The Sketchbook Project 2011: Opening Reception

My friends and I went into Brooklyn Saturday (braving the wind advisory across all those bridges!) to attend The Sketchbook Project opening at the Brooklyn Art Library.

They had a great turnout! So great that when we got there with 1 1/2 hours left to the reception, only a couple of us were in line early enough to check out a sketchbook! The group of us only got to look at two sketchbooks, but it was still fun to be there, be a part of the reception and see that so many people were enjoying the project. Hopefully my friends and I will all be able to get back there when its not so packed, and we can really enjoy the sketchbooks.

As a bonus, it turns out I knew Steve, the man behind The Sketchbook Project! We were friends freshman year at Hartford Art School, then he transferred and we lost touch. Congrats to Steve and everyone else that worked hard to make The Sketchbook Project such a success!

Check out the website for sketchbook tour dates near you!

The wall of over 28,000 sketchbooks!

Looking through another artist's sketchbook.

I think her name was Jessica Meath.

Detail of Jessica Meath's book.

Check in your books!

My great friends who came to the opening with me!

I think next year all of them will be participating in

The Sketchbook Project.

Inspiration: Vintage Greeting Cards

Vintage greeting cards are a fun source of inspiration for typography and image. Above is a Valentine my cousin sent me the other day, that my Grandmother had actually saved from when our parents were little.

My Grandmother never got rid of greeting cards, even if they were blank ones she had never used! She kept them nicely in a box and now my family is able to use and enjoy them. Its become a nice thing around the holidays to receive cards from my mom or uncle with a little note on the bottom that reads "this card was from Grammy's collection".

Now I keep many of these cards and stationary sets in my studio, a few hanging up and others on my shelves to reference when I need a little nostalgic inspiration.

The Sketchbook Project 2011

A few weeks ago I finished my entry for the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project 2011. The Sketchbook Project is described as a concert tour, but with sketchbooks. What a fun concept! As soon as a friend sent me the link last year, I knew I wanted to participate.

Each sketchbook has a theme. Participants were able to choose a theme (from a list of about 40), or elect to be given a random theme. I chose the theme “dirigibles & submersibles”.

Almost 30,000 people from around the world participated. The tour officially begins later this month, with a reception at the Brooklyn Art Library on February 19th, 12:00-10:00pm. Check out their website to see if the tour stops at a city near you!

After the tour, all sketchbooks become part of the permanent collection at the Brooklyn Art Library.

Here are some samples from my sketchbook. To see more, and to see thousands of other sketchbooks, try and make it to a tour date near you! Or check out participating artists here, where you can browse by name, location, and sketchbook theme.

Daily Drawing #4

I drew this a few days ago, after hearing a friend of mine from college had passed.

We were in a tight group of friends together freshman year, and although we didn't hang out much after that, I got to thinking about the impact he had on my life. I realized how everyone you meet can really play a big part in who you are and how you grow as a person, regardless of how long your friendship with them lasts. This seems especially true during major changing points in life, which freshman year of college certainly is.

So on that note, don't take anyone you meet for granted, and always try to recognize the positive impact they can have on your life.