“Of all writers Benjamin was the most aware of the technologies that made writing possible. Although there had been ‘reservoir pens’ of one sort or another for centuries, the nineteenth century delivered the first true fountain pens (and a little later ball-point pens). These eliminated the need for the nib to be kept in close proximity to an inkpot, thus making the activity of writing more itinerant. And Benjamin was certainly an itinerant writer, writing in apartments, libraries, cafes and bars. He carried his pens and his notebooks around, as he often did copies of some of the images that most engaged him. He was a mobile intelligence unit moving through the streets of a city. ”
“[Benjamin] attempted “to integrate the principle of the montage as an epistemological technique.” Color charts, schemata, and diagrams act as guiding principles to navigate the thicket of excerpts and quotations. Benjamin’s personal color-coding shows an attempt to make order within the vast constellation of his own notes—a tension between an impulse toward structure and the potential of the open field of his interests.”
There’s good few months between the first and the last on this post. I have mentioned the events over the winter which have compromised my progress somewhat.
A 365 daily drawing project begun in good faith, but thwarted by life, death, progress and other forces. I have since scaled it back to “regular” but I still aim to fulfil the 365 target.
The process has thrown up so many unexpected things, ideas, personal development, a noticing of what I notice, discovery of stories, and connection with other people, none of which would have happened otherwise. So I would recommend trying it, as long as time keeping is your strong point and don’t value your sanity much.
Now dust had settled I recommence with added perspective and purpose.
All images should link back to the Instagram post whence they came.
If you’re interested in seeing the rest, most are in gallery form here, and you can see all the previous posts about the project here. If you would like more instant updates on this you can follow me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, if you like those sorts of things.
74/365 Various people on Whiteladies Road. Pencil and V-ball. Notebook: as-yet-still-untitled here75/365. Various folks walking down Whiteladies. Drawn without looking. Snapseed accident. Pencil. Notebook: Ethel76/365. Horses in motion. With special emphasis on the ears. Pencil. Notebook: Ethel.
77/365 View out of and during a quiet window at lunchtime. First one I have managed since the bereavement, so I am just going to pick up where I left off with the numbering and carry on. Bit rusty to say the least, it’s incredible to think how confident and fluid you become with just a small bit of observational drawing every day. I can see this one growing out sideways like those others. Having a Kate Bush day in the office. Pencil and Pilot 0.5 V-ball. Notebook: Ethel.
78/365 Cars, looking into the morning sun drawn yesterday morning waiting for Halfords to open after blowing a headlamp bulb. Yesterday was all about wheels turning, big new project beginning, new boiler actually working, technology happening. Pencil and V-ball. Notebook: Ethel79/365 Back after a long break (bean busy see blog for explanation). Bits of horse, mostly eyes. Clevedon Riding Centre, whilst Second Youngest takes a lesson. Pencil. Notebook: Artemis.
80/365 Work (actual) desktop, the bit inbetween the screens anyway. Drawn badly over a two day period whilst test rendering frames. V-ball Notebook: Ethel81/365 Bit more done to the long term project that is the view over the road. Previously featured as 23/365 and 12/365. Feeling good today. Drawing helps. I have started collecting these on a single page on my blog, go there (link in my bio), and click on 365 on the menu. Also there is a link to my Facebook page which I have just cranked into action again. These drawings will go there as well as anything else I might see fit. Look for the Facebook “F” on the sidebar if you like Facebook. Pencil. Notebook: Ethel82/365 Ye olde plastic garden chair. A small window of seasonally appropriate weather hits the UK. Everyone panics. But then a cold breeze resumes so. Pencil. Notebook: Ethel.
“Thek [was] an avid keeper of journals, producing over a hundred between 1969 and 1980. Complex and varied, the journals form an intimate and often intense portrait of an energetic mind. Most are written in ordinary school notebooks, with routine accounts of Thek’s days punctuated by emotionally raw passages of self-reflection, analysis of his closest (and, at times, most troubled) personal relationships, and as time progressed, evidence of a growing paranoia. In perfect script, he copied page after page of writings that he admired by Saint Augustine, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, William Blake, and others. Copying was clearly a meditation for him, a spiritual exercise and, as such, an antidote to anxiety and to what he knew was his own pettiness and anger. But the journals are full of moments of joyful exuberance and artistic bravura as well: celebrations of sex, silly word games, and a range of visual expression, from simple marks and comic sketches to intimate, exquisite watercolors of the sea.”
I thought I would start posting these sketched here directly, as well as on Instagram. It gives me more free reign to add rambling thoughts afterwards.
