book 2/52 - 'musseander'

With a house full of adults and grandchildren and dogs, I did not manage to post this last night as is my desire each week - in accordance with my two week old 'book a week' plan!  Such is life.  I imagine through the year there will be many times I am away and though the book may be done, the post may be delayed.

This week's book is called 'musseander' and is basically a coptically bound book using Fabriano Tiepolo pages and architectural/drafting film - using the play of the transparencies to see imagery below though the truth is, I just love drawing on this film with ink, graphite and pencils.  It is so fluid and suits my sense of mark making.

In these first two photos the drawings are far more realistic that I would like but I enjoy seeing the contrast with drawings in the next couple of folios.  It has been a good excercise to start drawing again as I want to create two or three large drawings of musseander for our main living area.  Around our home I have many bushes of the white musseander (Capricorn Dream) flowering flamboyantly and they really are quite spectacular.  

These drawings are more bold and will be a benchmark for the late drawings.  I love that I will be able to use both sides of the film as a drawing and mark making platform.

Now that I have begun work back in the studio and my mind is racing with ideas, I wonder if I will find time each week to work on anything other than the book, which is my commitment!  I will make time.

Books 1 and 2 for 2018.  Am certainly not going to make too many larger books.  I am pleased to think that towards the end of January, four books will exist that were not planned and prepared for.  By the end of February there will be eight!  I will need to make a few books in advance as we are away much of February and I need to keep up the momentum.