WiNKOUT

as a present to myself for finishing a couple commissions, i spent an afternoon designing and building a hard case for my kindle. also my first attempt at an elastic strap closure, which seems to have been successful (so far... i'll need to road test the technique a bit longer before i start using it for projects that aren't for me).

...and no, i didn't notice the irony of using old-school binding techniques to make a cover for an electronic book until i had already done it. =) not quite that self-aware.



( hardbound electronic book under here )

my little brother turned 21 this week! have i mentioned that? such an event calls for more than one present, clearly, so i didn't content myself with a little set of notebooks.

the OTHER present, that i had a ton of fun with and mostly decided to do because i knew i would, is this: an illustrated bilingual poem-book of edgar allan poe's The Raven. the english text and french translation are on the reverse sides of each page, and share cutout illustrations. thumbnail links to the project in the gallery on my website.



i also made a quicktime movie going through the book page by page- it should be embedded below...



Le Corbeau, a tour through (1:54)
bigger version of the movie (53mb)

sketches from a songwriters' circle i went to last night, featuring walt aldridge, kix brooks, and ricky ray rector.



( guys with guitars under here )

just added a new batch of blank books to my etsy shop. buy them! they're purse-sized, and good for writing and drawing in. =)

each book is made with my own special blend of whimsy and obsessive attention to detail, using a variety of fine decorative papers, 4ply linen thread, 50lb acid-free canson sketch paper, and the covers of ridiculous old paperbacks from the bargain bins at the library used booksale.

peruse the books in my ETSY shop

--any friends of mine living in nashville, just contact me directly if you see one you want. we can settle up outside the bounds of etsy.

last night i went to Dr. Sketchy's Nashville, a monthly event wherein burlesque models (in awesome costumes!) model for figure drawing sessions (in a bar!). it's super fun, and a good opportunity to practice drawing from life (while drinking beer!). this month's theme was 'Valentine’s Day,' so i broke out the pink markers. =)




( scantily-clad women under here )

over the weekend i saw kevin costner & modern west at douglas corner. of course i took my sketchbook! =)




( sketchbook spreads under here )

i was recently hired by a private client to make a handbound and illustrated book of Poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I'm really pleased with the way the book turned out. the client's color preferences led me to a palette and combination of materials that wouldn't have occurred to me if left to my own devices, but that i think work really well together. all the illustrations are variations on the rose pattern of the brocade bookcloth, done by hand with ink & brush.

thumbnail links to the project in the bookarts section of my website.




and the image below is a page from the initial proposal i sent to the client for approval. we ended up making some slight alterations to the original plan during construction, includind getting rid of the little window on the burgandy pages -- i'd thought it would be cute, but after doing the illustrations i realized it was unnecessary and would be distracting, visually.

the village voice hired me for a spot a couple weeks ago! i was so excited! =)




( sketches and final illustration under here )

anyone looking for not-quite-last-minute holiday gifts for that artist, writer, or journal-keeper in your life: i'm selling blank books on etsy! each book made with my own special blend of whimsy and obsessive attention to detail.



check them out at my etsy shop HERE!

a couple illustrations i did to practice working with colored ink. one is of the decemberists sailing on umbrellas, and one is of greek-myth-knitting-with-hair.

the thumbnails link to the full images in the gallery on my website.