A Pencil Affair

I’ve been trying my hardest to work with pencil lately. I have some incredibly talented friends who love working in pencil, and seeing their work simply inspires me to push myself in areas that seem so intimidating to me. I am confident with colors. I know how to work with them, hot to blend them together, and how to express myself through them. I can create texture, and build up thickness. Give me a pencil, and I find myself lost. I don’t know how to even start, and I become frustrated. I have been trying my hardest to bringing in pencil into my work, for the mere idea of challenging my fears. It has been quite a journey, one that is yet intimidating to me, but I have been progressing. 

I’m not sure why I call this piece “A Pencil Affair”, but it seemed to fit the situation I felt I was in. A sketchbook piece that I think I could expand into a larger piece when the time seems right. I’m proud to say no color in this piece! What do you guys think? Any ideas, comments or suggestions?

Sketches

A lot has been going on since last I blogged, but mostly just sketching things out in a sketchbook. I am so OCD about my sketchbooks that I have two different sketchbooks for different reasons. Completed pieces are in my large sketchbook, while simple pencil sketchs are in a smaller one. It is safe to say my smaller pencil sketchbook doesn’t have much in it because I love color, and I dont like simple sketches. Most of my sketches need to be complete.. Im weird that way! I wanted to share a few I’ve done these last few weeks, and hopefully will continue to do. Im in the process of working on one sketch but it’s taking me some time to finish. I really ant to start a new large piece, and so what I’ve mostly been doing is contemplating how to go about doing another one.

What is written on the piece with the eyes only is:

“They say your eyes are the windows to your soul, yet sometimes I wonder if maybe we say that to give ourselves this blind faith that we understand others & can read them. Whaf if the truth is the eyes you are looking at are simply reflections of yourself. What if the truth is the eyes you are looking into are simply reflections of yourself. What if who you are looking at simply reflects what you truly are? Maybe it explains all the pain, hurt & anger you see in them because that is what you are actually feeling buried deep inside that locked soul of yours. Maybe what you are searching for isnt in others… but in yourself.”

Death: by design

In my last post, I wrote about how I had been having a hard time focusing on working in my “style” . Frustrated and completely not inspired I took a few days off trying to find some sort of inspiration… anything really, to show me where to go, and how to get there. I pinned on Pinterest, I stumbled on Stumble Upon, I watched movies, I listened to music, and I spoke with friends. I found inspiration, but I’m not sure I found what I needed, until I spoke to a friend of mine who’s a graffiti artist. This may be obvious to most, and yes, it is to me as well, but maybe it was what I needed to hear at that moment. He said, “Just create”. I knew this, but then the question turns to “how”? How do I simply create? And he told me to simply move to another direction. Leave those pieces I couldn’t complete alone, and simply start once again with a blank piece of paper. Draw what I hadn’t drawn before, walk into the unknown and make it my own. Hard to do, trust me, but I tried. I think what kept me at it was his enthusiasm to see the new piece. When I was frustrated with it, he pushed me forward and offered to listen and suggested ways to push past my frustrations, and when I was happy with my piece, he was ecstatic, and encouraged me to keep at it.

I guess this is a thank you to him. Through all my frustration, he kept me moving, and for that, an art piece was created, giving me ideas for a series of pieces I am thinking of creating. Let us hope i keep moving forward, and I keep creating. I’ve names it “Death: by design”. What do you guys think?

No Name

I should have posted this a few days ago, but my back has been bothering me some and I have been trying to get some work done for this big art piece I’m working on. I guess the back pain is probably from all the work I have been creating lately, but it is definitely worth it! My sketchbook has been really filling up lately which is exciting in itself! I am going to have to replace it soon which I hate, because starting a brand new sketchbook is always intimidating. I love the used way a sketchbook feels. The paint splattered everywhere on the cover, the wrinkles where it was bent, the soul it has, it’s just incredible.

