Month of the Moleskine - Day 19

Happy Friday friends! Last day of August.....What the heck happened to summer?

September is also going to fly by.  I've got 2 shows this month! Do check out my events page on jenniferjohansson.com to see a list of all my upcoming shows.

I've archived the entire Month of the Moleskine drawing series here.

Ta-Ta!

Month of the Moleskine - Day 18

 

Happy Thursday friends! 

I'll be posting from the road the next few days. Matt and I are heading up to Rockford for the Labor Day weekend.

Ta-Ta.

Month of the Moleskine - Day 17

Hi. How are you? What are you doing today?

I got a late start today. But better late than never, right?

I have to admit that I'm getting a little tired of illustrating numbers. But, not to worry. I will persevere and complete my 30 days!

To see the first 16 drawings, make your way to my Flickr page.

Ta-Ta.

Month of the Moleskine - Day 16

Good morning friends! How are you?

I did this drawing while attending a reception for Illinois senator Gary Forby.  He is a huge supporter of teachers and Matt often works with him in his position at the IEA.  We marched with him in the Duqoin State Fair parade on Friday as well. It was great to meet him - he's very personable and fun.  We also heard John Cullerton, president of the Illinois senate speak last night in support of Gary.  I've been enjoying learning more about southern Illinois politics and like how close we can get to the action here.  I'm also proud to report that we live in a district represented by a Democratic senator and 2 Democratic representatives!

Month of the Moleskine - Day 15 - Halfway!

I'm halfway there! Wahoo!

You can gaze upon the whole of the Month of the Moleskine collection here.

And have you seen my new prototype illustration?  Please take a look and let me know what you think. 

Ta-ta!

 

Month of the Moleskine - Day 14

Have a spectacular Sunday!

Take a gander at the entire  Month of the Moleskine collection here.

Smooch. 

Month of the Moleskine - Day 13

Happy Saturday! Happy Weekend!

Day 13 is pretty funky, but I like it.

I've archived the whole Month of the Moleskine drawing set here.

Stay tuned for some Etsy shoppe update news!  Ta-ta.

Month of the Moleskine - Day 12

Hey! Happy Friday!

It's a big weekend in Southern Illinois......The DuQuoin State Fair starts today! I'm a little confused about the whole thing.....Last time I checked DuQuoin was not a state and the Illinois State Fair takes place in Springfield. Hmmm.

I like the calm and simplicity of #12.  You can tell I was in a good mood when I drew it.

To see the entire Month of the Moleskine drawing set - make your way here.

Have an exceptional weekend friends! Ta-ta.

Month of the Moleskine - Day 11

Hi. I have a secret to tell you....

I didn't actually make this drawing on the 22nd. (Gasp!) Tuesday was a really slow day at work, so I did it then. I added a kind of wood-grain pattern to these goofy looking "1's".

Take a peek at all of the Month of the Moleskine drawings here.

And if you haven't yet seen my new prototype illustration, please take a look and let me know what you think.  Gracias.

Month of the Moleskine - Day 10

Hi there.  How are you?

Day 10....One-third of the way done!

View the entire "Month of the Moleskine" project here.

And if you haven't yet seen my new prototype illustration, please take a look and let me know what you think. Grazie.

New Directions. New Ideas.

Hi again! 2 posts today....Can you believe it? 

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about my art, my business, and the direction I want to take things.  I'm sensing an evolution and I want to share it with you!

My favorite part of the day lately is working on my "Month of the Moleskine" project. I just adore the looseness of these works. I don't have to do much planning, but just go for it with pen in hand.  Best of all, I really like the way most of these sketchbook drawings turn out. 

So here's the new idea.....

I'd like to turn these drawings into saleable products, that I could work into both my Etsy shoppe and art fair inventory. I would complete these drawings on loose paper that could then be framed or mounted on panels (like shown here). Size-wise, I would keep them small to begin - say 4"x6" - comparable to the pages of my Moleskine.  Unframed/unmounted original drawings would start at under $50.00. 

Here's where you come in...I need your feedback friends!

• Does this new direction interest you? 
• Would you purchase an original abstract drawing? 
• Does the size and price point seem right? 
• Would you prefer the drawings unmounted or mounted and ready to hang? 

Your feedback would be so greatly appreciated! Feel free to leave comments here or email me directly. I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Ta-ta for now.

Month of the Moleskine - Day 9

Hi. How was your Monday? What's on tap for today? 

I admit, I didn't have as much to give today as I did yesterday.  I don't know exactly why, but my motivation was waning.

To see the whole "Moleskine of the Month" drawing collection, mosey over yonder.  

On another note: If I was still teaching, today would have been my first day back to work. Though I do miss the regular paycheck and the students, I still feel happy with my decision to stay "retired" from teaching for a time. I'm grateful that I have this time and opportunity to pursue some other options. 

