Field Notes: A Year-long Study

Concertina sketchbooks are so very interesting to work with. I’ve been wanting to try working in one to see where it would take my work. What is a concertina sketchbook, you ask? It is an accordion folded sketchbook made from one sheet of paper. To make one, I used a 20x30 sheet of watercolor paper (140 gsm) and folded it in half and in half again, opened it up and folded it in thirds, and opened it up and did 3 strategic cuts as described in a YouTube video I found.

My intention is to work on one each month. I will fill it with collected marks from my walks and travels. Allowing myself to be swayed by the season’s color palettes will be a luxurious nature-inspired exploration. At the end of the year, I should have 12 VERY different color-focused books. The mark-making process is very intuitive and flowy. I will use representational and non-representational marks.

Each sketchbook will be filled using a mixed-media approach. The first layer will be collage, followed by mark making and paint. It will be an “add and subtract” process.

I hand-painted all kinds of different papers, from delicate tracing paper to heavier bristol board sheets. This will aid in building up textures, while adding interest to the compositions. By doing so, it disrupts the blank page and forces me to respond to it. I will use charcoal, watercolor, neocolor IIs, water-soluble graphite, colored pencils, and inks. I will use almost anything that will make a mark — sticks, credit cards, palette knife, my hands…well you get the idea. See below for a detailed shot of how it’s going on week two.