Saturday, January 1, 2011

Hello 2011

I'm greeting the new year with some photos from a journal I signed up for back in the fall.  It's the Sketchbook Project (see the logo link on my sidebar), and I have to have it postmarked and in the mail by January 15.  I'm just about finished, and as journaling more often is one of my goals for the new year, I thought this was a good way to start 2011 off.

Everyone who signed up received a blank journal and a theme.  Mine is Dirigibles and Submersibles.  I didn't select it (though I could have); instead I let the organizers give me a theme, and I was very pleased with the one I was given.  It seems very steampunky to me, and that's more than OK.

I created a fictional character, one Harrison Maxwell Adams (known to his friends as Max), inventor, explorer, and all around great guy.

My pages are meant to be the ramblings and random notes and pictures of Max's would be biographer (in other words, me). 
I've done some drawing, lots of collage work, rubber stamping, and different backgrounds.  Graphic 45 lovers will recognize papers from their Steampunk Debutante collection, and my fellow Tim fans will notice I've used some of his idea-ology pieces.  Most of the rubber stamps I used are from Oxford Impressions.  (Though I did manage to get my favorite Wendy Vecchi stamp -- the art chick -- in there, as well as a Tim stamp or two).  None of the pages have a really finished look, and I used my own handwriting much more than I normally do.  I took the word "sketchbook" to heart, and wanted my book to feel like quickly done sketches of a life, even if the pages actually weren't all that quickly done.

For shipping and storage reasons,  all journals had to retain their original outside measurements, so I had to resist the temptation of having any doo dads dangling off the sides.

My journal, and the journals of the some 28,000 others who signed up, will be traveling around the country, with a starting point in my "home town" of Brooklyn, NY.  Just click on the sidebar logo for more information and to see if the sketchbooks will be visiting your home town.

It feels good to start the new year with a project I committed to, and saw through to completion.  Here we go:













31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eileen your project turned out AWESOME!!! You did such a fantastic job!!!

Jamie Cox said...

Outstanding! What a way to start the New Year!

Jamie (ATT)

Alicia B said...

How Amazing Eileen!! *Hugs*

Elaine A said...

Happy New Year Eileen! Hope 2011 is a fantastic year for you. I love your journal. It is "off the hook" , as my nephew likes to say - LOL! What a phenomenal job you've done with it. I love it!

Elaine Allen

Jo said...

awsome journal
Happy New Year & inky hugs
( A.T.T. member)

Anonymous said...

It's wonderful! You do "steampunk" quite well! I can't wait to see this in person (it's coming to a town less than 100 miles from me, so naturally I have to go)!

Shelly Hickox said...

Very cool - you did an awesome job! Love the theme.

Sherry Goodloe said...

VERY cool project Eileen and what a fab-u-lous job you did creating your character and the overall journal. And to think you are already checking one thing off your completed list for 2011! Nicely done there girlfriend . . . nicely done indeed :)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic Eileen!!! I love your book. Thanks for sharing.
Gail in Oklahoma

Mary-Beth said...

Fabulous Eileen!!! Wish I had a chance to see the tour! Would be a great experience!!
Happy New Year!!!!

SusanK said...

Very, very cool!

Barbara Mason said...

Love that you got to use Steampunk style- what a great job you did--very cohesive....love it all...Now to get mine done...should have glued more pages together....

teri said...

I think this could have been a very tough topic but you turned it into quite an inspired view by going steampunk with it. I was humming "those magnificent men in their flying machines" as I looked through your journal. It's really lovely - and I'm so glad you included your own writing in so much of it. Bravo!!

MarleneMAZ said...

Wow! this turned out fabulous Eileen!
Like you I have been working hard to finish mine and did so a few days ago.
Glad I managed to get it finished in time. Happy 2011 to you!

Diann said...

I would have probably turned and cried for help if that theme had been given to me, but what an outstanding job you have done with your Steampunk Journal....you just gotta love Max and his adventures!
Great job, my friend! Happy New Year to you! Diann

Angie Hall Haviland said...

How FUN, Eileen!! Turned out great!! :) So creative and very Steampunk-ish!!

Erin Glee said...

What a high-flying job you did on this Scetchbook project... a high-five for meeting goals- you GO, GIRLFRIEND! YAY Eileen!

LynnW said...

Your sketchbook is so cool! I would have drawn a blank with your subject but you did an amazing job with it!

Lori said...

I don't know how you do it, but you do it so DAMN good! lol! This is totally awesome, I love every detail...now..where are those damn foam alpha stamps???....oh yeah, and my security phrase looks like it should be in your journal.. scitions

Bearcrazyman said...

Way Cool!

Tammy D said...

I love this. It is amazing. Wow!

grannypoppy said...

What an amazing creation, Eileen! You should be extremely proud of the awesome piece of art you have produced for this project. What will you astonish us with next?

Happy New Year!

WendyP said...

an amazing journal Eileen !!!!
all your work is so inspiring !!

Dorothy said...

Wow Eileen, this is fantastic!!

Inge said...

Hello Eilleen,

It's great to finally see your interpretation of the theme ! I have the same one...

I even have used a lot of the same stamps of oxford impressions, but it's nice to see how we both went our own way even if we use the same stuff.

What I like a lot about your journal is the way you approached it : seeing as the sketchbook of a real inventor, noticing his ramblings, his creations, his thoughts and nightmares,...
This makes it so cohesive ! Mine is more standing on it's own : page by page... Yes, I'm a little envy on your idea ! :)

I also like your handwriting in this journal. This makes it "real".

If I had to chose a favorite page, it would be his flying bicycle !

But I like them all ! You varied your backgrounds, making them as interesting as the collage in front.

I'm absolutely sure you put a lot of work in this journal, I know it IS a lot of work, but such a great thing to do !

Congratulations on finishing it well in time !
I give myself just one week to finish mine... Almost done...

greetings from belgium
Inge

Julie said...

How fun this is! Would have been a tough topic for me...you did a great job! Happy New Year and look foward to meeting you in Florida.

Kerry said...

Eileen, everybody has already said it -- it's awesome! I agree! Your work always makes me want to try something, to get busy creating. Thank you.

Sara Carns said...

Eileen, your book is FABULOUS!!! I am SOOO behind on mine, but you've totally inspired me to get back into the groove! Again, your book is AMAZING! I wish I was able to make it to one of the exhibitions to see this work of art up close! Happy New Year!

scrappin-scrappin said...

Wow!! It is gorgeous Eileen!!

Chrystal S said...

What a great journal! I have to say that the theme you were given would be daunting for me but you really pulled it off nicely! Love it!

Sandy Ang said...

Art journalling extraordinaire !
Love Max and all that he gets up to in your project. Hope you'll come over and link up to my victorian fantasy challenge inspired by Steampunk Debutante.