Hi Everyone! I want to extend a warm welcome to both my new readers and many thanks to my returning readers for sticking around here for years. I love to dabble with different things and travel. This is where I share my recent attempts and photos. After coming back from such a big road trip, it took awhile to settle back into everyday. I always take a sketchbook with me when I travel. This particular one has recently been my companion. When I bind a book, I don’t often have a purpose in mind. Sometimes a book finds its own identity as we spend time together.
I made this little owl book a couple of years ago as an after hours project. This year I found the perfect use for it.
It was one of those days when I was mentally exhausted. After dinner, my eyes landed on the little book. I grabbed a Tombow watercolor marker and started doodling leaves. It was the perfect peaceful thing to do before bedtime. I had found a purpose for the book.
My husband and I were walking in Japan Center in San Francisco one evening, and the strings of lights caught my eye. It was a misty day with occasional drizzling rain. I wanted to remember and recreate that peaceful feeling in the sketchbook. I painted the dark indigo sky, and drew the power lines and the bulbs with a pen. Then I started painting the myriad yellow dots with a brush while listening to my favorite music, remembering the night at Japan Center.
This year, I am trying to set some time aside regularly to do simple mindless doodle painting while I let the mind wander and find a peaceful place. The little owl book is just perfect for those whimsical paintings.
I love to zone out while book binding. I had a few loose sketches that needed a home. I added a stack of drawing paper to these sketches and made a book. Just like the owl book, I made the book with no particular purpose in mind.
As the months went by, I found myself sketching moments I wanted to remember in that book. The pages started to reflect my feelings at those times. The book still didn’t have a cover, but I started to have an idea of what I wanted to draw.
I wish I had taken a few photos as I was making the cover. It’s not printed; I used markers to draw directly on the cover.
I ran into a bit of problem with washi tape while working on the white area. I used the tape as a guide for drawing the straight lines. Except, the tape tore the paper when I tried to remove it. So I had to take the book apart and rebind it.
Once I recreated the face, I decided to trust my own hand to draw the straight white and black areas without any guide. I took my time, stayed relaxed, and it was done.
FYI – I used Posca markers for the white. I tested the marker on a scrap first. One thick coat caused pilling on the paper. So I did multiple thin coats and let it dry completely between coats. That resulted in a really good white.
I love to play Japanese role playing video games. The girl on this cover and I share more than just the fluffy red hair. I identify with her the most. This drawing and this book are as good a self portrait as it gets for me. Hello!!
Just as this website is a journal of sorts, I also see very much of me through the books I create. I really love it when the books that I make start to tell a story. When I finish making a book and send it to its new home, I often wonder what journey awaits it.
See you next time with my new sewing pattern and a new book!
-Soma
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