 

And lastly: I have a new idea to share/ask you about later on today or tomorrow.  Stay tuned and ta-ta for now!

Month of the Moleskine - Day 8

Hi! How are you friends?

I spent a good chunk of my Sunday working on this drawing. You see number "8" had to be special....It's my favorite number!

I don't know exactly why I like 8's so much, but it's been my go-to number for years.  My college roommates and I had an "8" shaped handshake and also developed a variation of Uno that revolved around 8's.  I used to love to get my cousin to say "huge, orange, 88" (which were his favorite words) when he was a toddler. My long time email handle was "jenmullin88."

I often find myself drawing these ocotillo-like shapes. Guess this is one of the aspects of my time in Arizona that sticks with me.

To see all of my Month of the Moleskine sketches, take a gander here.

Have a super-cool week my friends! (Sorry, feeling my inner dork right now.) Ta-Ta

Month of the Moleskine - Day 7

One week down.....3 to go! 

To see all of my Month of the Moleskine drawings - click me. 

Enjoy your day friends!

Month of the Moleskine - Day 6

Hi. Happy Saturday! Any big weekend plans? We're about to head to the Farmer's Market and the Coop - two of my favorite weekend destinations.

I must admit I'm quite proud of today's sketch.  I did a little more pre-planning than I usually do, beginning with a pencil sketch. (I usually work only with the pen and don't have much forethought before starting.)

I'm very much enjoying drawing these abstract ink compositions, and am considering creating some outside of my Moleskine to sell in my etsy shoppe. What do you think about that? Would you buy a smaller (maybe 5"x7") abstract ink drawing? Any and all feedback would be much appreciated.

To see all of my Month of the Moleskine sketches, head over yonder.

Ta-Ta for now!

Month of the Moleskine - Day 5

Hi. How are you?

I hate to waste a page in my Moleskine. This drawing covers up a dorky looking "3" that I attempted to draw a few days ago. I think I was pretty successful in recovering the page. What do you think?

I guess the use of the number of the day is sticking around. It's nice to have something to start from.

To see all of my daily Moleskine drawings, head over here.

I'm looking forward to spending a day in the studio tomorrow.  I'm working on a chair that I shot in the Tinker Swiss Cottage.

Ta-Ta for now!

Month of the Moleskine - Day 4

Things are starting to flow.  Ideas for this drawing project and other work are swirling around in my head. I'm feeling motivated and on top of my game. Hope I can keep this up.

To see the rest of my Moleskine drawings, head here. 

Month of the Moleskine - Day 3

Today's drawing didn't start out so smoothly. Instead of starting over,  I just decided to work over the top. I used to do the same thing with my painting. My most favorite college painting professor always told me that having the courage to cover/destroy your work was a vital artistic skill. You should never hold your work too precious.

I used the iPhone ap "PicFrame" to create the border and old school label on today's photo.  I came across this ap via Annie of Indielovey.com on Instagram. I loved how she used it to add text to her images.

Enjoy your Wednesday. I'm starting a new chair piece today. Ta-Ta!

Month of the Moleskine - Day 2

I don't know if I'll do all 30 days of drawing with the number included, but that's what happened today.

Check out my Flickr photo stream to see yesterday's drawing.

Ciao, ciao.

Month of the Moleskine - Day 1

Happy Monday friends! How was your weekend?  After 3 days of travel and weddings, I'm happy to be home, with a few weeks of nothing ahead of me. I'm ready to get back into a routine and make some work!

So here's my plan to kick-start my art......

Inspired by the fantastic daily art projects of friends Kari McDonald,  Becky Pelley and Tabatha Dougherty,  I've decided to challenge myself to a month of Moleskine drawings.  I vow to spend some time each day with a pen that trusty old black book,  then documenting my work here.  Please feel free to berate me if I don't post!

The Moleskine and I have a long history together. If you'd like to see more of my Moleskine drawings, click here.

Have a great week, and I'll see you here again tomorrow. Ta-Ta for now!

Chairs beget chairs

Hey there art fans? How are you today?

A friend of mine, Tabatha Dougherty challenged herself to create a drawing a day for 100 days, and she's just one day away from finishing. What an accomplishment!

I was flattered to find out that drawing #96 (seen here) was inspired by my own chair drawings.  So cool! There's a quirky personality in each of these chair drawings that I find so appealing. They remind me of David Hockney's work (one of my personal art heros).  Well done Tabatha!

You probably won't hear much out of me for the next few days. Matt, Jack and I are getting in the car bright and early Friday morning to head up to the Chicago suburbs for a family wedding. Then we get back in the car Saturday morning and drive back to Carbondale (a six hour trip) for another wedding. A ton of driving, but hopefully for much fun.

Ta-Ta for now!