruth

and studied The Shipping News

before saying goodnight to Lolita.

Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie by Lauren Redniss

This was a very unusual book.  When I first heard a review of it, I thought it was a graphic novel but it wasn't; at least not like the few (ok, make that two) graphic novels I've read before.  It looked more like a children's picture book, but it wasn't that either.  It was an artful biography of Marie and Pierre Curie.  I enjoyed the book for the most part, but found the jumps forward and backward in time to be somewhat disorienting.  It was interesting learning about the Curies.  I rated it 3 out of 5.

Backpack

This worked really well to carry everything comfortably all over NOLA for a week. The only drawback to a backpack is it's harder to get stuff out of it when you want to, but IMO the added comfort makes up for that.

Comfort

All I ever wear anymore is comfortable shoes, so even though we walked all over NOLA, my feet never hurt.

Sweet & Juicy

I don't buy oranges very often, even though I like them. I was out of orange peel in the freezer, so I bought a few oranges for the peels. But they've been very tasty too. And of course I had to sketch this one before I ate it.

Bagel

I did this for an exercise in Danny Gregory's book, The Creative License.

Special Purchases for NOLA

I bought a couple of items specifically for my Imaginary Trip Made Real to New Orleans, although I'll use both of them again. Note - the items are NOT to scale - the stool should be larger or the neck pouch should be smaller! LOL!

My Palette

This is in my NOLA Live journal, as it's the palette I took there. I want to document some of the supplies I took with me. And yes, my palette is usually this messy (or even messier!). The list of colors is on the facing page, which I've posted here.

The Artist on the Road - Impressions of Greece by Richard Sheppard

This is the author's first book, and it is delightful - I hope it's not his last.  It is a travel journal of his two-and-a-half-week journey through Greece, with his thoughts and drawings.  Since I hope to go to Greece someday, it is especially meaningful to me.  Combining this book with a guidebook should help me plan my trip, whenever that may occur.  I rate it 5 out of 5.

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

From Amazon reviews:

In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love.

I read this book for my book club.  I had actually read it many years ago (probably while I was in high school), and then my husband and I had listened to the audio version a couple of years ago while on a car trip.  I decided to read it again in order to be able to discuss it somewhat intelligently and I'm glad I did - I enjoyed it again and it was an interesting discussion.  I rate it 4 out of 5.

Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum

I decided to focus in on the part of the costume that interested me the most - the wings or whatever they are on the shoulders. And that way I didn't have to draw the face (of the mannequin)! LOL!!

Beauregard Keyes House

This house was particularly interesting to me since I had read Dinner at Antoine's by Frances Parkinson Keyes shortly before going to New Orleans. And we really lucked out on the weather - the day started out looking like rain, but the sun came out just in time for us to sketch outside in the lovely garden.

Lunch at Commander's Palace

We had a fabulous lunch at Commander's Palace Restaurant - my favorite by far of all the great places we ate.

Breakfast Room

We stayed at Place d'Armes, which had a beautiful courtyard. On my free afternoon, I sketched this view of the door to the breakfast room.

Raw Art Journaling by Quinn McDonald

I worked through this book with one of my Yahoo groups, Artists of the Round Table. We did a section each week for ten weeks. It is a different kind of journaling than I normally do, but I enjoyed the process and will probably incorporate a few of the ideas from the book into my journaling practice over time. The author joined the group and led the workshop and she was very generous with her time. I rated the book 4 out of 5.

Keeping a Watercolor Sketchbook by Brenda Swenson

After working on Brenda Swenson's 75 Day Sketch Challenge for a couple of months, I realized that I had this book of hers sitting on my shelf, so I pulled it out to read it.  I really enjoyed all of her artwork in the book.  It has fairly basic information, so I can't say that I learned a lot of new things, but it was still a worthwhile read.  I rated it 4 out of 5.

Lafayette Cemetery

It might sound morbid, but I actually found our cemetery tour to be very interesting. I sketched this with a water soluble pen.

Oak Alley Plantation

We spent the second day of our Imaginary Trips Made Real at Oak Alley Plantation.

Cafe Du Monde

After our Mardi Gras World tour, we had lunch at Antoine's, a walking tour of the French Quarter in the afternoon, dinner at Mother's, and beignets at Cafe Du Monde.