In this blog post I talked about the books I found at Goodwill and how I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. 
I eventually decided to create a bit of (can I call it) prose from the words on the page, almost like I'm collaborating with the author in a way.  I read the page over and over learning what the author wants me to learn and then I create my own interpretation of the page and teach the author something he/she didn't know.  Yes I know these authors are dead just go with it.  :)


This was the first page (from the Henry Adams book) I did and I circled the words too closely so the colors sort of overpower them. The name Pierre was used over and over again so I went with it-"Pierre, Pierre, Pierre, and Pierre died".
The Henry Adams book again, I had to cut around the drawing because I ripped the page which is very easy to do considering how old the books are.  The line I wrote is "Blanche, gracious lady, like a child sitting in the autumn depths".
This was my first mess up. I wanted to draw random squares/rectangles all over the words I didn't choose leaving some of those shapes free of color. But then the words showing through distracted me so I ended up blacking everything out with paint.  I'm not sure I like this and I was going to put it in my shop but I haven't yet, I'm still kind of mad at myself.  The page is from the Thurman Rice book and the line is "These impulses will recover, stimulation should be avoided and transplanted".
This is from a new book I found, The Yukon Trail by William MacLeod Raine.  I'm proud of this one and it is available in my shop. The line here is "Sheba Holt MacDonald was crack-brained only once".


These pages are way too much fun to work on so definitely look for more in the future. 
 
 
Art House Co-Op is based in Brooklyn, NY and focuses on creating “massive, international art projects that tie thousands of artists together”.  I’ve participated in 3 of their projects and enjoyed all of them but this particular one, the Sketchbook Project, was definitely the most difficult.

For one, I procrastinated to practically the last minute before the book was due.  Procrastination is a big problem with me and yet I always do it.  Did I really need to organize my cd’s? No, but I took an afternoon (and part of an evening because I have OCD) to do that instead of drawing.  The other reason it was so difficult is because I don’t really keep a sketchbook.  I have an idea, paint it directly on the wood, and if it works, I share it with everyone.  If it doesn’t, I get out the gesso and start over.

So to have this sketchbook’s blank pages staring at me was unnerving.  Thankfully, my theme was lines and grids so I felt a little more comfortable once I picked up my ruler.  After awhile though I ran out if ideas and still had a good chunk of the book to fill.  I remember the project leaders saying if the book is not completed, it was okay and to send the book anyway.  But sending an uncompleted sketchbook would admit defeat and I would not be defeated.  (As well as having OCD I’m also incredibly competitive).  So I picked up my sharpies, thought for a few minutes, put them down and turned on Turner Classic Movies.  Hey, I’m not missing Charlie Chaplin!

The next day I got serious and started coming up with ideas and by the end of the process, I realized the importance of a sketchbook. If I drew something but wasn’t totally sure about it, I could try again on the next page and maybe come up with something very cool and unexpected. Moral of the story is I will definitely keep a sketchbook from now on.

Here are a couple of pages. You can also check out some more of my sketches on flickr.


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