newtoon

It’s inktober. And I’ve missed a couple of posts because of a lab I attended. It was such a great experience. But at the last day I was really exhausted and had a headache. Then I had to drive home by car and it was raining cats and dogs. Needless to say, that I was not really fit when I finally arrived home. So here it is – my puppet on a string post for inktober 2014.

This little octopus is waiting for the pirate to fall into the water. A kind of seafood reverse for this #inktober 2014 post.

Sometimes it’s better to sketch inbetween – while you’re waiting for something. Why?
Well just because I think that sometimes it helps, that you do not focus 100% on what you`re sketching. It’s like doodeling while you’re on the phone. One piece of the brain takes care of the phone call – the other helps while doodeling. And if the sheet of paper is a bit bigger you can even sketch something bigger. That’s what I did today – while waiting for whatever. No idea what to sketch – so brain connected to the sketchbook project and I did the following.

🙂

Sketching is no longer just analogue. The wacoms and cool software like artrage make this wonder happen.
I like working with these tools – and as always – working means learning. With each line, each dot, each color, each layer the knowledge grows and so does the fun.
Here’s my result from this evenings trial:

It’s small, it has a natural brown paper cover and….. But wait, let me tell you, how this story really began.
As propably a lot of stories this one began with a little note in facebook. Somebody mentioned the Sketchbook project and that sounded really interesting to me. So I visited the website from arthousecoop: http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject. The idea sounded fascinating to me – artists all over the world order a blank sketchbook and send it back – filled with artworks. All together these little artworks will be archieved in the Brooklyn Art Library.
Whow – what a cool idea. No need for further thinking – I ordered my sketchbook.

A couple of days later I had a little envelope in my postbox. Inside – surprise – was a really small book – with natural brown cover and 32 empty white pages. On the back there was a little sticker with a barcode and my name and the topic of my sketchbook: “Stitches and Folds“.

I opened the book – and here it was there again – the famous white-paper-monster.  I’m sure you know it. If not – read my little article about it.

Okay – I had to fight this monster – and I had to find a first idea to put inside this little book. Stitches and Folds – Folds and Stitches – don’t they become more from year to year? Aren’t you free of them, when you’re a kid? Yes – the idea was to start the sketchbook with an intro about my childhood memories.

And Dreams – off course. I believe everybody has similar dream, when he’s a little child.

But how to continue? Will this little sketchbook be something like my visual life? Am I the puppet on a string of this project to tell everything that ever happened to me?

Not really – so how to fight this little monster? Why not doing it the other way round. Let the story come, while moving the pen on the paper. Not before!

Yes – that worked better for me. You have to fight a monster too – but maybe you have to do that, to become a real sketchbook hero?

Okay – sometimes it needs a bit more to be a hero. Maybe a little whitepapermonster fighting robot?

Anyway – one thing is clear – you have to learn your lessons. Your visual vocabulary – and practice, practice, practice.

And you need trust – trust in yourself and that the things are never as complicated as they seem.

And off course – in these cases it’s helpfull to have a coup of good coffee – or two.

Or just have some excellent pasta with olive oil and salt – pure but excellent. And even an oil bottle might become a beauty.

I love these little matches on the table – after they’ve burned the bend themselves and look so much different from the new ones. Natural art – isn’t it?

You have to eat something inbetween – otherwise the whitepapermonster will become stronger again. Have you seen my head in the spoon? 🙂

No – these are’nt the whitepaper monsters. Just some cosy creatures coming out of the paper jungle. Huahhhhh…..

Again – eat fresh to be fresh. If you eat rubbish – don’t be surprised that you feel like that. Enjoy life – and enjoy what you eat!

Have an eye on what you eat – no – don’t eat eyes – only Indiana Jones does that. These are olives. 🙂

When it’s over it’s over. But to be honest – I never returned my sketchbook. I spent so much time with it and learned so much about me and about fighting all kind of monsters, that I decided to keep it here. Thank you arthousecoop for the inspiration – and sorry for not sending you my tiny little piece of art.

🙂