I would love to fill up as many as possible and save them. I wish I had thought of this before so I could have kept all my older ones, but I mostly worked on loose paper before, so I’m not sure it would have mattered. Either way, here’s the piece! I actually had no plan for this. I was sitting at my grandmothers for a dinner, and just started drawing randomly. When I got home, I decided to paint it and it went from there. I love that about art. I don’t need to have an idea of what I’m going to do. For me, it’s a feeling. What I’m feeling at that given moment, and I just act on it. I dont know if that takes confidence or not, sometimes it’s scary, because I dont want to make a wrong decision, though, when that happens, finding a way of making that mistake part of the art piece is exhilarating.  Man, I just love art!

This piece is acrylic and black marker. It’s definitely different and I would love to hear what you guys think of it. I don’t have a name for it just yet,  so please comment and let me know what you think I should name it! I hope you like!

Workings..

I have been so productive lately that I just can’t seem to get myself to stop. Not that I want to stop, I’m doing good, I’m inspired, and I’m keeping busy. Best feelings in the world. I have been working on the sketch for the piece I will be doing for my friend as her wedding gift, but in the process I have also been working on side pieces to keep my creative juices flowing. You can’t have enough ideas right?

The first piece was done for a friend of mine who liked another piece I had created using wave-like motions with paint, but wanted the colors to represent the Palestinian flag. When done, I came to realize that this piece actually represented every country in the Middle East! It’s kind of nice, as though we are all intertwined one way or another. I gave it to her today, and I do really hope she likes it. It’s a close up of the piece, because I like you be able to see the strokes of paint, but when looked at in real life, the colors fuse together better!

The second piece started out as something and ended up as something else! I love when that happens. So many people are so scared of making mistakes with their art, but sometimes, those mistakes are what make the piece interesting. What brings it alive. I’m obviously obsessed with lines, never really realized that until now, but I love the continuity it brings and how it ties everything together.

What do you guys think of them? Would you recommend any changes at all?

I’m off to work on the other sketch! Hopefully it will be finished today!

 

Sketchbook Guilt

I’m having issues with my sketchbook! Well, I have a few of them, but I always carry one in my purse, which of course makes my purse extremely heavy, but what if there’s a chance of a few minutes, waiting for a friend, drinking coffee, or what not, and being able to sketch an idea that comes to me? Thus lugging around what feels like bricks! I know what your thinking, totally worth it!

I’m working on a huge art piece that’s taking a lot longer then I thought, but as detailed as it is, I would rather take my time, then work on something that looks like I didn’t take the time it needed. I look at my sketchbooks and feel like I need to be filling them up. That the pages should be filled with incredible pieces of work. The sketchbook in my purse is empty. It’s a new sketchbook, but there’s only maybe a page or two of work, and the pages aren’t even filled with much. It’s like I have this fear of creating something that isn’t good in my eyes, even if it’s in a sketchbook. The name says it all… ‘Sketch’, it shouldn’t be perfect. It should simply be where I can put down ideas for work I will do in the future, or simply to put down ideas that keep floating in my mind and a way of shutting my mind off. So, why do I feel so guilty?

Do any of you guys have that issue?

 

Moving Along

I just want to post a picture of the other sketchbook thats traveling around the world. It is in the moment in IL about to be sent to someone else in Illinois actually and then off to another State it goes!

Please be reminded that there are a ton of people out there who are loving being involved in the project, and have taken the time to be careful and follow the rules, and I personally want to thank them for being so incredible throughout the whole project. The project shall hopefully live on and move throughout the world. =)

 

Bad News

I have some bad news. One of the sketchbooks, the one in Texas, has been officially lost. I e-mailed the person asking if they were prepared to receive it in which they said yes, but had forgotten to give me their new address. It was supposedly sent to the new address by whoever signed for it at the old, but was never received. Thus lost.

I want to sincerely apologize to everyone who participated in this particular sketchbook. I’m extremely upset and I feel terrible that peoples work, incredible work, and their time has been wasted. We knew there was a risk of it getting lost, or someone never sending it out, but when it happens, it stings.

I want to be able to figure out another way where peoples work is guaranteed to get to me safely, and have decided that if anyone is interested in doing a piece and sending it directly to me, where I glue it into a sketchbook, then they are more then welcome to. You can still receive the sketchbook if you like, but I urge you to be extremely careful with it.

