Handmade Sketchbooks, Paint and Pencil works – Colours From Our Long, Hot, Australian Summer

*The beginnings of a work on A3 size watercolour paper: charcoal pencil, acrylic and gouache…

Back from my annual blogging break. When I left I mentioned the fires that were already burning – they continued on…with with many more to follow. My overseas visitors may well have heard about this on the news.

Sadly, so much loss and destruction; the fires came too close to us for comfort.

We had weeks of heavy smoke; and I couldn’t see much of the landscape. However I did these from memory and imagination. With the ever present fires a definite influence on my colour choices!

Lately I’ve enjoyed doing more work in coloured pencil, as well as: ink pen, watercolour/gouache, and using my Inktense ink palette. Often mixing them all together within the one work.

I often like to draw and paint in small, miniature sizes; and made some A6 size and under, sketchbooks.

To make them I used a long-armed stapler – such a handy tool! – to staple together various types of paper; using a common binding method called a saddle stitch. I would also like to make some using a needle and thread. I’m filling them up quickly – a fun addition for daily (draw most days) drawing/watercolour practice. And a convenient way to try out various papers.

I may make more of my little hand-made, illustrated poem books with a stapled, or a cotton sewn saddle stitch. I’ve worked out a “template” in the “Pages” app, to print the pages via the iPad.

It’s difficult to find a paper which works well with both dry and wet art media. I’m also trying Fabriano extra white, hot pressed, cotton paper – so far I like it a lot, but it’s fairly expensive.

The fires are finally out, we’ve also had some fierce winds, and now we have almost an over abundance of rain! A wild month or so of weather… but much to be thankful† for.

Enjoy your day!