The Sketchbook Project 2011, Thank You's, and Monsieur Olivet!

Hi everyone - just wanted to pop by and say hello! I hope you've all been enjoying January so far..wow, I can't believe it's already the 20th!

The Sketchbook Project 2011: Yay! I completed the project and mailed my sketchbook to the ArtHouseCoop a few weeks ago, and I can't wait to see all of the sketchbooks when it tours to San Francisco. I must say that I REALLY loved this project and am missing it already as it was my first completed sketchbook and I had never kept to a small format as this to sketch before.

Before I started, I wracked my brains for a cover illustration, and then decided, put it away, start somewhere in the middle..so I started on page 3. I think it was a good way for me to just dive in, not get too caught up on "perfect-perfect" and just start sketching. Throughout the project, I found that just sketching one spread a night or every other night was a peaceful and less-frightening way of tackling some of my illustration challenges like hands, the male figure, proportion, shading, lighting.

I'm going to purchase new sketchbooks to keep working on my drawing skills...do you have any recommendations of favorite sketchbooks, please let me know..as I'd love to hear from you and your experiences with this...as well as your experience with the Sketchbook Project if you participated! : )Note: cover was done on the LAST day of the project - I decided to scan and print on watercolor paper an image of one of the last sketches I did, and it made it to the cover. I cut out the hole, and glued it from the back. I wanted to keep the cover to black and white since all of the pages were done in pencil only.

click here for more at the ArtHouseCoop

Thank you's: I'm SO honored by my dear Ces. Thank you Ces! You are a rockstar sisterfriend bar-none. If you are not familiar with Ces, please go visit now. I am always, always amazed at the breadth of her beautifully detailed illustrations and paintings. Ces, you honor me as you had given this to me many months ago..I am kicking myself for not acknowledging it sooner..it is in honor of Arija , a dear sisterfriend of Ces's. You can read about the award here. And to Christie and Julie, many thanks for the Stylish Blogger award! I am so happy to get to know you both recently and it is wonderful to share this award with such kind, talented and energetic artists as yourselves..thank you!

Monsieur Olivet: It has been far too long since we've heard from Monsieur. I hope you all know that he had a quiet, though peaceful holiday season, and he is ready for a brand new year. If you haven't visited before, please stop here for a visit.

Always wonderful that you take the time to visit and comment...I appreciate it a lot, fellow artists and friends! ~ Shirley