Sketchbook Selfies

 

I completed a sketchbook today, and began a new one. My tradition is to both end and begin a sketchbook with a self portrait. It is my way of ‘checking in’ with myself, documenting what I am doing, the materials I’m interested in or trying out, and in many ways, how I’m feeling.

The sketch above is the last page in my sketchbook. The image is a memory of a day with my son, daughter-in-law, and 2 of my grandkids. We went through a large maze together. This sketch also includes me in my favorite black jacket; the one I wore in Paris, but now seem to have lost somewhere. As with most of my sketches these days, I do not strive for realism, but to capture a feeling. I used gouache and colored pencils for this sketch. The sketchbook was put on my studio shelf, joining 34 other filled sketchbooks (not including my travel sketchbooks.)

I was happy to be done with that sketchbook, and to start a new one, which is larger and has better paper. I recently got a set of oil pastels, and was anxious to try them out, so the selfie in the new sketchbook is an experiment with them. I wanted to see if I could blend them, and if other media (colored pencils, watercolor, gouache, marker) would work with them. As my daffodils are blooming, I stuck a few in my hand. Everything I tried with the pastels did what I wanted it to do. So I’m pretty happy to add them to my media cupboard! I have also found that I do enjoy working in a larger sketchbook, so I plan to have a lot of fun experimenting in this one! 

These selfies sometimes feel a bit ‘self indulgent,’ but, as I have also done a series of self portrait tapestries, one of the sketches may inspire a small tapestry.