Healing the Shame

I just found these sketches by Coorain spontaneous and filled with freedom. I love the way that he chooses to work with Healing the Shame That Binds You. This 1988 self help guide has been miraculously transformed into a brilliant sketchbook.

Check out more of Coorain's sketches here.

Animals

Animal sketches have been on my mind, because I'm using them in our baby's nursery. Here are a few that I'm rather fond of...

And here's one that I created for the nursery.

Book By Its Cover

If you haven't checked out the site, Book By Its Cover yet, you should! It offers loads of inspiration for any artist or living human being. Today I just observed that there is a new feature in their sketchbook series on Jenny Volvovski. She is the graphic designer for ALSO, and her sketchbooks offer a fresh bit of humor. So if you're looking for a way to brighten your Friday, check out her sketchbook pages. As it's stated best on Book By Its Cover, these sketches are one part "diagram" and one part "diary."

Something of Value

The analogue book, Something of Value, is about to begin it's journey. This book is a fantastic piece in and of itself, and we should all thank Jan Allsopp for creating it for us! So if you have already contacted me with your name and mailing address, I will soon be talking to you about the mailing process. If you have not yet contacted me with that information, we still have some room for new artists to participate, so please send me an e-mail.


A little about the book: It has been made by rebinding a 1955 edition of Robert Ruark's "Something Of Value" published by Hamish Hamilton Ltd, London. The particular book was chosen for it's title, the size of the book and the fact that it was in reasonable condition. I have never read the book and don't really know what it is about! But it seemed apt for this project to me. I began by disassembling it, removing the original book block from the covers and reinforcing the covers to help it to last its future journeys. Then I separated each page from the book block. Unfortunately it didn't contain much of interest (to the sketch artist!) in its pages, so while I selected a few to go back into the book later, I also dipped into my stash of pages from other old books to add a bit of visual interest with different sizes of papers and different subject matters. I cut new pages of the book from a variety of art papers - Arches 185gsm, both hot and cold press watercolour papers, my favourite sketchbook paper Art Spectrum Draw & Wash, Canson Montval watercolour paper, Stonehenge drawing paper, Canson acrylic sketch paper and some found papers including grid, exercise book and pages with writing guides. When I stitched the new book block together with waxed linen thread, it made a wonderfully eclectic basis for a wide variety of sketches. Artists will be able to select a page that will support their kind of artistic expression. Text pages can be gessoed over or collaged onto. Watercolour pages can take other wet media and the drawing papers are very versitile. I added 2 ribbon page markers to the book and new endpages. These I made from some really rustic handmade paper I found in our local artisan market down by the harbour. I really wanted to leave their deckle edges complete but they were just slightly too large for the book. A little bit of exercising the grey matter later I came up with what I think is an ingenius solution! I used the excess width to create a tab that I could sew envelope pockets on to both front and back. I made the envelopes so they still function well even after sewing. They will be great for artists to slip their cards, notes or info into so it is all kept together as the book travels the globe. Once the book was firmly reattached to its covers I added a little pocket that holds a card of mine that documents the rebinding. I usually make these envelopes out of discarded pages from the book itself, but this time I was lucky enough to have the crumbling remains of the original dust jacket. I used the spine section with the title showing. To me it's a lovely way to keep in mind the origin of the sketchbook, which over time will look less and less like a novel and more and more like an artists sketchbook! I really can't wait to see what happens to our book now!

Love for Spring

I apologize for my lack of posts lately, but spring has sprung and is keeping me rather busy! Whenever I'm not working on new drawings or sketching, you can find me in the garden or on my bike.

Untitled by o lie

I'm trying to take full advantage of the good weather and my health, because I'm pregnant now. And I don't believe I'll be able to ride my bike during the entire pregnancy. Gardening... now that's another story. So on behalf of the fun spring days I've been partaking in, I chose some sketches to compliment my love for spring.

18 by c'est bon

The flowers are in bloom, and I'll be visiting the farmer's market next week!

Dreaming of Spring by Handcrafted


At the Market by Peter Hart

And if you want the free download that I've created on behalf of the Indie Fixx Free Your Soul project, simply click here to find out more and download the print for yourself.

Cecilia Levy

I recently discovered Cecilia Levy's artwork, and I am fascinated with her use of vintage paper, stitching, and simplistic drawings. She has a unique way of combining the natural world with these recycled papers, as is evident with this set of drawings and paintings. I also became rather intrigued with her birds and self-portraits.

You can find more of her work here. Plus, she sells some limited edition prints and crochet sculptures in her etsy shop.

