I love reading, writing, illustrating and making books. This week at Sketchbook Skool, Jill Weber* challenged us to make a book that shares something about ourselves — so I tackled the monkey.
I’m not terribly good at crafty things as I am clumsy and impatient but this was a very fun project. See the process and results in this video:
I know, I know. You are good and tired of me nudging you about the new kourse at Sketchbook Skool. Message received.
But I want to just give you another taste of what has me so worked up about Expressing, how inspired I have been in making it and working with these new artists. And how you — even though you have never taken an art kourse and never will (yes, yes) — will be fired up too if you join us.
I won’t say any more I just want you to watch this.
Did it melt your frozen heart? Good. Now, click to enroll.
A decade ago, I did a week-long drawing trip through Nevada and parts of California with my pal, D.Price. The sketchbook I kept (only my 7th to that point) was the first step in my publishing career. When I shared it with an editor at City & Co., who liked it so much she asked me to assemble a book of my journals. Ultimately, though I ended up placing that book with Princeton Architectural Press (Everyday Matters), it was so nice to have someone interested in my work and this concentrated drawing trip was the kick-off point.
I was flipping through the original journal today and thought I’d make a little video tour. It’s also notable as several other firsts — one of my first hand-bound books, one of the first times I made a dedicated journal for one trip, and one of the first times I experimented with watercolors.
The film I made ended up being eleven minutes long, so I cut it into two episodes. You can see them both there.
Oh, and if you like this sort of thing, let me know and I’ll do more if it. (Though I am not trying to make anything technically sophisticated with these little films, I would love to know if there’s any particular information you’d like to know about my sketchbooks). I appreciate your comments and insights.
Danny Gregory 