Sketchbooks & Sharing
Hi there, and welcome once again to Made for Grace. I hope everyone out there who’s reading along hasn’t been inundated with multiple emails or Substack spam during my learning curve. I blogged quite a few years ago on WordPress, and I have to say, Substack is challenging. On the other hand, back when I was using WordPress, the technical fun and games were simpler. This is the price of progress, I suppose.
I seem to be developing a plan for Made for Grace which will go something like this: a written piece on Sundays, an art project response on Tuesdays, and a quote or tip to sum up on Fridays. I expected to ease into my Substack experience over the first six months, but like all good creative projects, this one has consumed me. It all started when I realized I couldn’t really do what I wanted to do without posting an art response following the writing, and the next thing I knew, I felt I wanted to post three times each week. I also realized, after photographing step-by-step instructions for last week’s Brigid’s Cross, that maybe videotaping a few lessons isn’t such a bad idea after all!
Now on to sketchbooks. Sketchbooks are an extremely personal preference. I use the Stillman & Birn Alpha Series 5.5”x8.5” or 8”x10” which you can get on Amazon. If you like the style but want thicker paper, try the Stillman & Birn Beta Series. I like Stillman & Birn sketchbooks because they are high-quality paper and they lay flat. That means when I open my sketchbook, I can use the full double-page spread to work on. The Strathmore for Mixed Media sketchbooks are similar products. Here's another great option: If you want a sketchbook that allows you to take pages out and then put them in again somewhere else, check out the Grumbacher Mixed Media Paper Pad with In/Out Pages.
But there’s no need to spend money if you’re just experimenting – or even if you aren’t. Like me, you may want to trek over to a used bookstore and find the book that’s just right for you. You can cut out all or some of the bound pages, or you may want to use matte medium to glue some of the pages together. I am a glue-together gal because I dislike losing the integrity of the book when the pages are removed. If you want a plain surface for your book pages, cover them with gesso or paint.
You can come up with all sorts of ways to make your own book. Just check out YouTube – try searching “handmade books” or “making your own art journal.” As you can tell by the photo, I even used a tin of postcards as an art journal. Once I finished my art on the blank side of the postcards, I popped them all back into the tin for safekeeping.
Since I started Made for Grace, I’m finding wonderful support from other artists who are happy for me to connect you with them. For example, this week I want to let you know about Kasia Avery and Care December 2023 from Everything Art.
This is a completely free offering from Kasia that she shares every year. Kasia provides loads of advice on self-care during the holidays PLUS 15 days of art journal prompts. Participants that want to give back may donate to Action Against Hunger, but you don’t have to and won’t be pressured to do so. Click on the image for more information.
Finally, here is an artwork from more than ten years ago. I made this collage inside of a handmade book at an amazing workshop on handmade books taught by Bea Nettles.
Do go over to her website and look at her work. The artwork’s poem is a line from E.E. Cummings’ poem that begins “somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond.” (And in case you’re wondering, I think we’re capitalizing E.E. now.) In any case, the line reads “nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.” The photos used in the piece are from a magazine copy of one of Dorothea Lange’s Dust Bowl photographs from the 1930s. Google Dorothea Lange to read more about her work.
Join me Tuesday to Make an Art Journal Page in Your Sketchbook. See you there.