Cover of the Fake Journal~
made from handmade paper
Inside the cover I wrote pertinent
information about the project, with
dates and credit to
Roz as the
project creator.
My alter ego for the month was
a student of Japanese art.
I purposely didn't explain it
in my posts, but I believe it was fairly obvious
in my choice of subject matter and notes.
(My art journals & sketchbooks are filled
with notes about all sorts of art-related
things, I don't always show them here.)
My goals for the month were:
--to draw from life more often than I have been
--to simplify the compositions of the art
--more awareness of the negative space
around the subject
--to draw with a paintbrush
--explore Japanese philosophy of art
With the effort to simplify, came the idea
to progress to the abstraction of the subject itself.
The 'Stones', above, were my favorite
painting of all the entries in this Fake Journal.
With the idea of abstraction, came the
progression to 'anime' or cartoon-style art,
that is widely appreciated in popular culture.
But being a fan of Kandinsky, I knew that he
had painted abstractions of what looked
like 'little creatures,' so I decided to
include a painting inspired by his work.
The post showing these two pages is
here.
Also, with the cartoon creatures, the idea
of a 'simple' composition was left behind,
but the creatures themselves are simplified.
I did not really intend to create a story,
but there is a progression in my pages.
I did indeed draw with the brush more often than
I usually do, but also 'fell back on' my normal
watercolor & pen technique. I did paint and draw
from life. I did simplify somewhat, and that has
always been difficult for me. Complex collages
have been taking place in my other journals
all the while! I do have a renewed appreciation
for Asian art in all its forms, Wabi Sabi, and
nature in art. What looks like a 'simple' composition
was probably a most difficult thing to achieve!
I confess that I didn't actually bind
the pages into a book until I had
completed the art work on each page.
It was much easier to scan unbound pages.
Additional blue Canson paper was
glued onto the inside of the
front and back covers. A pocket for
research notes, above, was adhered to
the inside back cover.
The Fake Journal could have been
anything, by anyone. Think
Dr. Who traveling
to another version of your own universe.
Wonder what I should do in 2013?
And this really is the end of the Fake Journal 2012.
I promise.
