Moly Exchange update

I've been a bit behind on more than just blog posts I can tell you! Here is my latest entry in a book from Moly_x_25 which is actually nearing completion. This particular moly (affectionate term for Moleskines sketchbooks) had lots of entries about each artists own local environment, a theme that wasn't prescribed by the books owner, but one that evolved never the less. Last time I drew in this book I did a beach and ocean view and this time puzzling on what to draw has meant I've had this book for quite a long time! Finally *bing* and I knew I had to draw my new vegie patch. Yes, I've joined the many who are first time vegie gardeners this year. Well, not really a first time, but it's been ages and I've never been terribly successful. This time I've started with good soil and some good information and I'm powering along harvesting salad greens (and reds!) every day with beans and peas only days away from picking and many other goodies growing well. All organic of course which is the challenge.
I also needed to catch up on my pages for Moly_x_48 - The Exquisite Corpse exchange. These particular books are not the Japanese fold ones like the one above, but the normal small sketchbooks and when they are completed the pages will each be cut into three to create a wonderful mix and match type book filled with drawings from artists all over the world. Here are my latest. Firstly "Liza was inclined to laziness".
"Lloyd knows what he likes" was inspired by the recent gallery drawings of Rick Tulka, a fabulous artist and someone I can now call a friend after meeting him while in Paris. Check out his wonderful drawings of Le Select, the cafe where he draws daily and where we met up. Better still, buy his book Paris Cafe: The Select Crowd

Not sure what I was thinking with this one... think I was still jet lagged... here it is "Squish could touch his toes (if he had any).

...I simply remember my favourite things and then I don't feel sooooo bad

Making things, pattern, gentle rain, sleeping, old books
My latest entry in Clare's Moleskine for Moly_x_25. It's part of Moly X: An International Moleskine Sketchbook Exchange. This one is nearing completion. Look how full Clare's gorgeous book is now.
In fact, this one is done all bar Clare's own final entry. What a ride this book has had!

The Williams

Finally I have some art to post here!

My second entry in Tracy's Moleskine is titled "The Williams." Tracy's Moly-X-25 did not start with a specific theme but from day one has been destined to be a book exploring our favourite artists. "The Williams" is a homage to William Kentridge, William Morris and anyone named 'William' in a Boys Own Journal.

My favourite beach

I just uploaded these photos to the Moly_x_25 blog and thought I'd put them here too. I drew this today and it is in Kerry's Moleskine. You can read the post here.
This is my favourite rock on my favourite beach. (If I ever tell you I don't believe in favourites, don't believe it, OK.)
I can tell you it was hot there today!

Moleskine Exchanges Update

Well, I must say being in three different Moleskine Exchanges does keep me busy. Recently the stack of molys on my desk was disturbingly high so I got stuck into them.
I did these in Pamela's moly for the Exquisite Corpse exchange.


Then I did my entry in Alison's book for moly_x_25. This is the middle entry in the book so it takes up 5 pages of the Japanese fold Moleskine. I couldn't get it all in the first shot but you can see it all in the 2nd one.

Then came the very daunting task of drawing Emma in her small Japanese fold moly for moly_x_portrait1. I drew her eyes too close together!!! So as punishment I drew mine too close as well.

What is it with BIG things?

Ok, I said I'd show my books, I know. This is a book but it is not one I made. This is my latest entry in the moly_x_25 Moleskine exchange. I managed to do this after work today and it is another thing off my to-do list and happily on my done list!!! If things go according to plan I might have another to show tomorrow...

Coffs Harbour has two main tourist attractions. One is the Pet Porpoise Pool which is an excellent spot to kiss seals and pat dolphins and even have a swim with them. It is always a great day at the Pet Porpoise Pool. The other is The Big Banana.

There is a little artistic license in this sketch. I left out the gift shop, the snack bar and the History of Bananas building. From this perspective you can't see the lolly (sweets) factory, the puzzle shop, the toboggan ride, the snow slope, the ice rink or the water park, so it was easy to leave them out.

There is a fine tradition of Australian artists sketching and painting Luna Park in Melbourne. I love these works. They capture the essence of the conflict between fun, fear and sleaze in Luna Park and other attractions like it. When I look at them I wish I lived in Melbourne to be able to paint it too. Then I realised - we have the Big Banana right here! I could paint it. That idea was firmly implanted into my 'one day' basket right up until Clare drew Luna Park in Kerry's moly and posted it off to me to follow on. Too good an opportunity!

But it's not the same when it is a conflict of fun and sleaze only, without the fear. I'm left thinking 'it's just a big banana.'

For more information on Moleskine exchanges visit here.

