7/2/09

Karen's Arbor

Karen's Garden on a warm, beautiful evening.

"On a warm beautiful evening". Did ya catch that?

If you live in Northern Michigan you know I didn't do this sketch this week. It has been cold and wet all week ~ how can it do that for so long?!

It has been a good week anyway. My afternoon group is the most enthusiastic drawing class I have ever had. They want to try it all! I am sorry for my morning watercolor classes that they can't be outside, but they seem to be having fun anyway and are turning out some good work.

I have been running in and out, doing some classes in the studio and some away, and dumping art supplies, books, etc. all over the house. Tonight we are having guests for dinner and I am not even sure I can find the dining room table! I've got to come up with a creative way to make all this look OK, and I have just about a half hour from the end of my last class until their arrival. You probably wonder why I am sitting here writing this. Me too.

6 comments:

Marj said...

This has been a cool, rainy week downstate too! Yuk! It's going to warm up for the Aug. Sketchbook class, I hope. Love painting in the Memorial Garden--lots of my sketchbook stuff was done there (and Bay View, of course). Your company will love seeing all your work--leave it out...

Carol C said...

Hi, Catherine---love that garden no matter when you painted it! What kind of sketchbook are you using?--Carol C.

Catherine said...

Marj ~ it is going to be warm and beautiful for the August class!

Carol ~ thanks!
I have been binding my own sketchbooks, using Strathmore Aquarius II. It is time consuming, but fun, and I like the wider page spread ~ with a 6 inch book I get a 12 inch spread because I don't have a spiral down the middle. You can get as creative as you want with end papers, book cloth, size. . . Those end papers with the polka dots might drive me a little crazy before I am finished with the current book.

Carol C said...

Thanks, Catherine.....Can you provide a reference for bookbinding process? I've done a few but never seem to get them quite right....TIA, Carol

Catherine said...

Carol ~ this is pretty good, simple info.
http://www.artbistro.com/training/articles/741-how-to-make-your-own-sketchbook-by-dani-jones

I am not getting them right either, but there is something very satisfying about making them, and they have to get better sooner or later, right?

I used "hand made" book cloth for the covers ~ google for that, I don't know where I got it.

Let me know if you read this. If I don't hear from you in the comments, I will put it on your blog, which I probably should have done in the first place to be sure you see it.

By the way, the aquarius paper isn't good for drawing - just painting and ink. Too soft for pencil.

Carol C said...

Thanks, Catherine! I haven't tried Aquarius but have forbidden myself from buying more paper until I put a dent in what I have! I'm going to check the web site now....thank you for the encouragement! I think I will try again! (PS. I read your blog a lot more often than I read my own!)