Please realize that purchasing the sketchbook is from what little money I have, and it traveling the world is only possible by the people involved by sending it with their money. Not mentioning all the time and effort people have put in to their pieces. Please be considerate of their time, and their trust in believing that people will continue to be careful with the sketchbook and sending it out.

If you are wanting to be involved, or have sent me your addresses, please make sure to continue to check your e-mails, and to stay in contact with me when I send out an e-mail. I need to be able to reach you, incase you are the next person in line, or contact you to know if it reached you and when you will be sending it out and to who. I truly hope people will take this seriously and be responsible with everyones pieces. If by chance you lose it, you are responsible for purchasing a sketchbook of equal or more value. I can not urge this enough. I simply can’t afford to be sending out sketchbooks each time they get lost.

I will be sending out, yet again, another two sketchbooks since the person is not responding to my e-mails. One wil hopefully go back to the first person who started the sketchbook, and the other to California, since they have the most people in line waiting for it.

If you are interested in starting right away, and would like to send me your piece, please e-mail me at: travelingthoughtsproject@gmail.com and I will send you my address.

I will be contacting the people whose work was involved, in hopes they would like to redo a piece. Again, I am truly sorry.

Amman, Jordan Sketchbook!

I received the sketchbook in Amman, Jordan yesterday and I must say it’s looking great! There are incredible pieces in it and I’m super excited to give it to the next person today! I know he will create something special! It is moving along, but being somewhat slow. There have been a few hiccups down the road, but it is moving, and I am grateful! Please be patient, I have not forgotten about any of you. If you want to know where you are in the list, please check the routing post!

I will definitely keep everyone updated!

Traveling Thoughts Route

A lot of you guys dont have Facebook and so cant see the route for the sketchbooks, so I decided to list them here for you guys. If you do have Facebook and wanted to keep updated on the whole project and where the sketchbooks are, go to http://www.travelingthoughts.org

Sketchbook 1:

1.  Amman, Jordan
2. Oxford, Mississippi, USA
3. Starkville, Mississippi, USA
4. Pensacola, Florida, USA
5. Kissimmee, Florida, USA
6. Deltona, Florida, USA
7. Wellington, Florida, USA
8. Miami, Florida, USA
9. Marietta, Georgia, USA
10. Champaign, Illinois, USA
11. Rushville, Illinois, USA
12. Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
13. Livonia, Michigan, USA
14. Wyoming, Michigan, USA
15. North East, Pennsylvania, USA
16. Quakertown, Pennsylvania, USA
17. Kearny, New Jersey, USA
18. Farmingdale, New Jersey, USA
19. New York, United States
20. Staten Island, New York, USA
21. Brooklyn, New York, USA
22. Woodmere, New York, USA
23. Buffalo, New York, USA
24. North Adams, Massachusetts, USA
25. Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
26. South Hamilton, Massachusetts, USA
27. Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
28. Leicester, England, United Kingdom
29. Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
30. Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
31. Norsborg, Sweden

Sketchbook 2:

1. Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
2. Arlington, Texas, USA
3. Kilgore, Texas, USA
4. Houston, Texas, USA
5. San Marcos, Texas, USA
6. Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
7. Tempe, Arizona, USA
8. Chandler, Arizona, USA
9. Chino, California, USA
10. Downey, California, USA
11. Los Angeles, California, USA
12. Glendale, California, USA
13. Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA
14. Morgan Hill, California, USA
15. San Jose, California, USA
16. Santa Clara, California, USA
17. Milpitas, California, USA
18. Cupertino, California, USA
19. Sunnyvale, California, USA
20. Newark, California, USA
21. Aptos, California, USA
22. Pleasanton, California, USA
23. Berkeley, California, USA
24. San Francisco, California, USA
25. Antioch, California, USA
26. Rigby, Idaho, USA
27. Tacoma, Washington, USA
28. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
29. North York, Toronto, Canada
30. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
31. Oromocto, New Brunswick, Canada
32. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

 The other two sketchbooks are traveling by hand, so there are no addresses. If you are interested in being involved, please let me know so I can route it past your place! E-mail me at: travelingthoughtsproject@gmail.com, also, if your town, country, or state isnt on the list, please contact me and I’ll route it to you! Thanks!