Moleskine skinned
Ever wish Moleskines had the paper of your choice rather than the rather odd stuff they stuff them with? Martha at Trumpetvine Travels has posted a great guide to remixing a Moleskine with the paper of your choice. Clear,...
Here and now
One of the pleasures of carrying round a little journal is being less precious about my drawing. Insteads of sitting down in a studio with all of the materials at hand, I can just whip out my book and...
Notes to Myself
I've used every sort of journal-book over the past decade, but the one I've returned to the most was the pocket-sized, drawing Moleskine. The paper is a little odd; it has a water resistant treatment designed, I guess, to...
A Year in Japan
My favorite new book is A Year in Japan by Kate T. Williamson. It is a fantastic, illustrated journal bulging with lovely, graphic watercolors and sprightly writing. I was so excited by the book that I have acquired some...
Booking to LA
I just started working on my 45th illustrated journal and decided to give myself a treat by binding up a variety of really nice papers into a special book. My new journal is an inch thick slab of 8x12"...
Change of scene
When I was drawing with my pal Roz Stendahl, I was amazed to see that certain pages of her journals were randomly pretreated before she turned to them. She might have a fat, wet brush stroke across a spread...
Dibujo en México*
Notes from my trip to Mexico and some thoughts on travel journaling.
Crawling Intrepidly through the Village
A brave group of draw-ers gathered this morning under the Washington Square Arch at 9 am and bravely battled the elements through the morning.
Drawing fire
I wrote about Steve Mumford last year when his work was only available on Artnet. Now he has published a sumptuous book collecting all of the watercolors and observations he made during his visits to war-torn Iraq. He told...
Slow=Know
Basic advice to someone who draws but wants to do it better.
Pony girls
A few months ago, I went to Berlin and my illustrated journal from that trip is in the July/August issue of Print magazine. It was about Venus, the European sex trade show. Now calm down, folks, I did say...
By George
While I was drawing this, after dropping Jack off at school and sitting under the Washington Arch with its two newly restored statues of the general/president/slave owner/lumberjack, I heard something soft land on the ground ahead. Then, through the...
Jerusalem Journal I
I have just returned from a few days in Jerusalem and over the next week I shall doll up and dole out the journal I kept there. As my writing can be a little tough to read, I have transcribed...
Chinatown and beyond
My last post prompted a few questions and thoughts: • The Chinatown drawing is 9x11" drawn with .25 Rapidoliner and then colored with Grumbacher watercolors and waterbrushes. I drew just what was there and fortunately, the buses, sat around...
Zine scene
I think the core motivator for my journaling is a love of making books. At six, I made one about a knight and his pet dachshund that I still remember quite clearly. And I got my first computer in 1982...
Why do I do it?
The story of how and why I started drawing again and starting this blog and writing books and all that stuff.
Notes on notes
Doing my homework for color theory class this week, I discovered I had made the sort of thing I had always admired. It's a great feeling , to look at your own work, and say, "Hey, that's how you...
Early inspiration
I woke up at 5:15 this morning for no good reason and yet felt quite rested. Poking around for something quiet to start my day off on the right footing, I sat down with the last few postings on Wild...
The Open Book
I am a member of a wonderful community called "Artist Journals 2" which is currently conducting a discussion on whether or not one should share the contents of one's illustrated journals with others. I had to chime in: I'm a...
Class 5H
Dear Class 5H, Hazelwood Junior School, London, UK: I am so very happy to hear that you enjoyed my book, Everyday Matters, and that you are now keeping journals of your own. I was blown away to see how...
Bookbinding 101
I have bound many of my journals myself. I learned how at a fantastic place called The Center for Book Arts, here in Manhattan. It was a lifelong dream come true, learning to make my own hard cover books. I...
Write on!
A minor question to ask your self on this Martin Luther King's Day: are you having enough fun with the lettering in your journal? Study magazines, old books, the fonts on your computer for inspiration. Try brush pens, calligraphy...
More moleskines
I was invited to be a contributing blogger (had no idea there was such a thing) to a new site called Moleskinerie. It's a smorgasbord with tangential connections to the litle black book. They made my drawings a little small,...
The Good Book
So what is this journal business all about? Is it narcissism, a vainglorious attempt to turn one's life into some sort of keepsake for posterity? Or is it about commiseration, "Dear Diary: today sucked..."?, a wallowing that lets you turn...
The skinny on Moleskines
Some folks have wondered where they can buy small Moleskine journals online. I scored a box of them at Kikkerland which imports them but the best price for individual ones ($9.95) seems to be at ShiptheWeb. I also found...
Making book
A few people have asked me what sort of books I make my journals in, so here's the short answer: I bound all the books in this group. It's not as hard as I first thought and let me choose...
Guest journal - Chris Ware
I have been re-studying one of my favorite objects of 2003, Chris Ware’s The Acme Novelty Date Book. Ware publishes a magazine called the Acme Novelty Library which has been primarily devoted to a long and spectacularly drawn story...
Dealing with turds
Advice on how to contend with the 'worst 'of your creations.
A record of my exploration into all aspects of drawing, illustrated journaling, creativity, and the inspiring aspects of art. By the author of "Everyday Matters," "The Creative License", and "An Illustrated Life" and other books.