Matthew Laurence entry/Rebecca Clark book - Laughter

Some fun with printmaking and pen/ink.

Laughter: Rebecca's September Sketch

I can't draw...yet. I am good at imitating people, though (that's what we teach our students about writing, right?), so I just used the fabulous Noun Project website to find an image that related to the mini-stories I was working on (icons are easier to draw for me). Writing is definitely more in my comfort zone than sketching, but that's what I love about the sketchbook: drawing, in and of itself, is both a generating strategy and a revision strategy (searching for images actually made me re-write). 

I thought it might be neat to try a peek-a-boo style so the image would (hopefully) hook the reader into hearing the funny story.  I drafted it first online and then just used my Zebra marker to draw after pencil and a Copic Multi Liner (0.3) to transcribe the vignettes.

Mash Up- Matthew Laurence

I am excited and looking forward to experimenting again this year with the sketchbook exchange. A big shout out to Becky Green for setting this up again!

My theme for this year is "Mash-Up", to combine, add, subtract, elements and processes to mash-up a creation figuratively or literally.

The cover is developed from an idea that will be developed further with a printmaking project for my Art Foundations class to which they will generate a range of mono prints on paper and then apply a silhouette of some sort to form a focal point.

It is a tricky thing to apply more or less to the negative space in order to retain the focal point to the work. Yet this is where the mash-up comes into play. I hope everyone that participates this year has a chance to step out of their comfort zone, get comfortable in letting creativity take over, and just find the time to step out of the ordinary.

best,
Matthew Laurence

September Sketch

Tuesday we begin. This will be my first foray into a sketchbook exchange. I must admit, though it's low stakes, I'm a little nervous. I have never done this before and I am a rather insecure artist.

This year my one little word is &. It's a thing that, I think, started with Ali Edwards in the Two Writing Teachers blogging community.  My friend, Beth, and I have chosen words for the last few years. I love how it makes me think about the days differently and how the word shows up in surprising ways. Last spring at some point, I added yes, so the theme for my sketchbook this year is: & yes.

I love the possibilities and how my word(s) are showing me opportunities to connect & to do & to be. Two of my favorite poets sound "& yes" too: Brian Andreas and e.e. cummings.

I'm keeping my actual first piece in my sketchbook secret until Tuesday, it's on the next two-page spread (& there's a surprise in the book).

 I played with purple and blue and the idea of the stars and sky for the first page featuring Brian Andreas' poem "Say Yes." It's good to be creating again after the move.