The Connoisseur

The Connoisseur
Originally uploaded by 3MW

Tracy's drawing haunted my dreams last night. The sweet image of a little girl painting and the quote about throwing paint on the canvas had me trapped in a Jackson Pollock induced trance. Here's what I'm kicking around for her moleskine. Maybe updating a classic. Quick sketch with a pitt brush pen in moleskine sketchbook.

Safe Landing

moly exchange
Originally uploaded by 3MW

Tracy's moly has arrived in Pennsylvania today. I decided to document my initial viewing. Will power, people!

Jan's Moly has arrived at Alison's

Yes, it's here, delicate and beautiful, and the smell of the paint is sending me into creative thinking mode. Rather than post the completed pages again, I've taken a photo of my drawing desk which is in the living room. Now that we are empty nesters, there's room for us each to have a table in the living room which is the warmest in winter and coolest in summer so it gets a lot of use.
You can see Jan's moly sitting on my light box(oh, so useful) where I can muse upon it for a while. In front of the light box is a collection of things that belonged to my grandfather - I am drawing them in another accordion-fold strip and my father will annotate them as he pleases.
On the right, I have set up one of my vessel arrangements, in the corner box, for Jana who wants to see see how I do them - the shadows are real but the view I draw is carefully selected and very cropped. In this case, the left hand pot needs to be lower so is standing on a book outside the corner box - I only drew its shadow.
Beyond the table, is the sofa which is 'my spot' with my thread box currently on the tea-chest 'side table' -(my next art dead-line is the Geelong wool quilt exhibition - and beyond that, my art stuff cupboard and home of all my vessels. Of course, most of my 'stuff' is outside in my 'studio' a converted carport - too messy to work in at the moment and anyway we save on heating if we just use the one room. My partner's table is to the left and is always completely cleared each night!

*Bing!* Round II Begins.

Clare your Moly has landed!  It is absolutely gorgeous!  I blogged about it and my thoughts here.

Art Imitates Life

Melissa don't worry too much about mail service, customs will check any parcel they suspect. I have been wracking my brain to see what could possibly be of concern & the only thing I can think of is , perhaps your wood grain drawing was SO REALISTIC they could see wood through the x-ray machine and had to investigate it further. Says a lot for your drawing skills!!!

When the accordion plays, anything can happen

Here I am at last. First, is my sign-in page, two keys each. On my Scribbles blog, there is a two-picture set of memory paintings, about the gypsies and music and how I wanted to learn to play the accordion - the end of that story, not included there as it happened after we emigrated from Scotland (and after a year of vile piano lessons), is that I did get to play an accordion and it has been one of my greatest pleasures - a vehicle for the songs of my soul. So I can't pass up the opportunity to make this little Moley even more accordion-like. As I sat looking at the empty 'bellows', this 'streetscape' fell onto the page. The world is a strange place! As you have all posted some pages, I have incorporated snippets from them too. Who knows what might be through the arch on the right - could be anything! And here, of course, is the end page.

I just used pen and watercolour - I find the pages take it ok, though a few colours need a little help from some soap to stick. I will be posting this off tomorrow - in a plain envelope, as I think it is less likely to be stolen.

First Moly Has Landed!!!

WOWweee!! Melissa's Moly has arrived here in Australia in my letter box on Wednesday, May 28 at 2.05pm.

And I can tell you all it is much more beautiful in person. I can't believe how different it is to the scans/photos. It jumps off the page and demands viewing. Melissa's artwork is crisp, detailed and very, very good!! And her treats are a TREAT.

EEEEeeek, was it me who was telling everyone to 'relax' when drawing in other's moly's???? I am going to have to take some of my own advice.

Thanks Melissa, I will do my bestest work!

One thing I must mention!

My parcel was opened and inspected by Australian Quarantine. It had been x-rayed and classed as a concern???? Of course it was all OK and everything was left as it was when Melissa mailed it.. Aust Quarantine are extremely cautious.

I received an information leaflet in the envelope stating the concern and info about what cannot be mailed into Australia. For overseas members you can find out more here.

http://www.daffa.gov.au/aqis/mail/cant-mail

My First Entry

Moleskine Exchange
Originally uploaded by TracyU

I couldn't make up my mind, so I just started drawing an iris. Later I decided I wanted to use the quote I found in my daughter's classroom.
It doesn't look like it goes together very well. If I am having this much trouble drawing in my book, I wonder what I will be like when I have to draw in someone else's!

