On Thursday I went to see the Sketchbook Project while it was in San Francisco. Not only did I want to revisit my Tisha book, but I wanted to see what the exhibit looked like, and page through some other artists’ books. It was a cool exhibit, though as far as my own state of mind, conditions were not ideal: I was jittery (my first show!), overheated, and developing a cold/cough. So I forgot to take any pictures of the gallery space, and I didn’t feel up to introducing myself to any of the other artists (sigh). Fortunately, fellow participant Kimi Kobashi did take pics, which are on her blog.
The following is a taster of the sketchbooks I checked out, in the order that I viewed them; interspersed are my comments from the show.
Theme: A Day in the Life (same theme I chose)
Artist & location: Jaya Venkata Chala, India
This book was the first I looked at, and I loved it. Aside from the one page of intro text, there were no words, just page after page of evocative pencil sketches depicting life in India. I wondered whether these sketches were done on the spot, or from photos (if the former, Chala is a really fast sketch artist!). The only thing missing from Chala’s vivid scenes and expressive portraits is color; however, the thread portraits on display in her online gallery are abundantly colorful!
I had expected the exhibit to consist of tables, chairs, and arrays of books, as in this photo of the Brooklyn Art Library (where the sketchbooks will be housed after the tour). But when I got to the gallery, I was surprised to see a reading area with chairs and sofas only — no books on display. Visitors had to check out the sketchbooks from a desk, two at a time, using a bar-coded library card. This meant it wasn’t possible to browse the collection, only to request books by specific artist, location, or theme. At first I was annoyed because I wanted to browse, but the checkout system quickly grew on me. Because we could only have two books at a time, and these had to be fetched by a “librarian,” it wasn’t worth it to only leaf through books quickly; it made more sense to really sit down and read them. As a reader, I think this gave me a better experience of the sketchbooks; as an artist, I’m grateful for the enforced sit-down encounters!
Theme: A Day in the Life
Artist & location: Susan Olsen, North Ridgeville, OH
Many of the artists used pen, pencil, colored pencil. and marker in their drawings; fewer used paints of any kind. This was partly dictated by the sketchbooks themselves, since the paper was thin. In the books I viewed, the artists tended not to use the entire page, so I liked this drawing from Susan Olsen, where the lines go right out to the edges.
There was a weird lack of uniformity among the sketchbooks when it came to the format. I don’t mean in terms of creativity, because the artists were incredibly inventive in terms of rebinding the books and attaching interesting things, but in terms of labeling. We were all told to write a bio to include inside the front cover. However, I only saw a bio card in about half the books (maybe the other artists didn’t bother to write them). Each sketchbook has a label on the back, giving the name of the artist, theme, location, etc., but I saw one label (only one) that also had a URL for the artist’s page on the official Art House site. I noticed these inconsistencies because I really wanted to know more about all the artists, and I wanted a way to contact them — but without a bio or URL, there was no way to do this unless the artist themselves included contact info. (To be fair, Art House has a directory of the artists, but it’s unsearchable at the moment — augh!) For a project that’s so heavily internet-based, it seems a shame there’s not more integration between web and physical experience.
Theme: Sleepless
Artist & location: CaraLa, Boynton Beach, FL
This book was the first one I viewed that used multiple media and some 3D elements (collage, cut paper). I appreciated CaraLa’s sense of humor and taste for bright colors!
It was easy to check out the books from the librarians, and retrievals and check-ins were quick; the exhibit was efficiently run. The couches were comfortable. Every sketchbook I saw was interesting, and some were downright amazing. It was so great to see and touch these creations from people all over the world — and there are many of them! According to the project website, there are almost 10,000 sketchbooks in the traveling exhibit. That’s an awesome level of participation. But as an artist, I’m also dismayed by the numbers. (As RΓ© would say, it curdles my cheese!) How many times is my individual sketchbook going to be viewed? So far it’s been checked out only three times, and two of those people were my friends. Unless my numbers are unusually low, that’s 10,000 artists who aren’t getting the audience they deserve.
Moreover, even though we couldn’t really browse the collection, there was still a clear bias toward books with interesting covers or bindings. People would see unusual-looking books waiting to be checked back in, and say, “I want to see that one!” I would guess that those books got a lot more views than all the others, just because they stood out from the other thousands. I don’t hold it against those artists, but it’s hard for me not to feel sad about my work (and so many others’ work) getting lost in the shuffle. I really like my book and I think it deserves a bigger audience. When I came home from the exhibit, I started thinking: “Should I try to get this published somewhere else?” I even started researching submission guidelines for graphic novel publishers.
Theme: Sleepless
Artist & location: Jared Tristan, Laredo, TX
Jared Tristan checked out my book a few months ago in Austin, TX, and was nice enough to contact me about it. Of course I had to check out her book too, and loved it! She used a lot of different media, so the book was really rich, and like her blog, her drawings and descriptions felt intimate and personal. It was fun to flip through the book in person — I enjoyed the tactileness of the painted textures — but you can view all the pages on flickr.
