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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