Las Laguna Gallery - Sketchbook West 2017

My dear friend and amazing artist, Linda Friedman, reminded me the other day about checking Las Laguna Gallery for their call for art. The Sketchbook West 2017 exhibit caught my eye. I really want to start my sketchbook practice again. Also, knowing that I have 3 months to complete this project (submission date is February 28, 2017) was a major incentive to participate. I paid the entry fee and waiting for the 3.5" x 5.5" sketchbook to arrive.

Once the sketchbook arrived, I had to stare at it a few moments. "It's so small" I thought. Then I reminded myself that it's a sketchbook. I don't have to create an elaborate journal page or work of art. It's a tool to jot down ideas.

The paper in this sketchbook is hot press so it's very smooth and on the thin side. I was curious to see how it will hold layers of acrylic paint. Pages 1 and 2 were used to test the paper. I found that the layers of paint didn't show through to the other side. The pages did curl as I started to add more paint. After the painted dried, I wanted to add lines to give a geometric look to the design. The pencil lines were so interesting to me that I decided to just to darken the lines instead of drawing over with a pen. Then I weighed down the sketchbook with heavy books to try to flatten it before I could photograph the pages.

I'm not sure if anything will come from this sketch. It was fun to quickly put down an idea on paper.

Thanks for stopping by!