It surprised me how many sketchbooks were incomplete. I guess it shouldn’t; after all, the 10,000 books in the collection is already a huge reduction from the 28,000 artists who requested one at the start of the project! But it seemed like every other book had empty pages, and some of them weren’t even half full. They were still worth looking at, but if the project is thinking about reducing the number of books in circulation (and I think they should be), completion would be a good criterion to use.
Theme: Jackets, blankets, and sheets
Artist & location: Katie Huckeby, O’Fallon, MO
I appreciated Katie Huckeby’s use of sewing in her sketchbook. She didn’t just put fabric on the cover, but she also stitched in new pages throughout the book.
Another way to reduce the numbers of participants in the Sketchbook Project would be to run it via lottery. I love that it’s open to everyone and the participation fee is low ($25, plus an additional $20 for scanning and inclusion in the online library), but I really think 10,000 is too many books. Lots of marathons operate by a lottery system: you sign up once, but you only run when you’re chosen for that year’s event. This project could be done the same way.
Theme: Jackets, blankets, and sheets
Artist & location: Jeramie Tolentino, San Francisco
This was a fun sketchbook to browse through. My favorite sketches riffed on the “jackets” part of the “jackets, blankets, and sheets” theme; I loved the fashion-drawing feel and the sleek lines. The plaid piece at left was the first page of the book, and when I opened to it I said to Erik, “Here’s someone who actually knows how to use markers, unlike me!” Tolentino’s is the only Bay Area sketchbook I looked at, besides my own, and that was an accident (I didn’t request a local book).
Theme: Secret Codes
Artist & location: Judy Durkin, Tacoma, WA
I could have repeated my markers comment about Tolentino’s sketchbook with Durkin’s, substituting colored pencils: “Here’s someone who knows how to use colored pencils, unlike me!” I liked the fullness of Durkin’s blended colors.
Like I said, I was sick and not feeling up to introducing myself to other artists, but I wished for some easy way to look at all their books. Since all the books and library cards were barcoded, it seems like it would have been fairly straightforward to put together a display of books under the heading: “Artists who checked in today.” It’s too awkward to have to get out a pen and paper and hold it out to a stranger, saying, “Hey, can you write down your name for me so I can check out your book?” How much more elegant would it be to be able to ask an artist, “So which one of these books is yours?”Β Such a display would be a good way to allow some browsing, without opening up all 10,000 books to everyone’s hands. And it would be a sweet reward for artists who showed up to the exhibit — and I bet it would generate more conversation and connection in the reading room, too.
Theme: Secret Codes
Artist & location: Gerda Osteneck, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
I really loved Osteneck’s funny and insightful observations, and the artifacts she incorporated into her book. But her handwriting is difficult to read, and since I had limited time and energy, I wasn’t able to go through every page. If more of the text were typed instead of handwritten, this sketchbook would make a wonderful coffee-table book (like PostSecret)… or a blog. Gerda Osteneck, if you ever start a blog, you’ve got at least one reader right here!
Theme: Things found on restaurant napkins
Artist & location: Katrin Waechter, Berlin, Germany
This was probably my favorite sketchbook of the 10 I viewed. It was beautifully put together, with neat text and line drawings laid out on the page just so, alongside envelopes containing restaurant napkins. Erik noticed that all the pages were masking-taped along their long edges, probably to make them easier to turn.
Not only does Waechter have some of the coolest handwriting I’ve ever seen (look at those uppercase S’s!), but her book contained all the things I like to know about someone when I meet them: how old they are, what they look like, where they come from, a little bit about their life, and a glimpse into the way they think. Also, if we look at her book as a narrative, it’s very well paced and the words and images/objects play nicely together.
I’m still on the fence about whether to participate in the Sketchbook Project next year. I’m a better artist now and I’d have more time, plus they’re using a nicer, custom-designed sketchbook this time around. It’s been a pleasure to be part of something so big and diverse, and it would be fun to continue that. But I still have anxiety about my work not being seen, which is only exacerbated by my expectation that the project will attract even more participants in 2012. As it is, more people have seen my Tisha book because of my own efforts — this blog, Facebook, and website — than because of traffic generated by the Sketchbook Project. I can’t help but wonder whether it’s not a better idea for me to just continue doing my own work and publicizing it the way I’ve been doing. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
Theme: Down your street
Artist & location: David Rogers, Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
This was the final sketchbook I looked at, and it made a pleasant full circle from Jaya Venkata Chala’s — both show everyday scenes from foreign countries.
If you’d like to sign up for the 2012 project, it’s a quick and simple process, and you have until Halloween to register and until January 31st to finish. The 2012 tour will visit both coasts of Canada, a number of US cities, and Australia and the UK (although not all the books will visit all the countries).
