Made in the Shade

I got this awesome package in the mail today! I've been waiting for it to arrive for a few days. Lots of excitement - I couldn't wait to look at page 104!

You see, the author of this new book, Made in the Shade, is one of our CZTs. Cris Letourneau put a message on facebook some time back that she was looking for tile samples that showed shading, and also tiles with no shading. I sent Cris a couple samples of my work.

Totally didn't know what to expect, but I was hopeful that she'd like one of my tile enough to include it in her new book.

When Cris' book was released, I was able to look at a few pages of it on amazon.com and was happy to see my name in the list of contributing artists! On page 104. Along with Margaret Bremner - geesh! no pressure already. Margaret's like the best there is! And Jane MacKugler ain't no lighweight! My first time in print - thank you, Cris Letourneau! You rock in amazing proportions! (And your book is pretty fine, too!)
So. You've gotten your feet wet with zentangle. You want to take your art to the next level. You should seriously pick up a copy of Cris' book called Made in the Shade. It's a workbook type book that will teach you various methods and means of shading to bring more depth and dimension to your tangles. You are going to love it! And you should totally check out page 104 (especially Margaret and Jane's tiles!)

In My Mail Today - Thanks, Genevieve!

I got a package from the postman today that just really made my day! I got a shipment from Blitsy, too, but that didn't make my day. This box from Genevieve Crabe made my day! Totally!

A portable, travel-sized tangle keeper! Genevieve calls it a pocket tangler, a convenient 4.25 x 6.87 inches, and 50 pages total! I use some of her other tangle keepers, but this one will work better for my travels. I have a trip to Maryland coming up and this will be wonderful to use in the hotels.

You can see Genevieve's newest tangle organizer here! I'm thinking these are going to make some wonderful Christmas presents! Thanks, Genevieve! You are the best!

In My Mailbox Today :)

Look what came today! Yay!!!!!! Now I have to wait until January 1st, but I'm ready!

What you see is one seriously awesome calendar put together, and illustrated, by CZT Carole Ohl. (I'm just noticing that Carole's blogface looks different - new topper - I like it!) You get a monthly calendar page like you see here, each with a piece of artwork that Carole has tangled. 

You also get weekly spreads, with a 2.5" blank square for every day so you can practice tangles. Either new ones every day, or practice a particularly challenging pattern every day for a week, or draw a string through all the boxes and work on a wonderful piece of artwork for several days running. So many ways to use this calendar. And I like Carole's own words - includes a full month calendar at the start of each month, just in case you want to actually use it for a calendar!" 
To order this wonderful calendar for yourself, just visit Carole's blog Open Seed Arts and place your order! I believe Carole also runs a flickr page where you can share your calendar art. Thank you, Carole Ohl, you totally rock!

New Journaling Book

What a fun book on art journaling! A lot of the techniques I've been using lately came from Dyan Reaveley's videos for Dylusions Inks. She is an important part of the Ranger design team and has a penchant for bold, beautiful, layering of colors!
Dyan has put together a spiffy little 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", 51 page booklet on the art of journaling. I like that the book has a wire attachment on the binding so you can insert it into a 3-ringbinder, if you wish. Unfortunately you can not see that in the online photo I am using. Dyan begins by explaining her thoughts about a creative journal, and lays out the tools needed to build a beautiful journal page.
Step-by-step she walks you through building a journal page with color, texture, ink, stamps, imagery, doodling, journaling - so much fun and punch in one little book! There's even a gallery of some of Dyan's beautiful pages.
For more of Dyan's products, pages, videos, tips, and techniques - visit www.rangerink.com. You can't go wrong with this book!

I Got Mail!

Amazon.com is my go-to store when I want to order. Being a prime member means I get free two-day shipping. All year long! I got this box of wonderful stuff today and I am still excited! On top of the stack is the 11 3/4" x 8 1/4" Moleskine watercolour album A4, made of heavy paper, 200 gsm 25% cotton fibre cold pressed, identical on both sides, acid free, neutral PH, archive quality ISO 9706, without bluing - not even sure what all that means except . . . it's time to watercolor! like a boss! Truly, I love moleskine! Their books are excellent quality, durable, sturdy, dependable, love the paper as long as I use the book for its intended purpose. No watercoloring in the ruled books, or the sketchbooks.

I can not wait to get started with this one! An art journal is your collection of who you are, where you have been, what makes you - you! This book presents art journal pages from various artists around the world - 1,000 art journal pages actually. Everyone should be able to find a style, or an artist, that suits your taste. This collection provides a wide array of ideas, techniques, and themes to inspire and inform mixed media and journaling enthusiasts. Something for everyone! Presented by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Contributing artists that I recognize are Ingrid Dijkers, Michele Haan, Adolfo Serra, Carla Sonheim, Judy Wise, and Lori Zimmerman. There are many, many more! And I'm loving these beautiful, full-color pages!

One more! I can already tell this is going to be a favorite of mine! Amazon describes the book this way - With Journal Fodder 365, the Journal Fodder Junkies will lead you on a year-long adventure in drawing and writing, in painting and collage, and in the flotsam and jetsam of your daily experiences. You will uncover simple strategies to make the visual journal a part of your life and you'll discover new techniques for refining your personal narrative in an authentic and unique voice. This book is brilliant! Lots of techniques demonstrated with step-by-step photos and full-color illustrations. You are going to love this book - I expect I will be returning to this one time and time again!
Good job today, Amazon! Way to make my day!

The Sketchbook Challenge

On my desk today I have The Sketchbook Challenge by Sue Bleiweiss. A whole host of artists have shared pages from their personal sketchbooks to make this book possible. I bought my copy through amazon.com - of course. The back cover reads:

Have you ever bought a new sketchbook, opened to the first page, and thought, "Now what do I do?" Sue Bleiweiss and the talented minds behind The Sketchbook Challenge are here to help.

Imagine a supportive community of artists sharing the innermost pages of their sketchbooks and offering you tips and techniques for overcoming creative blocks. That's what The Sketchbook Challenge is all about, and the popular blog of the same name has already inspired thousands. Inside this book, you'll find:  · Themes that will motivate you to start your sketchbook—and, more important, keep at it  · Tutorials spotlighting such mixed-media techniques as thread sketching, painted papers for collage, digital printing, and much more  · Strategies to get off the sketchbook page and start creating inspired art—whether you're into painting, collage, fiber art, or beyond  · In-depth profiles of artists who have taken the Sketchbook Challenge and used it as a launching pad for their own meaningful artwork
I picked up my copy last night and started thumbing through. It covers a variety of media, has lots of beautiful full-color photos of art in progress, tips galore, and basic hands-on information detailing what steps to follow. Understandable for the beginner, yet challenging enough for the more advanced. If you want to get into sketchbooking/art-journaling, you can't go wrong with Sue's book, The Sketchbook Challenge.