One of the gifts I gave my husband was a tiny book that I made and I illustrated the e e Cummings poems “i carry your heart.” I am not showing the whole book, but you get the gist of it.
#valentines day 

    
 

Last year, during all the blizzards and snow storms, I painted and sketched snow scenes.  Today, I decided to use the time indoors to play in my studio and I created a ‘Zine to entertain you.  I was poking fun at myself while using a cartoon of my husband to represent the pastel painter.  Those of you who paint with pastels may get a chuckle out of this one.

All you have to do is print out the “Zine, trim it to size and open the PDF Instructions to see how to make it into a little book.

Enjoy.

Click on this link for the ‘Zine

How to be a pastel painter

 

 

Click on this link for how to assemble the “Zine

PDF Directions for making the Summer 2014 ‘Zine
#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling #urbansketching #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch #ginalento

 

Of course An Affair to Remember is one of my favorite movies. Here’s a nod to Hollywood and the potential blizzard on the way.  Since moving to Long Island 7 years ago, blizzards have almost been an annual event so I just make sure we have what we need in the house and enjoy the time in my studio.

  

Book number 3 contains a “wing it” recipe that has been something I have made since I was a kid.  My mother used to make the iced tea during the summer and it was pretty much all we drank in the category of soft drinks.  She never purchased soda unless it was for a special reason.  Once in a while we were allowed Kool-Aid packets.

Here is her recipe, modified slightly (there was no such thing as Organic back then).

Over the years, I have tweaked and fine tuned it and many visitors to our home look forward to our iced tea.

This one is for you, Mom.

 

 

 

Yay!  I finished up a sketchbook today!  After I came home from the Hamptons Coffee shop in Aquabogue, I went out to sketch at Barnes and Noble with a friend.  It was starting to snow on the way up and I almost turned around.  I sketched for a little bit but it was starting to snow harder so I packed up and left.

I did a sketch of two people, one behind the other. The one in the back was a woman who was wearing a gown.  My friend and I were dying to know why she was wearing the gown (or very long skirt).  She was reading in the same spot for a while which enabled both of us to sketch just the woman in the long skirt/gown.  Her male companion (husband, boyfriend,friend, family member?) came over to get her and he wasn’t as dressed up as she was.  So the plot thickened.  My friend left with her husband to go get something to eat and I jumped ship because it was snowing harder.   It was a fun sketch outing because of the mystery with the woman’s outfit.

Good sketch Day.

#GinaLento

   
 

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

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.

 

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!

 

 

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

  

 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.