Did it...but..

...still using props to get me going (note the rough sketch at the top) and now...to colour or not to colour that is the question. The drawing relates back to one of my first posts on this blog as well as the theme of my book

I think a little colour may be called for.

I've really struggled...

....with blank page terror these last two weeks and my solution was to draw "out of the page".

The letterbox idea gave some justification for this and once the page is stuck in the moly as the sign in page it will hopefully break the spell and I shall be able to face my fears!!! I just couldn't bring myself to draw straight into the moly. Something to do with it being a shared book I suppose ...which is a lot of responsibility.

The theme I have plumped for is "all around the world and back" which is of course what my book will be doing, and I have an idea for the first drawing......so I'm off to do it before my courage runs out!

Parcel Posted

Finally, I have posted my book to Jan. I held onto it a bit longer because I decided to decorate the
envelope and did not have time to finish it until today.
Now I eagerly await the arrival of Melissa's book from USA.

(I have digitally smudged out Jan's address.)

Jan's page completed

Yes, I had a spot of bother doing this page... I've written about it on my blog. but it is finished and I'm happy with it.
It ended up being a tribute to William Morris, who I love and have several books on. I made a bit of a mess doing it, folds in the wrong place, my half page extension is three pages! because I started on the wrong pages... I hope you can all cope with a less than perfect book! Ah, but it IS me!

Second Moly packed and ready to fly.

I was hoping to mail my Moly out to Jan today...................Stuff happened! ;)
It's all packaged & set to leave first thing tomorrow morning.

Melissa's book is on it's way here to Oz, I hope it gets here fast, I am all inspired and don't want my creative juices to dry up while I wait for its' arrival.

How is the rest of the group coming along? We need some more pics here on the blog..............Please post some as soon as you can.
Alison, are you ok? Quietly "Moleying along"?

We have a chat box on our blog so it is easier for us to communicate, pop in and say hi.

Empty Nest Syndrome

The first moly has left the nest.

Folded

Folded
Originally uploaded by 3MW

I scanned this folded with the lid off for a different perspective. Clare I will try to get this in the mail this week. I think this will be one of the longer distances and I want to see how long it takes. And of course I know if it sits in the house for another week I will fiddle with it and likely ruin it. I'll post some footage of it's final days on US soil and let you know when it's on the way.

Sign In

Sign In
Originally uploaded by 3MW

This is my sign in page. Everyone is welcome to a piece. I decided to calculate the miles from my door to clare's and added that in my space. Feel free to do the same...or add something else if you wish.

'WIP' My first entry.

Been working....

.....on my sign in page.

These are meant to be letter boxes but they look a little more like picture frames. Thinking of theming my moly with "all around the world....and back" because that's what it will be doing. Thanks for the encouragement Clare.... would every one else be OK with that?

Love all the work posted on the blog, it all looks great. I feel very lucky to be part of this group!

Red/Read

Well my moly finally arrived and I decided to go with a theme - Red/Read - [both pronounced the same].  Here is my title/sign-in page.  The 'library card' has the sign-in spaces on it.

I have no idea what I'm going to do on the first 2 1/2 pages though.  But at least I've started!

Moly Owl Jacket

Avoiding Drawing in my Moly......'Who, Me'?..... Today I made this Aubergine micro suede jacket for the long trip ahead. The owl is crafted from white leather.

And.... Here is Moly sporting the new seasons' belt trend.

Also great as a casual garment, jacket is worn open for the warmer climates.

Hmmm, now I best start on my pages.... ;0) Having Fun!

Done.....I Think

Jan, I have written my theme on the sign in page and inside the wee envelope I added a list of every one's address,(might come in handy). I don't think it really matters where you write your theme, it's your book so you have to be happy with it.

Looking at the moly below & imagine it is the first page,

(and not the front endpaper);

In my mind I think 2.5 pages would be, where it reads, Please Sign, is the first page and where it reads, in..&...My Theme, would be the second page. Open out and do half of the third page, the next artist carry's on from there, and I would think their last page would be a full page. The next artist starts with a full page ending in a half, ?? !! ?? ...etc...

