the sketchbook project

I signed up for the Sketchbook Project way back in beginning of summer. I thought - what a perfect project to bring with me to St. Petersburg... hah! The book traveled with me to Russia, to Chicago, to Vermont, to North Carolina and did not acquire a single doodle! All my other sketchbooks got worked on, drawn in, doodled in. I even taught a journaling workshop! Nope. Nada. Nothing for this sketchbook....

Why? I do not know. Maybe it required the push (shove?) of the impending deadline? The rush (exhilaration?) of several projects due at once? Perhaps... that is exactly what it needed.

So now in the mad holiday rush it is being diligently worked on, sharing the time allotted to it with a gazillion of other projects that are due NOW! I have never worked on a whole book at once. All my other sketchbooks (there are several) are worked on one page at a time, maybe a few pages at a time, but never the whole book at the same time. I am enjoying this challenge to myself. I am working on the book intuitively, just following the muse/book and doing what she thinks I should. First I played with some glue dribbles, thinking they might provide interesting resists. So far nothing too exciting. Then I took out my watercolors and colored all the pages in washes of color, patterns and swirls, using brushes and sponges. Then I took the book apart, feeling the need to iron all the pages smooth before going further. Once I had them so smooth I just had to try printing on them. So I did and lost a few pages in the process due to printer acting up. Then I decided it was time to engage my sewing machine. Free-motion on paper. That was fun! Now I am in the process of putting the book back together. Stitching the pages back in order. I think I will glue a few things in to it now and do some doodling. Be back later with an update!