In the meantime, the Sketchbook Project 2011 will make two more tour stops — in Chicago and in Winter Park, FL — and you can always check out some of books at the flickr pool or on the website (or on my own Open Mic if you missed that post back in January!). Enjoy!
Hi! I am She-with-the-hard-to-read-handwriting (commonly called Gerda Osteneck). It was fabulous to see your long detailed review of the show… sorry about the cold/flu/thing. Mucus makes a bizarre filter for viewing Art. Sometimes it works well to remove distractions… it becomes the Cold and The Art. Been there.
The currant Sketchbook show isn’t touring anywhere close to me this year. Next year it will be in Vancouver B.C., and so will I.
Blogging huh? Perhaps someday soon.
Back to secret codes… bad handwriting can be a type of code. One would assume that those close to me can read it… alas my husband of 30 years still says it look like chickens having their way with ink. Oh well.
Fabulous to see pic’s of the other sketchbooks. And Extra great to know someone read mine!
Chicken soup with lots of ginger will help future colds.
Cheers, Gerda
Gerda, thank you for saying hello! Yes on the mucus filter — it really did feel like I was viewing everything through a screen of brain-fuzz. And true on handwriting as code too. My husband’s writing started out odd but has deteriorated to the point where most people can’t read it. Luckily this gives him superpowers to read other people’s messy handwriting!
Enjoy the sketchbooks in Vancouver next year!
You have this blog to remind you of what you experienced once you are back to feeling 100%. Maybe your perception will be different. I felt almost a sense of feeling blue throughout the post, but that might have been residual from the cold. Does the organization have a way for artists to give feedback on how the show went? Is there a way to get involved to make changes? Or, more simply, did you come away with thoughts that should be allowed to germinate for a while into changes for your next sketchbook? Was the joy of creating yours worth more than the sense of disappointment from the show? Might be a reason to be in it again next year. You’re talented; if even a few people see that sketchbook, and enjoy your work, I’d say it’s worth it. But then I don’t draw so I have no sense of how much time it takes, either.
Thank you, Lisa. I didn’t intend for the post to feel blue but I did feel kind of blue about it: about not being able to be more active at the show, and about my book not getting seen very much. I don’t know if the project is going to request feedback about the tour (they already asked for feedback about the sketchbooks and the whole experience), but I think I will send them this post. I do feel proud of my sketchbook, and I probably wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t been participating in this project, so for that reason alone I’m very grateful I did it. And I do think it would be fun to do it again. If I do, I’ll know I’m probably getting into another ginormous crowd of books, and I’ll do it just for pleasure and not with the expectation of being seen!
1. those sketchbooks are pretty awesome
2. you sketchbook is awesome
3. i’m bummed about the things you mentioned you were bummed about. they all seem like valid concerns to me.
4. sorry i’m so terse my brain is literally fried and i’m having trouble forming sentences and thoughts right now. i spent 6 hours interviewing for a job today and i’m physically SO SPENT. apparently that is translating to “bwuhbwuhbwuh” in my brain right now. so, mentally spent too, i suppose π
*your* sketchbook. AHH see, a typo already!!!
Thanks, Tamara! I love the bullet points and thank you for commenting when your brain is so tired! I know what you mean. Hope the interviewing went well anyway? π
The sketchbooks ARE awesome. All the ones I saw, even the ones that were less finished and/or less flashy, were really cool to look through. I forgot to include that in my post — that looking through someone else’s sketchbook is a really intimate encounter, like getting a peek into their brain. That’s one reason why I definitely wouldn’t want the project to impose some kind of jurying standards on the artists who can participate.
I’ve sent this post to the project coordinators so I hope they’ll take my concerns into account. If I’m feeling this way there must be thousands of other artists who are thinking the same thing!
Before I begin, I would like to apologize for any typos and incomplete sentences that I make. I am typing from my phone while I’m on the road so I may miss a few things.
I can totally agree with many things that you said! Especially about the whole contacting artist/biography deal. I wanted to contact all the artists of the sketchbooks that I saw, but their Art House urls where not there and of course the search database has been down for the past couple of months. By the time it comes back up, I won’t be able to remember the things I wanted to comment about their ‘books. (Luckily I found you here! :D) And I also agree with you that they should showcase the books of the artists that were there at the event.
You’re lucky that you had a place to sit. When I went in Austin, everyone was cramped in a tiny room and everyone was standing up or sitting on the floor along the walls.
