Photographs and Pencil Sketches

 

In a previous post, Terry asked if I could show the photographs and how they were cropped to use as reference to work out the composition for the paintings shown below.

We're ignoring the photograph on the top right.  I'm sorry these aren't in order, but I think you can see which photo is cropped for which sketch.

These were all pictures that I had taken.  They all mean something to me, even if it is just the fact that I poked around a bit, getting pictures because I like the subjects, and had either spent some time there, or passed these spots on a regular basis  -  a little bit of an emotional investment.

If you click on these images, you can see them larger.

 

I just picked out what I liked about each image  -  what it was that made me take the photos in the first place.  I could have cropped and composed when I took the pics, but then I would have lost the extra details that I felt contributed to the whole thing.  The details are not necessarily things I would need to include in a painting, but they might have been part of my "emotional investment".

 

Crop some photographs, work out your lights and darks in a sketch, and paint a simple painting.  Have fun!

Folded Journal

Closed  -  Opening  -  Opened

I have no idea what this is called.  It is a folded journal, but I'm sure it has a name   -  I mean, there are a million ways to fold a folded journal.

Last summer, or fall, one of the participants in our bookbinding class showed us a beautiful book she had purchased that was folded like this.  My friend, Joanne, took one look at it and went home that night and made one.  I was still googling it with no luck.

A few days ago, Joanne showed me how to make them.  Without getting into detail here, it is made with three square pieces of paper overlapped and glued together in the middle  -  the squares at the center "X".  Book board, covered with decorative paper, is glued onto the squares at each end.  The cover is not hinged.  The size is about 5 X 5.  Each of the three folded sheets of paper started out 10" X 10".

I am not the one to ask how this is folded, so I am not going to do a tutorial.  I'm sure I will have to have Joanne standing by the next time I make one.

Now I have to decide what to use it for  -  a special weekend?  A trip?  Gardening?  A "collection" of some kind?  If I analyze the possibilities too long, I won't use it.  Just do it!