"ink snacks" - january 2009 is here!

concept: bite-sized creativity (the January 2009 edition consists of prose and poetry)
dimensions: 4"x4", unfolding to 17"x14"
price per copy: $3.50 USD
# per edition: 25 (with 5 being retained for promotions, donations, and gifts)

purchase information: http://abstractlatte.etsy.com/

[return to main zine page]

illustration as a handmade gift

Here is an illustration I created as a result of my committment to give handmade gifts this year...

concept: New York City
materials: pen, pencil, paint, prismacolor marker, newsprint, cardboard, and photo matte
dimensions: 27"x19"



The photo was printed on newsprint and mounted to cardboard. The letters were done by hand using pigment liner and prismacolor marker; the letters received three applications of ink. The "ity" was cut from cardboard and white paint was applied to some of its edges.

Here are some close-up images:







© 2008 joe blend. All rights reserved.

my journal

I don't remember how I discovered journals. When I finally decided to invest both money and time into one, it started out as a source for inspiration. I would cut out images and whole articles, gluing them onto the pages and adding my own notes. My journal process moved to drawings, then writing, and now it's a combination of everything.

For some reason, I never finished a journal. What happened is I started using it and realized after a month or even a few months that the book wasn't accomodating my needs. My journals have included the following:

a purchased leather journal - about 6"x9", with a leather tie that wrapped around the journal a few times to keep it closed...{concern}...too big and became too heavy as more collaged elements/pages developed

handmade/retail hybrid, version 1 - front/back cover and spine of a watercolor sketchbook, with thread-bound signatures of newsprint...{concern}...I did a poor job of binding and the signatures were too heavy for the paper, it was also too uncomfortable to use

handmade/retail hybrid, version 2 - front/back cover and spine of a watercolor sketchbook with a handmade accordion pocket inside with various types of paper...{concern}...it was annoying to pull out and return individual pieces of paper, cut out articles, etc using the accordion pocket

moleskine - 3"x5", too small...didn't last long

handmade - handmade paper cut into two pieces for the front and back cover, contained different types of paper, bound with binding screws...{concern}...too fragile

Well, I've finally found one that I consistently enjoy! It is, in a lot of ways, the best parts of my previous journals. I think what I like best about this one is its flexibility and simple binding.

current journal - relaxed leather for the front/back cover and spine, bound by a strip of leather tied off at both ends, contains different types of paper

details: when I purchased it, I took out most of the paper it contained and began my quest for custom paper. I cut pages out of newsprint, charcoal paper, packing paper, and white drawing paper (as well as used some of the paper it came with); I cut the sheets in a sloppy manner on purpose, inspired by the deckled edges of my old watercolor sketchbook.

Once i punched holes in all the pages, I re-bound the journal. Now I had a custom journal with a variety of papers. And once I fill this journal, I can re-bind it with new papers and re-use the leather cover/spine as many times as I want.

Here are a few shots of some of my favorite pages...

cover




first page




random writing



random drawings



For those of you that don't use journals, I recommend you start. You don't have to be an artist, designer, writer, etc to use a journal. If you enjoy traveling, going to antique stores, or enjoy keeping track of various activities, a journal can be a fun and personal way to accomplish that; it's also interactive so more than one person could use the same journal.

Although there are a number of places to purchase a journal, it all depends on what you want. Here are some helpful links to get you started:

Handbound.com

My Handbound Books

Barnes and Noble

Borders

Etsy

Cavallini & Co.

journal content © 2008 joe blend. All rights reserved.

Buy Handmade

Maybe you've received a handmade gift from someone at some point in time, or maybe you've given someone a gift that we crafted with our own hands. At the very least, you've walked past a storefront window and seen handmade items for sale. In a world that seems to be dominated by cookie-cutter commercial goods, handmade items are a fresh way to appreciate your friends, family, and life in general on a more personal level. As an artist, I can definitely identify with a handmade approach towards life.

Well, today I found this website and decided to make my pledge (although at the time of this screenshot, my pledge hasn't shown up yet!)...





At the very least, check out the site and keep it in the back of your mind this holiday season!

http://www.buyhandmade.org/

Etsy

For those of you that aren't already aware, Etsy is one of the best things about the internet. Their focus on the personal and the handmade is a fresh approach in a world dominated by consumer, cookie-cutter products.



In their own words:

"Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade.

Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to
reconnect makers with buyers.

Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice:

Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade."

I strongly encourage you to check out their site, even if only to browse. Etsy is a site that truly keeps on giving...http://www.etsy.com/index.php

"I'm asking for the extra espresso shot because there's a lot to do and I just woke up."

Several months ago, I realized I didn't know what I was trying to accomplish as an artist.

Over the past several months, picking up a pen to draw or planning a few hours to shoot a hundred photos seemed like old habits that were on their way out. My writing continued. And I was reading...a lot; my home library became more interesting to me than my sketchbook and that's a hard thing to accept as a visual artist.

As I said, I'd increased my reading. Publications like "The New Yorker" and the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series by Lemony Snicket fascinated me and I started to realize I wanted my work to have more function, more utility. Although I didn't mind creating fine art, I wanted there to be an aspect of my work that provided an experience. I revisited my journal writing, the stuff I'd scribbled and scratched out over the last several months that pertained to my future in the arts. And this is when things started to click into place. Among my scribblings were comments on Kramer Books and Afterwords Cafe (a really cool local bookstore/cafe in Washington DC) and notes on various sketchbooks of very talented illustrators, along with references to art journals. That's when it hit me. I needed to make a change.

So I've decided that I'm taking my work and blog in a fresh direction...handmade books and art, and more of a bookstore/cafe approach to my blog. I guess it's not so much a new direction as a reallocation of my skills and creative focus.

Some sample work:

A table of contents page from a small writing zine

A sample spread



I'll post more images as projects near completion but look for writing and drawing previews as well!

above images and content © 2008 joe blend. All rights reserved.

zines

Handmade, and generally inexpensive to produce, these small self-published books can cover any topic that your imagination can think of...from your daily gardening routines to drawings and pictures of your favorite signs to funny faces that your pet makes every week. There is no limit to the possibilities of their design; while some may choose to use paint and markers, others may photocopy their zines in black and white.

While it's true I've published a zine through abstractLatte before, and that I am working on a fresh version of that zine, I would like to make other zines around different concepts. Regardless of how easily they can be printed, zines require illustration, design, and production in addition to writing so they generally take longer to produce from concept to completion; check back periodically for updates!"

upcoming zines:

"ink snacks [bite sized-creativity], second edition"

"ink snacks" (tm) content and design © 2008-2010 Joe Blend. All rights reserved.