Today’s Sketches

Sketches today at the Hamptons Coffee Company’s new place in Aquabogue. I love the brush pen with the non-waterproof ink but it’s not good when it bleeds in places like faces, where I don’t want it to. I might have to get a 2nd pen and put waterproof ink in it for faces.  They have 4 locations. It’s a great place with really good coffee and Coffee shops where you can sit and watch people socialize are a great place to sketch.

#drinklikealocal #Aquabogue #GinaLento

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Tiny Book #2 How to Make Cranberry Sauce

Here is Tiny Book #2.  When I was making this and agonizing over what I was going to put in my little books,   I decided to go with things I knew how to make from memory in order to make them more “me.”

Homemade Cranberry sauce is something I love with poultry and pork, and the canned stuff just doesn’t do it for me. I also like regulate how much sugar and what kind of sugar goes in what I eat.  I prefer everything Organic and I find that Organic sugar is not only better for you than processed white sugar, but you also don’t need as much. I can drop this recipe down to 1/2 or 3/4 cup with Organic sugar.   I also use other berries for different flavors, but I didn’t put that in my “book.”  You can also use fruit and juice as sweeteners.

The papers I am using are leftover scraps from larger books that I have made and the textured cold press Fabriano Artistico 140 lb paper can make my pen lines appear scritchy and I sometimes can’t control where it is going, LOL.

Here’s the photos:


  
  
  
  

Project: Tiny Books

So, for the past several months, in between commissions, participating in shows and plein air events, getting my tonsils out and the usual holiday shopping, decorating, baking, cooking, etc, I have been working on my submissions for the Tiny Book Show.  I belong to a Book Arts email group and I found out about the Tiny Book Show via a post in that group.  I checked out the link and it looked like something really neat that I wanted to try doing.

The Tiny Book Show is the brain child of two women.  Apparently they have done this before and it was successful, so they wanted to do it again. The books can be no larger than 3×3 inches and they contain any content that you wish.  You can watch the video here. I liked the sentiment of the project and when you watch the video you’ll see why I wanted to try this project.

I started research and gathering ideas back in late October.  I learned some different ways to make books; very SMALL books.  I even carried supplies with me to Bermuda when I was there for the Plein Air event.  I was so exhausted from painting I didn’t have much time for bookmaking.  I did manage to organize and work some of my ideas out.

I tried making several of the styles that were mentioned on the website but I settled on two, one I came up with and one I sort of tweaked and modified.    I submitted three of the tweaked and modified book and I made a bunch of the style I came up with and gave to a few people as gifts.  Below are a bunch of the books that I made and I have one next to a penny and a pen so you can get an idea of the size.

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I will be posting photos of the books over three separate WordPress Posts because each book is 12 pages.

Book 1 is how to make your own simple sketchbook.  On the cover is a Teddy bear holding an actual tiny book that I stitched using the 3 hole pamphlet stitch.  Inside is the 5 hole pamphlet stitch.

   
    
    
    
  

 Stop back again in a few days to see books 2&3!

 

 

This evening’s sketch

Here is our 2015 Christmas Tree. I wanted to try something different when I sketched this….I had fun playing with different pens.
#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling #urbansketching #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch

  

Happy New Year

 Well here is the first official sketch of the new year. I say “official” because it’s the first one I am posting. (Some things I am working on don’t get posted) 

I ended 2015 with a nasty sinus infection and spent all last week in a sinus induced fog. Today was the first day I got out to sketch and I had to do it from our rental car that stinks like an ashtray. Our Altima and a Bambi had a crossing of paths….actually Bambi did a swan dive over a hedge and onto the hood of our car. Bambi’s don’t bounce very well. Thud would be more accurate. Bambi didn’t make it and Altima is in the shop getting the front end replaced.

I sketched this today in Bellport.
 

Starbucks sketches

Starbucks sketches. I was sitting facing the counter so I could get some quick sketches of folks making their orders……the lady with the spotted coat was my favorite person to sketch. The guy with the hood made me think of MR ROBOT.I didn’t have much time to do these….The amount of time I had depended on how much time it took to place an order.