Accordion Sketchbook Project - Sketchbook Tour

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!

I just finished this project that took me quite a while: I captured all the shoes I owned, in a watercolor accordion sketchbook (Hahnemuhle ZigZag book 14x14 cm). I’ll show it to you in today’s video.

Shoes may seem a very mundaine subject, but once you start drawing them, you notice that they each have a story. You remember when or why you purchased them, you remember the many places they've walked, you know which ones are your favorites and why... and, like me, you might realize you have too many that you don't even wear anymore.

Having a project like this, there's always something waiting for you to be drawn. When you're out of ideas: put your subject on the table and get going with your choice of materials. I decided at the very beginning that I wanted to use a dip pen. I liked working with a dip pen, but hardly ever did, so I wanted to get some more practice, to get a little better at drawing with a dip pen. To add color, I used watercolors. Since I wasn't doing this project on location, but at home, with my shoe closet close by, I could use materials that don't need to be compact or easy to use on-the-go. Of course I could have chosen to do gouache paintings or use collage, but I also wanted it to be as accessible as possible. Since I only needed my pen and ink, my watercolor box, some water and a brush, I could get to work as soon as I felt the itch.

The project started out because my friend Jane Lafazio once noticed I wore many different shoes, and she mentioned the idea of filling a book with drawings of my shoes. it's been a few years since she mentioned it, and when I finally started the project this summer and mentioned that to her, it turned out that coincidentally, she had just started a series of shoe drawings herself! So she said: "I guess we have a shoe-off now".
I loved that idea; working on the same kind of project, together but apart from each other. Jane finished her shoe-book a lot quicker than I did. You can watch a video Jane made of her book here.

It took me a couple of months, not just because I have a lot of shoes, but also because I had this as a side project, and worked in my ZigZag book on and off. 

It’s fun to have simple goals

Sometimes a project idea simmers for a very long time, and then when you finally get to it, you wish you'd picked it up sooner.
Doing a project like this can be really motivating and fun. It doesn't have to be a big thing. You could set a goal to do a project for a week. Or a month. Do a 30-day project or a 100-day project.
Your goal could be to become more fluent with a certain art tool, or to practice a certain technique. Or pick a subject you need more practice for. I could definitely use more practice drawing animals, for example, so that could be my next goal.
Keep it simple, so you can dive in as soon as you feel like it. And also, be curious and flexible. You may discover that the way you envisioned it to be, doesn't really work. It's OK to alter your goal or intention, so that it's fun, and your project doesn't become a daily chore, but something to look forward to.

Reaching your goal (finishing the project), will give such a great sense of accomplishment - and you're helping yourself to create a regular habit. You might want to keep going after.

Materials used:
-Hahnemühle ZigZag watercolor Sketchbook, square (14x14 cm)
-Dip pen (cheap no brand)
-Sennelier Indian ink
-Daniel Smith watercolors
-Da Vinci Harbin-Kolonsky brush no.10

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