Early Morning Mark-making
When you’ve been up since 4am and can’t focus, simple repetitive movements in left over paint are just what the doctor ordered.
I usually sketch a bit when I first settle into the studio - it helps warm up my fingers and arms (ESPECIALLY when it’s 58 and the space heater hasn’t quite caught up yet…) but every so often the entire day ends up being spent in those pages.
Days like today, where I found myself wide awake at 4 am - and now there’s not enough caffeine in the world to get me out of this haze.
So, marks in leftover paint it is.
I’ll use work in a few different methods; occasionally I just close my eyes and let the muscles of my arm pull the brush along the page, or I’ll pick an object and use it for some blind contours, other times I’ll just focus on the brush pressure and placement of the bristles, which can make for calligraphic-esque marks.
Either way, the point is to disconnect from anything analytical and just let the brush make it’s marks.
This is also where having multiple sketchbooks or sheets of sketch paper come in really handy. As one set dries, I can move onto another.
When I’ve decided I’ve finished with these it can be helpful for my process to lay these out and look at them for a while. I’ll note moments that call for more attention, lines that jump out at me as something to work with more (or to ignore), transparencies that I want to explore… etc. Scribbling these down somewhere, or sketching out what is interesting can set me up for a much more productive session the next time in the studio.
A Day in Life of my Sketchbook; featuring The Mercer Refillable Sketchbook from SLATE COLLECTION
Thank you to SLATE COLLECTION for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.
One of the most important parts of my art practice is my sketchbook. (If you follow me on instagram, you’ve probably gotten that impression already.)
My paintings are an aggregate of so many different inspirations; contours of flowers, the colors of leaves on a run, words that stay stuck in my mind, patterns on the water, rhythms in remembered landscapes… all of these factors inform my work, so it is crucial that I have a sketchbook with me literally at all times, to record all of these.
Keeping a sketchbook is a discipline I cling to, rely on and owe much of my current practice to.
Currently I’m using the Mercer Refillable Sketchbook by SLATE COLLECTION and I’m in love with it. The cover is soft and supple (and in the case of my book, my favorite color; INDIGO!) and yet incredibly sturdy. I put my supplies through a lot, and it has held up beautifully.
How I use my sketchbook;
I get a fair amount of questions about my process when it comes to keeping a sketchbook, so I thought I might break down a typical day in regards to my sketching habits. I’d love to hear about your sketching routine too, make sure to leave a comment so I can learn about your practice!
7 am; Wake up (slowly, I’m awful at shaking sleep!) and quickly record thoughts from dreams, or colors that creep into my pre-dawn thoughts.
These are small notes generally, unless I’ve had an amazing dream, or spent the morning lying in bed visualizing a new series. It’s important for me to have a sturdy sketchbook, as I don’t sleep with it, but if I’m scribbling notes during the night, it can get caught in between the bed and the frame pretty regularly. The Mercer is both thick and rigid enough that this isn’t a problem.
9 am: Back from my run, I’ll write down thoughts that I’ve mediated on, colors from our local landscape, lyrics or moments from the music that empowers my run, and I’ll start to make plans and notes for the day ahead.
(This particular morning was spent watching a few busy squirrels outside my studio window. I put the pencil on the page and dragged it around according to the squirrels movements. Like a little treasure map to their buried nuts.)
11-1 pm: Errands and meetings! I make notes in my sketchbook of orders that need to go out that day and any supplies that I’m low on. Since I’m already out and about, I try to schedule meetings and meet-ups around the same time (and, Ann Arbor has such great food that lunch meetings are automatically THE BEST). My sketchbook is in tow for all of this, acting as a list for supplies, and as a mini portfolio if I’m meeting with a client or gallery space.
2-3 pm: My favorite part. Unless I’m knee-deep in other paintings, this is my project time; when ideas take form and the next paintings in a series starts here. Here is where I distill morning sketches, break apart words that have been stuck in my head, examine memory, color, and make thumbnails.
These can be super clean, super messy, made with lots of types of paint, or just pencil - so it’s important to me to use a sketchbook that is multi-purpose. Paper that is too thin will tear with water, paper that is too thick feels too final and I’m less likely to get deep into the experiment phase. I’m looking for a quality paper that can take a few layers of exploration, and the pages of this sketchbook (Mercer Refillable from SLATE COLLECTION) are perfect for that.