75/365
Drawn without looking. I went in quite hard with the snapseed as you can tell.
..and to add insult to injury two of these I have already posted here. But in the spirit of complete-ism and putting everything down this blog pipe, here we are.
Notebooks Zebulon (9 x 14 pocket Moleskine) and Leonidas (8 x 11 homemade pocket book) are now retired (so you can see I do continue to use them, it’s just most of the content is not suitable for posting in the internet (and I mean that in a nice way)). Ethel (13 x 21 Moleskine) is still going strong, and is what I am mainly using for writing, mapping, drawing, general ranting and work. I also have a new shiny currently un-named homemade pocket book. I’m sticking with just the two for now, as I’m currently liking seeing the consistency and flow in build up in Ethel, and I obviously need a smaller pocket book that I can be a Everyday Carry type object for emergencies.
(above from a week or so ago) Notebook Zebulon is close to the end. But there are a few corners not filled with indecipherable tiny writing.
A few items are coming to a head, at BDH one large project at work is being broadcast at the moment and the Very Large Animation job we did earlier in the year is on the brink. Also a small personal piece to be published in a new and very exiting way with other stuff that’s much better than mine. The “things planned” part are art things (as opposed to wok things) that I hope to post about here as I progress through them. That involves removing a few shackles of hesitancy on my part. Not to mention my bionically slow progress. But one can only try.
What? Oh, yes sketches, they get pushed to the back of the queue on a daily basis, then I feel bad. But I have to keep reminding myself, NOBODY CARES, so it’s ok. Might also start playing with posting them straight here and pinging them out then putting them on Instagram, instead of the other way around.
69/365. Elaboration on guitar under the desk started in 61/365. It does get played, btw. Multi-coloured biro. Notebook: Ethel
70/365 Various horizon lines drawn from the window of the 11:30 to London Paddington. Going through Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon, Didcot Parkway. V-ball. Notebook: Ethel.
71/365 Back-ends of various vehicles drawn during mildly epic road trip (when stationary and when it was safe to do so, obv) from Hunstanton through Peterborough, A47, M6, M5 etc. 7 hours journey time in total. See images of both #east and #west seas (taken on same day) earlier in this feed. V-ball. Notebook: Ethel.
72/365 Hot air balloon that just flew low over our town at speed. They take off from Ashton Court which is about 9 miles away so they seem to have got the pace without the altitude. We could see the shape of the flames from the burners very cleary. I have friends who have seen balloons so low over Bristol they have had conversations with the occupants. Pencil. Without looking. Notebook: Ethel
73/364 Heads of moving horses, drawn without looking. Straight to V-ball. Notebook: Ethel
I suppose I’ve lost the “everyday” part of this project, but, you know life’s too short to get stressed about these things. The point is I am having a lovely time drawing stuff from (mostly) life, my sense of perception and observation has developed and sharpened, my skill with the various implements I am using has improved.
So I am going to keep going with it, even though I am breaking the rules somewhat (there are no rules).
Something that seems to be happening also is sometimes I will finish a drawing and think it’s not great but it gets just as much feedback across the networks as the others.
At the moment I have them automatically cross posting to Twitter and Tumblr. Still haven’t quite got the guts to fire them off to Facebook as well. Not sure why that is, I have always struggled with Facebook, and hate the idea of oversharing on there. But for Tumblr and Twitter I’ll overshare with no worries, which is odd because people who I am connected to on Facebook are more likely to be people I know “Away From Keyboard” as it were.
Anyway, as ever these are embeds from Instagram, you can follow me there if you want them straight off the page, if you catch my drift. I have posted the accompanying comment I posted it with, but you’ll have to click through if you want to read what other people have said. (Don’t bother if there’s only one though that’s usually me adding hashtags after the fact).
I appear to be talking myself into making comics again. This could be, and usually is, a terrible idea.
If anyone can stop this silliness please send help.
Biro, fountain pen, montage and general moments of weakness.
Notebook: Amand
I’m also thinking I might start making the posts on this site shorter.
“Lewis and Clark kept 18 of what Jefferson called their “traveling pocket journals;” 13 were larger notebooks bound in red morocco leather, 4 were smaller and bound in paper board, and one was Clark’s field notebook bound in elkskin. Clark carried this elkskin field book during times of inclement weather or while canoeing down a river in order not to risk damage to one of the larger red notebooks. He would then copy his field notes into the red notebooks later on. When all the notebooks were not in use they were kept protected in tin cases. When their pages had been completely filled, the notebooks were sealed safely shut inside the cases for a safe return to Washington.”
Paul Greer 