I’m glad you enjoyed my sketchbook! And I seriously hope you consider doing it again. I would love to check-out your next ‘book if you do. π I hope you get well soon! β€
I know how it is about typing from a phone! No worries. I’m really glad (or is that sad?) to hear that you feel the same way about a lot of my concerns! I was particularly surprised they didn’t have any kind of spotlight for artists who came to the exhibit, except for the sticker, and like I said, it’s so awkward to ask someone for their name so you can look up their book. There was one woman there who looked interesting and was wearing a sticker, and I especially wanted to see her book, but she was reading the whole time and I didn’t want to disturb her to introduce myself and all that. I know I’m shy about meeting strangers sometimes, but I’m not the only one… and I saw some people looking at my sticker curiously as if trying to figure out what it said.
Poo on having nowhere to sit. That really impedes enjoyment of anything, at least for me. I was even wishing we had tables so I could get better photos of the books instead of having to take pictures on my lap, but now I’m feeling lucky we had the comfy couch!
Thank you for the get-well wishes. π Are you doing the project again?
10,000 books is a LOT !! Anything you find is probably the result of a lottery or contact or some other link and unfortunately probably dilutes the overall effectiveness of the project. Anyway, who am I to criticise? The project did get 28,000 people sketching or at least interested in it. I like your “Tisha” book though it’s a sad story. Don’t give up on promoting your work somewhere – maybe focus it more, but I have no ideas to help really other than that.
I know, it’s a ton! At least it’s significantly less than the 28,000 books they sent out — when I saw that number I really freaked out. (Also, kind of depressing to think there are 18,000 books just languishing out there in the world, with we have to assume many of their owners feeling bad about their non-participation.) Thanks for the vote of confidence. “Focus it more” meaning the Tisha book, or my work in general?
After I read your blog I signed up for the 2012 project! Very helpful to read a balanced viewpoint of the experience. One thing that occurs to me about the languishing sketchbooks is that a number of them may be handed down to (or appropriated by) children to draw in. I can also imagine someone going through their grandma’s effects decades down the road and finding a partly completed book and saying, “I didn’t know Grandma drew when she was younger!”. I remember looking at my own grandfather’s paintings and motion studies from the 1950’s and thinking how wonderful to see somethng of how he saw the world.
Best wishes,
Linda Watkins Arnold
Hi Linda, thank you very much for reading and taking the time to comment! What a gift that you’ve been able to see your grandfather’s artwork. Looking at someone else’s art can be so intimate (which is a strength of the sketchbook project), it’s really special to be able to do that with an ancestor.
I do wonder what’s happened to all the sketchbooks that were never sent back. There could almost be a side project with that. I’m envisioning sketchbooks filled with the scribbles of small children, hospital receipts, filled-in calendar pages… everything that gets “in the way”. π
Hello! Thanks for the lovely mention! Looks like you saw lots of great books, too. I read somewhere that there may soon be a sketchbook library in SF, too? Perhaps just a rumor but I’ll keep my hopes up. If so, you could send lots of friends there to check your book out. Don’t worry about getting it seen ~ I’m sure it will happen over time. I get excited whenever mine gets checked out but with thousands to choose from I anticipate to be a rare (and therefore more treasured) occasion. π Rather than being a major work and showcase, I see it as a fun exercise and chance to connect with other artists, gather inspiration and feel a part of a sketchbook-loving community. Glad you made it to the show despite your cold and hope you’re feeling better by now! Ciao & good luck to you! π
Thank you so much for stopping by, Kimi! Oh my goodness, a sketchbook library in SF would be amazing. After my visit to the tour exhibit I was thinking how lucky Brooklyn residents are to be able to drop by the library anytime and just browse. (Of course, if there really were a library in SF, chances are I’d never go because “it’s always there.” ;b )
You’re right, this project really should be seen more as a fun community activity (and source of inspiration) than as a showcase for 10,000 individual artists. I wish I’d grasped that more definitely before I started — which is partly why I wrote this post — but I think I still would have signed up anyway, given the state of my creative life at the time. If I do the 2012 project I will be joining in with full awareness of the nature of the project and my participation!
hello
i saw your sketchbook story via Flickr and then was directed to your blog here- i can completely sympathize with you, i participated in the 2011 project as well but was too sick to go the SF showing! (i hate summer colds, they’re so much worse than winter ones!) i love the concept of using the sketchbook as a regular book, i was torn when i received mine between doing that or using it as a regular sketchbook (the regular sketchbook won out, due to my procrastination, sadly enough) and not having a cohesive theme. i did sign up again this year, if only to keep sending the art out there in the world and keeping myself accountable in a way. have you thought about a self publishing venue like Fast Pencil for Tisha’s story?
greetings from the East side of the Bay
xtina
Hi xtina, thank you so much for reading and for dropping by the blog! Too bad you missed the SF showing. It was fun seeing (and holding and touching) other people’s sketchbooks. How’s your 2012 sketchbook coming along? I decided not to sign up.
I’ve thought about self-publishing. Not sure if I want to do that, but I’m keeping it in mind as an option.
I’m in the East Bay too. π Happy week to you!