Melissa, am I on the right track? Or am I pretending I know all about this MolyX business??

Moleskine Exchange Sign-In Page

Moleskine Exchange Sign-In Page
Originally uploaded by TracyU

I finished the sign in page. It made me feel good to get something down on the pristine pages. Now I can think about the next 2.5. I don't have a theme...still thinking about it.

I would love for everyone to add a postage stamp from her country on the sign in page. I had the man at the post office cancel the stamp in my book, but you don't have to do that. You can just cut one off of an envelope. I hope there is enough room for the stamps. The book seems so small!

Sign In Page

I finished the sign in page. It made me feel good to get something down on the pristine pages. Now I can think about the next 2.5. I don't have a theme...still thinking about it.

I would love for everyone to add a postage stamp from her country on the sign in page. I had the man at the post office cancel the stamp in my book, but you don't have to do that. You can just cut one off of an envelope.

Sign In.

My sign in page inside the front cover.
Now to begin on my 2.5 pages.
Doing a sign in page is like a warm-up before committing to
the real page. It alleviates the stress of 'blank page phobia'.

I am not sure if I will add more to this. It is much brighter than the scan shows.

********************************

Turtle Jumps Ship

Still tinkering but here's what I've got so far. . .
Watercolor Pencil and Pitt Pens.

Sign in page

Hello. While I'm not going with a "Theme" per se, I have decided to use puzzle pieces on the inside cover of my book which I would like to use as a place to store contact info. The idea of many individual pieces fitting together to form a complete picture seems like a great metaphore for this collaborative effort.

Our First Mailing

Time for more feedback. Does everyone have a book? I think a few were ordering online. What is a reasonable date for our first mailing? Does everyone think they would be able to post their book by June 1st, 2008? Again we are looking at 2.5 pages each which allows a bit of collaboration and overlap among the artists.

The chart is updated to reflect the 1 month turn-around. Top chart allows you to see which book you are drawing in each round (and who is drawing in yours).

The bottom chart shows who you will need to ship to each round.

Basend on popular vote we would aim to ship the following round July 1st, 2008. Kerry, you will always have an international ship, so plese let us know if these dates work for you. And obviously if anyone finishes before the first of the month they could post right away to give the next artist more time.

Rotation and Shipping
Originally uploaded by 3MW

Snail Mail

At some point this virtual world will become tangible for us all. I think Clare has half of your email addresses and I have the other half. Please email one of us your snail mail and we'll email a master list of all 6 to each of you.

Rotation Suggestions

Moly_x_25
Originally uploaded by 3MW

This is a hypothetical swap rotation.
The concept is each person does about 2.5 pages each round before passing it on. When we get to round 6, that person does 5 pages as a "centerfold" and then we reverse the order. This should keep mailing costs even for international shipping and also gives each of us a turn to try a larger section for a change of pace. It also means you won't follow the same person all 12 times.

Open to ideas, thoughts, suggestions, enhancements.

My Theme

Hello molyX friends. I dropped in to let you all know I have chosen a theme for moly.

"These are a Few of My Favourite Things"

Being a 'collector' & 'hoarder', I have an abundance of fave bits and pieces. Many I have never even thought of drawing. My moly will be a record of my stuff. ;0)

Now I think this theme is loose enough so you can all add your own favourites, be it people, places or things. Anything which delights your senses and makes you

happy will be perfect in my book.

Enjoy

I know I will.

Hello there my name is...

....Kerry, and at the moment I feel like the lucky person who just managed to jump on board ship before it set sail. Thank you very much to all of you for inviting me on board. I am looking forward to an exciting and creative journey! (...I think I've exhausted that metaphor!).

A little about me....I live in West Yorkshire, England. I've been married for 25 years but my two children (15 and 12) keep me young at heart. I tapped into art again when my children started school - anything to avoid working full time! I love to draw and work with textiles and ceramics. Photography and flickr are relatively new to me and I have recently started to dabble with photoshop.

Basically I love anything creative and this concept - sharing art and inspiration - really appeals. I purchased my moly in this lovely bookshop at the weekend .....

.....and am very much looking forward to our collaboration. Happy sailing everyone!

k

I'm Ready...................

My Moly, 'Poised & ready for Adventure'.

and "hello" from me!

Hi all.  My name is Jan Allsopp (yes, double 'l' and double 'p', not quite right in the sidebar) and I live in Coffs Harbour on the NSW north coast, Australia.  I have been painting and drawing on and off forever.  I too discovered Danny Gregory's "Creative Licence" about 2 years ago which led me to journalling and blogging, both of which have turned into two of the best things I've done, and reignited my artistic flame.  In that time I've begun an online Bachelor degree in Art and my creative output has increased and diversified dramatically, all thanks to journalling.  I have not participated in anything like this before and I'm really looking forward to the experience.  I will have to mail order my Japanese fold Moleskine because I can't buy them locally, so I won't have it for a week or so.  I already know Alison from her blog and her memory drawings (they are fantastic!) and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone else.  I am toying with a theme for my Moly too!  Does anyone have experience in these swaps and can give an opinion for and against themes?

On the move

On the move
Originally uploaded by 3MW

I picked up my moleskine this weekend. It's ready for a fun journey.

Hello My Name Is. . .

Melissa from Pennsylvania, USA.

I'm a high school art teacher. I got into illustrated journalling as a way to start making art for myself again (instead of just showing my students a technique) while reading Danny Gregory's book during my maternity leave. Married 6 years with a 3-year old daughter my art making time is limited and I like the format a sketchbook/journal affords.

Looking forward to trying this art exchange with everyone.

Hello, my name is

...Alison. I live in Canberra, Australia. I started learning to draw just over two years ago after stumbling across Danny Gregory's book, the Creative License. No sooner had I started, than a series of memory paintings (on my Scribbles Adagio blog) of my first 10 years in Scotland, began 'falling onto the page'. Now I have nearly done 100 of these. They capture all sorts of happenings and musings that could never be caught in family photographs. I also joined Julie Oakley in her year-long project to 'take some exercise everyday and stop along the way to do a sketch' (on my Five K Radius blog). Through that I learned that there's always something to draw and to do it quickly and in public. I also got fit and returned to my childhood habit of cycling everywhere. I also like making books, art quilting and contemporary embroidery.

Hello, My Name Is...

Tracy.

I live in Tipp City, Ohio.
My husband and I have been married for 19 years, and we have 2 children, a 12-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. I like to draw, paint, carve stamps, journal, and make books and jewelry.

I am happy to participate in this project. So many ideas are buzzing around in my mind. I'm trying to decide if I want to use a theme or not. How nice that the books are going to log some mileage!

Thanks for inviting me and all your work in putting this together.

Your new friend,
Tracy

Hello My Name is:

Clare.
I live in Victoria, Australia.
When I am not busy with work, I play!!
My favourite 'play things' are, journals, drawing, camping, collecting swap cards & owls, book binding and building my dollhouse.......oh...... and anything else I get pleasure doing.
I have decided I will choose a theme for my Moleskine, but it will be fairly loose.
Welcome to our members!!! ;0)

Melissa and I are putting our heads together working out all the details to ensure this project is an enjoyable and productive journey for all of us.


We have decided on two main rules for this particular group....(1)We would like 90% of the moleyX content to be drawing, sketching & painting (illustration) any or all with some text...........just not into too much collage. (2)Total commitment, with all communication and mail out. That said, Life can get in the way and if you have problems with deadlines etc just let the group know asap.

Any Q's , ideas or suggestions to enhance our MoleyX experience, post here.
I shall be off line Friday evening through to Sunday evening, (Aust time). Can't wait for it all to get started.
Kind Regards to you all.

Hello my name is. . .

Melissa.

Just thought it would be nice if we each post an introduction to get to know one another. We are currently at four members (Tracey will be added soon by Marty) and would be open to a few more. If you have any suggestions, please add them in the comments section of this post. At some point we will need to determine things like:

-rotation order

-how long we have to complete each round before sending off

-themes (if desired)

-number of pages

On a side note, I think it's pretty cool that we are the silver anniversary of this project. I look forward to meeting all of you and sharing our creative talents. So won't you please begin a post to introduce yourself so that we can get to know each other.

Best,
Melissa