For some reason, our phone follows the aesthetic of the Sony Sports Walkman from the early 1990s. That’s probably around the time when innovation in landline phone design was frozen too.
I laid down a bright coat of Dr. Martins Tiger yellow, then when it dried completely, I drew the phone with my extra bold Lamy Safari. Then I used my Lamy fine point to add details and to cross hatch. Finally I used a white pencil, a white charcoal pencil and a couple of other colored pencils to add more details and dimension. This took 15 or so minutes.
Then I took a picture of the whole damned thing with my cel phone.
BTW, some people have wondered what book I am drawing in these days. Well, most of these challenges have been done in the same book, a 7″ square wire-bound number made by Stillman and Birn. It’s one of their Delta Series with cold press Extra Heavyweight Ivory paper (180 lb.) and a rough surface. I like the paper in this book but am no longer a big fan of wire-bound books so I have been waiting for an opportunity to use it. If you are okay with this sort of binding, I think their books are the best being made today. I see they make hardbound books today and I’ll definitely give them a try sometime soon.
Danny Gregory 
I just stumbled on your recent Flickr EDM postings and found my way back to you blog which I have also been to in the past. I look forward to your EDM challenge posts. Thank you for your inspiration!
Thanks for the tip on the sketckbooks. I didn’t like spiral bound either but now I’m going to have to check them out. I hear they are great for both ink and wash.
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I’m curious about the spiral-bound issue. Is the preference for something else because the wires get bent or caught over time? Or is it more the temptation is greater to remove pages at times from the book itself? I like the storage ease of hard-bound sketchbooks, but I’m torn–spiral-bound is easy to work with in smaller formats with thick paper.
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For years I used spiral bound and they were certainly convenient. However, I want to make real books, wherein every page is precious, and spiral bound just seems to sketchy and impermanent.
Plus the spiral edge seems to impact my composition. And it doesn’t sit totally flat on the scanner.
But that’s just me.
DOG
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Oh, and I like to draw across the gutter sometimes and make a horizontal drawing.
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LOVE your Dr. Martins Tiger yellow, nevermind your wonderful phone drawing. I think we have the same phone??? I love a landline because i can fold laundry and clean and talk at the same time. I make my journals (very quickly and unevenly) and i love them because thay are light and flexible and each one has a different character. If anyone wants to look at them go to http://www.barbarazparker.com.
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Danny, I use both types of sketchbooks, the spiral bound and the hardback.
The spiral bound seems to me a little bit “vintage” and I like this feeling 🙂
and for me it’s useful, because you can use it for sketching, without opening both sides of the book at the same time and this is space-saving on my messy desk…hahahahaha….
But often I prefer it, to use both sides of the book for sketching at the same time and then
I prefer the hardback…of course…
P.S.: It’s like magic: So many “every day-things” are Iooking like “miracles”, when it is
drawn… for example a phone!:-)
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I’m staring at a virgin 100lb/150gsm vellum Stillman & Bird spiral bound, which I’d bought spontaneously, then put to one side in favour of hardbounds. It seems perfect for the EDM#s. Danny – do you mind me asking if the Dr Martins you’re using are the Bombay Radiant Inks, or the Hydrus Watercolours? I’ve never used them before, but the intensity is stunning. Am hoping to try them if the page absorbs them OK.
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Having a book you really like for any little reason can make such a difference…. I’m surprised by how much of a difference! I just reached the end of my visual journal which I love, and went to a thin paper moleskin which i hate and all the stuff I put in it has been pretty bad. I just ordered a bunch more visual journals to have next time I run out. I may even have to start over on the EDM challenges again in a book I enjoy!
Andrea
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In case you hadn’t heard, Stillman & Birn is about to release hardbound versions of the Beta and Delta 180 lb. books! I can’t wait! Love this weight paper for mixed media and now a hardbound to boot! Yeah!! Also, Strathmore just released ( hard to find ) hardbound versions of their 500 Series Mixed Media and 400 Series Watercolor books….and tan and grey toned paper hardbound books too. Roz did a review of them on her blog. I ordered these from http://www.fineartstore.com and I’m waiting for my local Jerry’s to get those Stillman & Birn books in….they’re running late I guess. Anyway Danny, I think you could paint on toilet paper and it would be charming!
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Danny, I keep reading you draw with Lamy Safari’s…and I own a couple. But do you have water resistant ink for them? ‘Cause I can’t find it anywhere here in the Netherlands. And drawing with inks that solve in water is horror!!! Leading to nothing but stains working with water colour. What’s your Safari-and-ink secret?
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Mandy, scroll deeper into my blog, we discussed this at length a coupla weeks ago. http://wp.me/s15klY-ink
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