Sketchbook Project

Familiar with the Sketch Book Project? You pay $25, get a sketch book, do what you want with it, send it back, and then it goes on exhibit with other sketch books. A traveling art exhibit. Kinda cool, right? Right.

I have no clue what the "theme" of my book is; hence "Undecided."

I was wracking my brain. Nothing was coming to mind except a project I did as my brief stint as an art education major (this is why time travel is necessary: I could go back, and tell myself to stay in the program; although, I'm sure I would not have listened to myself. ) Anyhow...

The cumulative semester project was to create a book. About anything. Out of anything. I was struggling to come up with a creative idea. I eventually decided on creating a simple book that looked like it was found in the woods somewhere. I imagined it to be an old book of nature prints some young girl created to remember her afternoons in the woods. Yeah, so teenage-ary, I know. BUT...

I decided to create something similar because I still love the idea. And I love the making things look old. I love creating art that's time is questionable. Making new things that look old.

I aged the paper with teabags, water, and fire. Of course my child had to make a big fat mess with teabags and water, but whatever. It kept her busy while I worked.

Removed the staples and cover; soaking in a cake pan with hot water and decaf teabags.

Removed from water; drying.

Sprinkled paper with some brown water color.

Burnt edges.

All dried and aged.

 I've done some watercolor prints on a few pages. (Not yet photographed). I don't love it, but it is what it is. I need to just create and not think.