Once I’m confident in the idea, the movement and color scheme of the piece transfers from my sketches to canvas as I begin to create the painting. If I’m not totally feeling the pre-painting sketches, I’ll just keep exploring the composition and colors in thumbnails until I feel like I’ve got a better handle on the message I’m trying to convey. Or, the idea gets scrapped / shelved for tomorrow and I’ll come back with fresh eyes.
10 -11 pm: A slow unwind. At the end of the day, orders shipped, progress made on paintings, space (relatively) clean, I like to take stock of the last 16 hours and make sure if any thought is still rattling around upstairs - that it is written and/or sketched out for tomorrow. I’ll use this time to journal in my sketchbook a bit, reflect on things from the day or the days to come.
Keeping a sketchbook and being disciplined about the process is a huge part of my practice, and using the Mercer Refillable from SLATE COLLECTION has been the perfect book to use for this. If you’re an artist looking for a new sketchbook (refillable too!) check out their books. And if you know an artist, none of us is ever upset at a new sketchbook for the holidays!
What sort of sketching schedule do you keep? Is it a daily activity or more of when the mood strikes? I love looking at other artist’s sketchbooks and hearing about their process - feel free to share your habits below!
Happy sketching friends!
Colors of Italy; Part II
We’ve spent the last few days in the Lake Como area, going back and forth between Varenna and Bellagio.
In many of the places we visit I go off on my own to find a little corner of inspiration, some color shift or movement in the water to focus on; some small moment of beauty.
Here however it’s literally everywhere and honestly, it’s a little overwhelming.
I only have so many pages left in my sketchbook.
We’ve taken a few hikes up the mountainsides and explored the lake and I’ve tried to sketch when I can, but every view seems to better than the last. I am completely inspired and yet paralyzed by the amount of things I want to sit and paint.
The buildings are so vibrant against the gray clouds, the shadows of the mountains breathe in and out of existence with each wave of rain and though we’re constantly wet (its the rainy season here) - it is easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve been.
In the end I didn’t end up making as many sketches as I hoped, but spent more time outside processing with my eyes and camera instead. Of the sketches I was able to make - I can’t wait to get home and translate them to canvas.
Huge thanks to my sister-in-law for suggesting this place, it was magic for me.
EH Sherman Art Abroad - Making Work in Ireland
We took a 'circular' path around the island, beginning in Dublin, Carlingford, Belfast, Letterkenny, Castlebar, Cork and back to Dublin. It was an incredible two weeks of sights, sounds, sketching and of course - food.
Spending multiple nights in each location, we took day trips to the surrounding areas as we went. It was a very busy trip, always on the go, but just so utterly fantastic. 99% of the places I've visited I've fallen in love with -- but Ireland just might come out on top.
Perhaps it was the small towns, connected by narrow winding roads and divided by nothing but stone walls and sheep herds that felt like a moment back in time, maybe the overflowing warmth of everyone we met, maybe the jaw-dropping vistas. Or more likely, a combination of everything above.
When I wasn't taking pictures, I was sketching and painting. Filled with a new appreciation for greens, grays, blackish blues and tiny dots of purple I worked furiously to express what I felt looking at the landscape.
Every time we rounded a bend it seemed like there was another valley, another mountain that called to be explored. Like a carrot on a stick. A big, beautiful paleo-lithic carrot.
I could have spent another 3 weeks there, easily. Or longer. But I only really had 3 weeks of clothes with me, sooo...
It was just the most fantastic time. And I truly enjoyed getting to talk with some of you on a few of the car rides via Instagram Live, being able to show my process in the car was just such a neat experience. (Follow me @ellen_the_lemon for the next Live video!)
Now that we're back and I'm settled into the organization of the work I made, I can't help but think wistfully on the slow mornings spent waking up to mountain haze, listening to the sheep and smelling the seashore. I'm grateful for all the wonderful suggestions we received on what to do, what to see and what to eat, you guys had some truly fantastic advice!
I'll be posting a major shop update in the coming days, (featuring the works made in ireland!) sign up for the newsletter to be notified the second it goes live.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend <3