blank books & journals - shop items

x heart x - 4x4 journal
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

i spent a little time this morning updaying my good witch/bad witch shop @ etsy. i added one of a kind journals with hand painting/drawing on the covers, and i also added one of another kind of blank book--the long format japanese stab bound books. these have a lot of hand sewing of embellishments including buttons, and some of those snazzy mini-painted squares i like so much.

i am feeling really inspired by paper and color lately. and buttons. did i mention the buttons? mmmm.

i finally took one of the journals out for myself. i decided i am going to work in it and perhaps provide links to images of it finished from my items in the shop, so people can see how cool one looks in use.

shop good witch/bad witch.

autumn rocks, people.

harvest - scarecrow
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

seriously.

i love autumn. i love the smell, i love the colors, and i sure love an excuse to drink hot chocolate next to a space heater, or breathe in the scent of fallen leaves. i missed it very much when i was in Savannah, land of no seasons.

i drew this little scarecrow as part of a series of cards i am working on. some of them are listed in my good witch/bad witch shop on etsy. you can find various sets including a harvest set featuring that little scarecrow and his pumpkin patch, as well as some skellies, and bottles bubbly potion, including a love potion and a mystery xxx green potion.

don't miss the 4x4 inch journals there, too! mmm.

you might consider picking up a spell book...

or, if you'd like, i am open to doing custom sets of cards or invitations. do ask. xox

mini journal - side view - embellishment

mini journal - side view - embellishment
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

at 4x4 inches, these little arty books are pocket size. each is handmade, and each is hand painted, front and back cover. the edges are decoratively treated, and each little journal contains
16 white cover stock pages, suitable for drawing, painting, writing, or collaging.

hand sewn. they are also individually embellished with ribbon, yarn, or a combination of both. the embellishment also serves as a tie closure. the covers are sealed, both inside and out, either with a brushed on or sprayed sealer. the inside covers are collaged with recycled text bits.

love me, love my belly

love me, love my belly
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

zine binding continues. it's a never ending process, really! i bound 20 issues of fg#11, 20 issues of fg#5, and i'm half way through 20 issues of dad zine.

i also had 2 sets of dog tags made, finally. i love these things. each has 2 tags on it. one reads love me, love my belly and the other reads don't hate me because you're hungry.

there's a new gift set of fg up, containing issues 1-10 + a YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL button.

@etsy.

orange kitty with stars

pink card - orange kitty
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

i have been working on cards. i drew one up on a white card of spike with the moon and some stars. i decided it was pretty cool, so i did a series of them. you can see a detail of the kitty on flickr.

these cards are invitation size, 5.5 x 4.25 inches.

@ etsy.

continuous line

continuous line
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

just a little continuous line drawing (no lifting the pen from the paper!) from last night. it's a little distorted from lying in bed with my head on one arm, drawing with the other hand.

and that's part of what makes it look neat.

chunky book sample doodle

chunky book sample doodle
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

sometimes when i do projects, such as my current chunky fat book with the theme: i carry your heart, inspired by the e.e. cummings poem of same name, i give directions that folks who aren't familiar with them don't understand.

here's a little illu i did to help. 4x4 inch page, 1 inch on the left to be free of hard embellishment, sticky tape, or sewn thread. why? i have to punch some holes there, and my binding system needs an inch of paper to go into the binder to punch the holes in the proper place!

also, i like to avoid real feathers or plant matter (seeds, dirt, leaves) in case one of the participants is in a country that wont allow that sort of thing through customs.

to see more info about this current chunky book project, visit the post in my little livejournal.

green/yellow/red paper

green/yellow/red paper
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

handmade paper! this was made for a swap of hand decorated paper. i just went with handmade paper, since i happened to have this large piece of greenish paper around. when i first made it, i wasn't sure i liked it.

then, of course, i lived with it for a few days, and used a piece to make a small book, which is still in progress. it's very textural... gotta love that! the best part about this paper is that it feels very sturdy in your hands. it'll hold up to a lot of abuse, painting, embellishing, working. i am thinking of making an entire journal with just this stuff!

you can see a detail of the paper on flickr, if you're curious about the texture.

fat girl number 9 - guts

fat girl number 9 - guts
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

as you can see, Fat Girl number Nine is hot off the presses (or rather, xerox machine). this issue addresses a few issues, injects a bit of humor, and, as always, features some body positive artwork.

you can see more images of this issue, and learn more about the contents, if you follow this link.

by the way, there are some images up on the edition varies (print club) blog of the workshop i went to the other day. check us out!

artist book - star

artist book - star
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

i know i was supposed to post more on the book i made in the workshop yesterday, but i didn't get around to finishing it today. i am still working on a decision as to what to use it for before i get crazy with the embellishments.

the book pictured here, with this entry, is a small book i made today, with the same binding, only much smaller. this closed book measures approximately 7.5 x 4.75 x 1 inches. it is embellished with fiber, handmade 1x1 inch charms, a wooden spine, and buttons.

the paper is another piece (the first, actually) of that handmade paper i made the other day.

if you would like, you can take a peek inside of this book, with little hidden embellishments, or see the cover unfolded all the way over on flickr in my handmade book photo set.

i will post when the orange book is finished, promise.

off to teach my mom how to make this paper, in prep for making a book!

threaded needle

threaded needle
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

the workshop today was a blast! Jennifer is great to work with and learn from--meaning she's funny and down to earth, and just plain easy to talk to. we all worked on our books. glueing turned out to take longer than expected, and my paper was pretty thick so i kept having to burnish is down, add more glue, burnish, etc.

as it turned out, i don't think anyone had time to finish their books. i came home and finished sewing mine after some of us went to dinner @ Max & Erma's (the burgers are ok, but not great, if you ever wondered), and now my book awaits embellishment.

i will take a photograph of it tomorrow, when there's lots of natural light. it turned out pretty neat, and a lot of people loved the papers i made yesterday. i didn't photograph the paper i ended up using before i cut it up and used it for the cover. oh well!

i used a lime green, shiny, faux gator skin embossed paper for my interior. wait until you see it embellished. muah ah ah.

oh, and i also met some new people, which is always good! and... i'm going to do a workshop with the Print Club, at some point, on making the paper. woot!

i was too busy with glue and needle and thread to photograph much at the workshop, but i know Randel did. i'll see if he has some pix i can pirate over here, or link to.

oh, btw, if you want, you can take a sneak peek at the spine of the book over on flickr.

studio - working on paper

studio - working on paper
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

since i don't know if i will have time to get out to Suders Art Supply to snag some decorative paper to use as a cover for the book i am to be constructing in a workshop tomorrow, i decided to make some cloth-paper, ie art paper backed in muslin. boy, this stuff is exhausting. it really does take all day to make a few big sheets.

i started out with some yellow and orange bases, but they weren't doing it for me. you can check those out on my flickr. i think they'll be better for details, embellishments, and other pieces.

then i read the workshop sheet (yeah, smart move!) and noticed the decorative sheets for cover and interior cover needed to be considerably bigger. that's when i progressed to the much larger red based paper thing. it nearly covers my entire desk. i needed 11x27 inches. this is larger by several inches either way. i made it with several colors of tissue paper (red, orange, white, pink), some various pigments (liquid, watercolor), and some ripped up 1.25x1.25 inch squares of what used to be a dictionary page (or four), which were also watercolored darker colors. there's some thread layered in, too!

since my large work table in my studio is covered in junk. by junk, i mean 'art junk' which is not to be confused with trash or a Chinese water-craft (even tho those are really cool).

i am going to try to clear that off this weekend so as to preserve my little collection of prints without spatter of watercolor or any other arty stuff. my poor prints, hanging on the edge of disaster!

flaming heart - skullie sketchbook's embellishment

flaming heart - skullie sketchbook's embellishment
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

i just completed and listed this sketchbook over on my etsy shop. it's one of those 'piratey' 4x4 inch blank books i was talking about making last week, but i was waiting on my binding materials to do them up right, so i couldn't finish any until now!

this skullie sketchbook is 4x4 inches with approximately 15 pages of cardstock on the interior (acid free, white).

it's embellished with ribbons and a bone bead! these are pocket sized with one of a kind covers. this one was made with collage, painting, and drawing with both water based paint pens, acrylic, and oil.

draw in me - cover

draw in me - cover
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

last night, i re-did the cover of draw in me. i took some markers, paint pens, silver pen, and glaze pens to the cover, giving it a face lift from the hello-boring it was before. i ripped off the moleskine bookmark and elastic closure, and replaced it with a braided length of yarn embellished with some hand carved bone beads (tibetan, i think).

this revamp is in preparation to send it off to andrea, since my original partner for this journal dropped out, and andrea was kind enough to step in! i plan to largely redo much of the journal. gesso is in its future...

this reminds me of an exercise Judy Tuwaletstiwa suggested. start a painting, any size, any subject. paint and paint until you get something you react strongly to (hate or love). photograph it. live with it for a day or a few days. then paint over it. paint until you find something you react to. photograph it. live with it. paint over it. etc, for as long as is necessary.

materials: random paper bit, pen, marker, ink, yarn, & bone beads on the cover of a moleskine.

http://drawinme.livejournal.com/

heart charms

heart charms
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

today i made some 1x1 inch charms ready to be sewn or wired on as embellishment or as decorative elements in art. these are made of three kinds of paper, watercolor, and marker, and marker edging. unsealed.

i also made some blank versions, just in case the urge to make more strikes.

i would start using these, but i can't find my twisted beading wire. it's around here somewhere, hiding from me!

there are reasons people who could otherwise have a studio in their home do not. i am beginning to see the wisdom of having an off-site studio. when you have a studio in your home, people assume you're ok to chat anytime they get bored and just walk in and blah blah blah. especially on their days off. *twitch*

you can see some charms (similar to these), in action, if you go check out some of my vinyl postcards:

you are beautiful - vinyl postcard
xox - vinyl postcard

wandering mole's broken binding

wandering mole's broken binding
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

i have been working on wandering mole, a collaborative journal between me and my art friend, marieke.

the binding broke on this little moleskine, so i pasted in some words. yum.

if you'd like to see more of the guts of this book, check out: wandering mole, where you can see the pages as they progress.

and don't forget to check out roaming blotch, another collaborative journal we're working on together. xox.

cloth paper scissors - sept/oct 2007

cps_recipecard_sept2007issu
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

and so it begins. the initiative to get my artwork into magazines. hey, it worked! how cool is that?! i had a lot of fun doing this swap, as you may recall. my card was published, but i had no idea until today. i received a card from another swapper, and figured that was that.

i went out to check the mail, on my way to the grocery, and found an stuffed envie. i was puzzled, not recognizing the address, as i was expecting some buttons from kateblack (www.badbuttons.com), but that's not what i got! inside was a comp copy of CPS! i kinda went... huh? why am i... oh! right. i love surprises like these.

Weston Gallery - blogged

Cincy folks, check out this blog post: Art: Next Weston season: provocative and varied with just about something for everyone

there are lots of interesting links there, with a glorious amount of beautiful work hiding under those hyper text clickables.

in particular, you might wanna visit Nate Larson & Ana England.

fat girl # eight

fat girl # eight - guts
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

fat girl # eight is here! this little photocopied beauty is packed full of doodle art, all done in ink and then photocopied! (who needs pre-drawing?) mmm zine goodness.

fat girl # eight is a 1/4 size, 20pp zine. this zine is photocopied in black and white on text weight paper. it is hand sewn with heavy thread and a japanese stab binding.

available @ etsy.

red tree gallery - interior

red tree gallery - interior
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

i took a break from binding today to head over to the red tree gallery. this is an interior shot i took whilst photographing for corinne, since she has some cute buttons here!

i met the owner, who is very nice, and we talked briefly about the space. i love the way they have panels hanging from the wall, which breaks up the space while leaving it feeling open and airy. i didn't take a picture, but the back wall behind the coffee bar is a beautiful deep red, and there are gorgeous pale turquoise dishes on the shelves. the colors are really fun.

the best part is that this gallery is located very close to two of my favorite people in town. which means we can all hang out on final fridays and check out the after hours thing they have going on.

red tree gallery, 4409 brazee street, cincinnati. 513.321.8733.