Kids' Sketches

I thoroughly enjoy viewing childrens' drawings, so I decided to showcase a few young artists' sketches. I feel like we adults have a lot to learn from a child; especially the freedom of expression. Most children have no inhibitions when they create!

The young artist John Woolley is a fourth grader who keeps an elaborate journal and creates some fascinating drawings and paintings.

WATER COLOR SET by John Woolley

Another young artist, Maya drew this for her mother. She is also quite talented. I really enjoy the repetition of the shapes on the owl's body.

OWL Sketch by Maya

Malcom is one other amazingly talented young artist who was six when he created this drawing. I really enjoyed seeing the layered dinosaurs in this sketch. Click here to view all of his artwork.

dinos by Malcom

One more young artist that I need to mention is a five-year old girl, Sophia. I had her over one afternoon while I lived in Boston, and she created quite the gallery in my apartment.


This is merely an example of a few talented young individuals we should be watching as they continue creating amazing art.

Something of Value

I'm so excited! I just received some photos of the Community Sketchbook's analogue sketchbook. It's in the book press currently being bound in its final stages.


This is the sketchbook that I've talked about before... the one that we'll begin shipping across the world to one another. Jan Allsopp has done an amazing job with the creation of this rebound sketchbook, and the best news is that we will all be able to contribute. Jan has donated all of her time, materials, and efforts to this project, so we should all send her a huge THANK YOU! So if you want to do this, e-mail her or just comment on her blog.

My goal with this sketchbook is to publish the images of the work as it is completed here on the blog, and once the book's pages are filled, I would like to have an exhibition with artwork from selected artists who have contributed to the pages.


Now, if you're interested in contributing to the Community Sketchbook's Something of Value, leave a comment here. Or you can simply send me your name, e-mail address, and snail mail address at scribbles[at]shawnahandke.com.

If you would like to read more about the creation of this beautifully rebound sketchbook, click here to read Jan's article.

Nura-p

Have you seen Nura__'s work yet? Her illustrations are simultaneaously challenging, naive, warm and highly sophisticated - I love them:

Untitled, by Nura_P

Inventing Memories, by Nura_P

I love this one:

I Know You Listen, by Nura_P

I Love You, by Nura_P

I hope you enjoy her work.

Black and White

I have to admit that I haven't done the greatest job posting to the Community Sketchbook lately, but there are several amazing sketches that have been shared with the flickr group. Nonetheless, I found a few recent sketches rather empowering, and I felt compelled to share these moving black and white sketches.

DARK by K. Hsinmin


Bonestitch by Arlee Barr


after Picasso by Peter Hart

In other news, I'll have an update this week about the real sketchbook that we'll begin shipping from one place to another. If you still have not signed up to participate in this part of the Community Sketchbook, please send me an e-mail now!

Allen Pirabu

Yes it's definitely a series. Allen Pirabu's sketches are just lovely in my opinion. Fluid and full of character:

503, by Allen Pirabu

490, by Allen Pirabu

I love the guy on the left, below:

422, by Allen Pirabu

Life drawing 23, by Allen Pirabu

As he says in his profile, he loves drawing: that, I think, is very clear. And he also loves people too - these drawings are full of warmth. Well worth spending some time with.

Frida Frida

I can feel a series coming on: single artist features. This week I'd like to share Frida Frida's sketches with you. I really enjoy her looseness and the freedom with which she uses colour. Whether it's coloured pencils:.

The Old Man with Glasses, by Frida Frida

Media, by Frida Frida

Or watercolour:

Spikkestad, by Frida Frida

Lunch at Piazza Cavour, by Frida Frida

She uses it freely creating sketches with a sense of life, energy and freshness. Lovely!

the People in our Head

These are the people in our heads. I just wanted to feature a few sketches that some of the Community Sketchbook members recently created while thinking about their lives.

The thought of retracing this makes my... by The Pairabirds


Conservatoire by Alain Bertin


part dork. part Jason. part alien. by artfisch


Untitled by Danny Mansmith

The Notebook of Nat Koffman

I recently picked up some inexpensive used books at one of the book shops that was going out of business here in town. I was sad to see the shop close, but I have some unique treasures from their sad departure. I found this book, entitled The Notebook of Nat Koffman, and I liked the writing that I found. I had not heard of Nat Koffman before this, but I thought it was worth the few pennies the book cost me. Well, I've decided that I should share a page or two with you here and there, inspiring you just as much as I've been inspired by these writings.

The first excerpt I will share is from the section entitled, The Artist in Relation to Society. I simply thought Art as a Record was appropriate to share here, because recording what we see is sometimes how I would define sketching (or keeping a sketchbook).

I hope you are as inspired by these writings as I am.
And if you want to learn more about Nat Koffman, you can download a short bio here.