Melanie Testa's Blog, page 15

Nice rainy day.

I have announced that I will be participating in The Sketchbook Challenge and I really hope you will too. The only way to gain skill is through doing. So do it with me, OK? The group of artists we have gathered is really diverse and amazing.

Jill Berry

Sue Bleiweiss

Laura Cater-Woods
Jane Davies

Jamie Fingal

Judi Hurwitt

Leslie Tucker Jenison

Lyric Kinard

Jane LaFazio

Carol Sloan
Carla Sonheim

Susan Sorrell

Melanie Testa

Diana Trout

Violette

Anyway. The above photo is a teaser for a video tutorial series I will be doing on The Sketchbook Challenge blog which will begin in just a few short weeks. Photo inspiration for this page by Gerry Sibell (with permission). Check out the story of this photo here.

Sigh

And Phew. Thank you for coming along with me on this journey.

Today's lines needed to be smashing. Needed to impress me. I opened Birder's World magazine and began flipping through the pages. I have not yet read this month's magazine, and as usual there is at least one photo that stops me in my tracks. This month it was a photo by Gerry Sibell. So at first, I drew this image into my journal, creating body memory. (I have begun creating a video tut on watercolor painting for The Sketchbook Challenge group using that page so will not discuss or share it here.) But, when I started doing my lines for today, my final, official day of lines, I knew these lines needed to be good.

I drew this freely, no pencil, no tracing, nothing beside my previous trial with body memory. I lurve it. I like the graphic quality of the horizontal lines and the fact that I only completed the head to shoulders.

I did all of this while listening to the Zoos episode of Radiolab. The jaguar portion of the show ended and brought happy tears because that is the way I feel about birds. I won't say more because I think you too should listen to the show. I am pretty sure you can stream it straight from the link in the last sentence.

Has anyone noticed the 'favicon' to the left of the address bar up there?

29

Boy am I whupped today.

Day 29(!!!), I have never, in the 6 or 7 years that I have been blogging, blogged every-single-day. I know the name of my blog is every-single-day but I named it that because I want to remember to be creative, every-single-day.

I think I will make November my blog every single day month.

In homage to my day yesterday, to the JSG, I made this journal page this morning. Tonight's lines came well after.

28 plus some fun

I fall in love easily. Today I was in the subway when a family came in. The grand parents and parents were all having a day. The Eldest man among them was dressed so prim and proper that I felt proud and happy for the whole family. So tonight when I started doing my lines, I asked myself, 'How can I honor that memory?' The tree came first, the people next, lines to connect them all flowed after that.

Today was a JSG day, which meant that we gallery hopped all day. It was amazing. I don't remember all we did or saw. But I live in wealth and amazing culture. AND I have a fabulous group of women do enjoy it with.

We went to the Frick to see the Spanish Manner, The Adelson Galleries and I fell for the watercolor paintings by Stephen Scott Young. That man has control of his imagery, color, hand. Amazing. We went to see the Sargent and Impressionism show, and well? Not so much... Then we went to Leo Castelli and saw a show by Jasper Johns? I don't know if I have ever seen his work in person, I love it.

I wish I had the names of these pieces, the gallery walls were not labeled. I tried to look them up briefly and could not locate them easily.

We also went to the Whitney and saw the Edward Hopper show. That was interesting too. What a fun and fabulous day.

27-Nearing the Finish Line.

This morning I woke with a focus!

Back when I was a vintage poster restoration artist, I was enthralled with tax stamps. In order to hang a poster, or advertisement as it was in those days, you had to purchase a tax stamp. Some of the French (?) posters had a lickable stamp, that would be adhered just after wheat pasting the poster in place. Later, a tax man would come and stamp an official seal atop this to verify that you had gone through the proper channels to post the poster. If your tax stamp was peeled free, the partial over stamped image would still show.

Not all tax laws were the same, or the technology advanced and some posters were merely stamped by the tax official as seen in this link in the lower left portion of the poster.

So I woke with the idea that my journals needed a tax stamp! The Daisy Gazer, a bird who loves gazing at daisies is an image that I draw into my book when folks ask me to sign their copy. I carved the Daisy Gazer from rubber like this.

The 'stamp' (the square image with the gold crown) is Sticky Back Foam in two separate pieces.

Can you believe I am nearing the finish line of the 30 Lines in 30 Days Challenge? The group itself is still growing, which makes me super happy.

I am going to be participating in another challenge, one that I hope you too will join! Check it out.

We will issue monthly challenges and post about journaling on a group blog together, Jill Berry, Laura Cater-Woods, Carla Sonheim and Sue Bleiweiss will be among those who are ready!

Are you ready and willing?

26

Day dreaming of cold snowy nights high on a mountain top. Those days are long gone, but it's a nice memory to settle into. Heavy Ponderosa Pines, a breeze and a tumble of snow. How quiet it was when it was snowing. I love that sort of quiet. (Jeannie-have you been having too much of that sort of quiet lately?)

I have been invited to make a house for a certain installation... Here is a portion of my house... This is a fun challenge. I have not made anything dimensional before. I have to become a builder, of a small, artful house.

More than 25

Annika made me do it. She has been using brushes in her mark making challenge. And the brush I use to load my ruling pen was just sitting there and I heard a little whisper...

Yesterday morning we went, rented a car and left the city for a short time. The pigeons welcomed the sun as we left.

A flock of birds caught my attention, and serendipitously Dianne commented telling me to read her blog post with a similar theme.

My Man and I went to our favorite local restaurant to celebrate a happiness. I was brave and asked out waitress if I could have one of the bread bags from Grandaisy Bakery.

Bags like this are ubiquitous here, if you are hungry here in New York and are an early riser, you will most likely come across a bag similar to this tucked in a security gate or propped against a restaurant doorway.

Me? I just want the bag for collage use.

There is a newbie in our midst.

Goodness, plain and simple.

24

No time for posting today. I am off.

Day 23

Today is an auspicious day, and that is all I will say about that. My lines are complete, my table is littered and I am sated.

What could be better, a new journal with three pages either complete or in the works. Money in hand, or on table as the case may be. A cleaned gouache palette (it took elbow grease, bleach powder and sheer will).

And this page is as complete as it will be (for now) I feel like it needs something subtle but I am willing to wait and see. Detail images can be found in this, this and this post.

Twenty two

I am proud of myself for sticking with this one. I draw the Big Earred Bear now and again. But I work the image and make sure the bear looks like himself, and I have never given him a female friend before. So when I started drawing him, he went wonky and my censors kicked in. And I mastered my self and carried on. It is cute!

Today I made Owls progress, hooray!

And I worked my latest handwork piece. hmm...