Tag Archives: Sketchbook

Creative Juice #359

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Creative Juice #359

Free e-books, writing help, pretty things to look at, and a serious true story.

  • Want a peek at an artist’s sketchbook?
  • An interesting take on writing dialogue.
  • Beautiful quilts by Holly Alloway.
  • Life is funny. (Thank God, because otherwise it would be too depressing to go on living.)
  • A lovely quilt that took a long time to finish.
  • Artist and poet Judy Dykstra-Brown, whom I’ve written about here and here, made a catalog of her retablos for an exhibit, and it’s now available on her blog as a free downloadable e-book.
  • The story of three girls evacuated from Germany in 1939.
  • Free e-cookbook. The author is Australian, so some of the measurements may be unfamiliar if you’re American. There are recipes in here I will definitely try.
  • I so want one of these platters.
  • I love these little vignettes this artist creates, starting with items you might find in your own home.
  • Novelists, have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)? It’s basically committing to spend the month of November writing 1667 words every day so that by the end of the month you have a 50,000 word first draft. I’ve participated twice (though I never reached the 50,000 word mark). I won’t be doing it this year, but if you are, you’ll probably want to spend October working on an outline or a pre-synopsis or at least making some general notes for your story or some world-building or character development. But if you’re not in the habit of writing every day, maybe during September you could try daily creativity prompts to get your juices flowing.
  • Free writing resources.

Video of the Week: Summer Vacation Sketchbook

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Creative Juice #324

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Creative Juice #324

Interesting stuff to ponder before the New Year.

  • Patterns in the camera’s eye.
  • Three photographers critique submitted winter photos. (They spend the first five minutes or so chitchatting, so you might want to cue it a bit further on.)
  • An artist’s first show.
  • A peek at a wonderful sketchbook.
  • Adorable cat photos. Please forgive me if I’ve already posted these.
  • Cleaning hacks.
  • In 1860, Mount Zion AME Church in Trenton, NJ established the Locust Hill Cemetery, the final resting place for at least 178 people, including 10 Civil War veterans. But by 1905, it was forgotten, used as a dumping ground. How one man’s historic vision saved it from obscurity.
  • Interview with Cameron Crowe.
  • I’m not on TikTok. Did you know #BookTok is an effective marketing tool for book lovers and authors?
  • Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
  • Is this what primordial soup might have looked like?
  • A little glimpse of charming Jersey City.

Creative Juice #304

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Creative Juice #304

Lots of artistic things in this week’s offerings.

Video of the Week #328: Make Creativity a Daily Habit

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Creative Juice #251

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Creative Juice #251

A lot of beauty in today’s articles, curated especially for you.

  • Do you like Irish step dancing?
  • If you read my post about the Sirens, you know I love to sleep.
  • Georgia O’Keeffe on the art of seeing. And lots of links, if you enjoy going down rabbit holes.
  • I may have included these father of the bride photos in a previous edition of Creative Juice. You know what? They’re so beautiful, you should see them again.
  • Beautiful fruit photography.
  • Read your children some books about kindness and talk about how to make a difference in the lives of the people around you.
  • I’d never heard of Sonny Curtis, even though I’m familiar with two of his most famous songs; but I love his daughter’s essay about him.
  • Would you believe there are 800 pairs of herons living in Amsterdam? Maybe because of the canals. . .
  • Ingenious and useful creations from toilet paper rolls.
  • A mom’s June sketchbook pages.
  • I love this Instagrammer’s ICAD cards.
  • How a quilter pieced a 60-piece block perfectly!

Creative Juice #229

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Creative Juice #229

These articles will challenge your intellect while satisfying your need for beauty.

Creative Juice #226

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Creative Juice #226

It’s the beginning of a new era. Hallelujah!

Video of the Week #281: Sketchbook Tour

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Review of Draw Your Day by Samantha Dion Baker

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Review of Draw Your Day by Samantha Dion Baker

I love to look at art journals. For example, I love the blog Sketch Away, by Suhita Shirodkar, in which she records her days. I dream of being outside, pulling out my sketchbook, and drawing what I experience.

But I have no idea how to get started.

I don’t remember how I found out about Draw Your Day: An Inspiring Guide to Keeping a Sketch Journal by Samantha Dion Baker, but I immediately ordered it, and for the last week or so it’s the book I’ve brought with me to read at Greg’s doctor appointments and physical therapy.

It is, of course, illustrated with pages from Dion Baker’s own journals. I love her style.

She tells a little about her own life, and how she first started journaling, and how over time the artwork disappeared from her journals. She missed the drawing, and needed to purposely reinstate it into her life.

I really appreciate her discussion of tools. She explains the numbering system for pencils, which I really never understood before. She recommends certain brands of art supplies, some pricey and some not, and explains the reasons behind her choices.

But most of all, she explains how to make a sketch journal a part of your daily routine. She suggests multiple ways to use one, and leaves it up to you to come up with your best way to adopt the sketchbook habit. I love this book, and I can’t wait to make sketching a daily part of my life.

You can look at Samantha Dion Baker’s artwork on her Instagram page.