My Moleskine Exchanges - Update

This was done as part of Moleskine exchange 25 (Moly_x_25). I had to follow on from Clare's tribute to Van Gogh. I was stumped for a long time not knowing what to do. Ah, Matisse! That's always the answer!
For Moly_x_Portrait1 I drew the gorgeous Marina. She is such a delight to draw! I couln't stop!

I left drawing my self-portrait until last in Marina's book. After her I didn't find myself inspiring at all! I drew myself with Sunday morning hair.

5 Favourites

Jenn (ninox) tagged me! I haven't done a tag for a long time, but it is always a lot of fun, and when I saw it was to list 5 favourite things, well... of course!

Also it is a coincidence because last night I finished my entry into Clare's Moleskine as part of Moly_x_25, and she has set the Moly's theme as "a few of my favourite things!" In my drawing I just drew 4 favourites - my dog Roly, my coffee, my books and pattern.

For Jenn I think I might have to add another. I guess it would have to be...
this is hard...
Ok, I have it...
One of my favourite things is saying "I don't believe in favourites!"

I usually say this just before I say what my favourite for that split second is. I change my mind a lot.

Do I have to tag someone else? I don't think it's a law, so I'm going to let it slide.

The Moly has Landed

Actually I had never heard Moleskines called 'Moly's' up until very recently when I joined a Moleskine Exchange. I recently blogged about my own Moly (here and here) for the exchange and my first entries in it.  I posted it off to Alison earlier in the week after a dodgy beginning. Then I just waited for Clare's to arrive for me to draw in.
Well here it is!  While I've  heard others say (well read really) that they look so different in the flesh, well... IT DOES!  It looked good to me in the online shots Clare put up on the Moly_x_25 blog and her Flickr site, but in the flesh! it just looks... well... (I hate to use those often overused words again, but...) absolutely fabulous!!!  It comes in its own little cosy cover and is accompanied with gifts!  What more could a girl ask for? (I won't say anything about the gifts for fear of spoiling the surprise for the next recipients in the exchange.)  

So, here I am.  With it.  Feeling all VERY precious about it.  And wondering what to do.  

It made me think about my own Moly, out there, travelling the world without me for the next 6 months.  I thought about how good it had turned out that I messed it up and had to get completely unprecious about it.  I put sticky notes in it to tell its future artists to write this here, that there etc etc.  I found myself thinking I wish I had put more notes in it, saying in particular, don't follow my rules, don't follow the rules of anything, just plain get into my book. Interact.  Replace. Obliterate. Transform. Get  down and dirty!!! (Maybe not 'obliterate'.)

Once again art brings about surprise.  I do expect art's nice surprises.  But I never expect the elements that end up surprising me.

My Moleskine Exchange page completed

Well I'm ready to send off my moleskine to it's first exchange member.  

I had a spot of bother doing this.  I had planned a completely different picture and added found book pages as a border (see above right).  I sketched the whole drawing and then... eeek! discovered I'd done it on the wrong pages.  I needed to remove as much as I could and go back a page to do my drawing. Lucky a part of moly_x_25 is to allow the drawing to extend onto the next half a page... so mine extends onto the next 3 pages... not much difference there...
So back to a new page I found new ideas were needed.  But I had none.  So I just started working and this is what came out.  It ended up being a tribute to William Morris.  My moleskines theme is Red/Read.  I have lots of books on William Morris which I love to read and look at, so it tied in there.  My man had taken a photo of our new hibiscus and I just love the shape... one thing led to another as they say.  I had a bit of difficulty with the area in the fold peeling back all the time so I solved that with a piece of duct tape.  The silver matches the silver coloured pencil I used.  A bit of white line over the top and I was happy.  I think I will be able to post it off tomorrow.

moly_x_25

I'm participating in a Moleskine exchange with five other artists. I haven't done anything like this before.  How it works is we each get a Japanese fold Moleskine and draw on the first 2 1/2 pages then send it on to the next artist.  They complete the 1/2 page and add their own spread with just a little extending onto the next page for the next artist to complete and so on and so forth.  The inside cover pages of mine have the 'sign-in' page, where each artist writes her details, and the title of my book.  
My theme is Red/Read [both pronounced the same].  I think this will be loose enough to be fun but also still enough of a theme to create a bit of interest.  In keeping with the 'read' part of the theme I made my 'sign-in' page a library card.  It sits it's envelope with the 'Due Date' slip attached.  As we each have a month to work on the book before it is sent on to the next artist, I thought it would be nice to record these dates - library style!

All I have to do now is think of something to draw on my 2 1/2 pages!!!

Check out the moly_x_25 blog!