Jackson's Journal

I'm getting ready to start my next journal but this time it's not going to be a handmade journal.  I've decided that I'm only going to use products that are available from Jackson's Drawing Supplies.  A nice little challenge.

Even though I'm sure I have every conceivable product that is available at Jackson's, and there's literally thousands of them, I know I also have a huge collection of art supplies that are available elsewhere too.....much to my glee (and embarrassment).
While I was working in the shop full time recently, I found myself discussing various products with customers that Jackson's didn't actually stock.  Oh good one Fran.  So anyway......long story short......I've decided to only use Jackson's gear in my next journal, including the actual journal.  This little challenge will hopefully give me some experience and knowledge on how the various products available at Jackson's behave.  (No good recommending a natty little no-bleed Sharpie marker if we don't actually sell natty little no-bleed Sharpie markers is there?  And don't get me started on those cute as a button folding rulers.....in turquoise of all colours!)

It was a pretty hard task to choose my products, but I suffered through it.

See what I mean?  This 'happy place' just goes on and on........to infinity.

So anyway, here's my kit to start with.

I've pared down to the basic essentials.

I've never used this Arches paper before.  Well not knowingly anyway.  I usually buy something a bit cheaper, my reasoning being that I won't be so precious with it.  But as I'm testing products (do I sound like a pro?) I thought I'd go for broke.  I don't know what the big deal was anyway, it's not even that expensive.

The jury is still out on these Schaeffer fountain pens.  I'm afraid I was sorely disappointed when they decided to put a 'viewing hole' (?) in the barrel so you could see how much ink was left in the cartridge.  For some reason the whole weight of the pen has changed....and a considerable amount of class along with it.  Anyway, I just decided to 'suck it up Princess' and move with the times.  Lets just hope that the ink and nibs still perform as they did in their former glory.............that would be when I used to be a draftsman...................when dinosaurs ruled the earth.

Ok, so here's another shot that might be a little clearer.

There you have it.  My Jackson's stuff.

Oh woops.....here's my brand spanking new (ok I did have a little weeny play) Schmincke watercolour half pan set. I knew I'd forget something.

I wonder what I'll be doing with all these yummy things?

Watch this space ...........

Another journal completed.

Another journal has been filled to overflowing.

  

This is the journal that I've been using to document the 'Summer of 2012'  The poor thing is bit worse for wear because it's travelled along with us to Lucky Bay over Christmas and then to Coral Bay for our camping trip in April....and everywhere else in between.  Lots of sand in the cracks!  The coptic binding handled really well though and allowed me to have the journal lying flat to work in.  I waxed my own thread for this one.  That was the day I knocked my glass of wine over and ended up having to replace my laptop..........a lesson learned the hard way.  (So does that mean if I buy my waxed thread I can still enjoy a glass of wine.....no?!)

Here's a couple of pages........

Just a couple of quick watercolour sketches while we were up the beach. I really don't know why I even try to capture the colours of the ocean.  I never can.  Maybe I need to buy more paints?  Any excuse!

I love this seaweed.  It has little bobbly things that are such fun to pop.  Keeps me entertained in my own little world for ages.  Yes I know......small things.

Tip Jar Thursdays.

I'm famous.  Well not really.  Okay, maybe in my family only?

A little while back following one of my submissions to 'The Sketchbook Project' I was invited by the Art House Co-op to put together a tutorial on the method I used to transfer plant images on to fabric using heat transfer inks.  I felt honoured, overwhelmed, excited, humbled, incredulous and very nervous all at the same time!  To think that people all the way from the Brooklyn Art Library in New York thought my work was worthy of a tutorial.............really? ("Really" is not what I said at the time).

It was quite a challenge (major understatement) for me to get my brain around putting together both text and images in the format required, but I got there in the end!

The tutorial was due to be published on the Art House Co-op site the exact same morning that we were going away camping, (I couldn't believe it) and as  Brooklyn New York is about twelve hours behind Western Australia, we were long gone and I had to wait until we came back from our trip to see it.

It was a long few weeks wait but so exciting to see my work published!  (You can have a look at the whole tutorial on the Art House Co-op site here).

Just in case you missed it, I blogged about two of my Sketchbook Project submissions here and here and if you'd like to participate in one of the many different projects yourself, you can find out all about the Art House Co-op here.

First Day of May

It was the first day of May today and we had fog this morning.  Way to go Mother Nature.  

It's such a long time since I've seen fog that I raced outside in my nightie to take a photo from the end of our street. The sight of me in my nightie skipping about on the front lawn must have been mind boggling I'm sure.  It's a good thing that we have tolerant neighbours.  I didn't even manage to capture a decent shot of the fog after all that excitement and skipping anyway!