Artscope today on Mixing Three Frequently Purchased Premixed Watercolors

Paynes Grey, Neutral Tint and Sap Green are three of the most frequently purchased watercolors that are premixed for you by the manufacturer. That's three tubes of paint that you don't need to buy. If you have Aureolin, Alizarin Crimson, Antwerp Blue and French Ultramarine Blue, you can mix all three of these for yourself. Watch my latest live broadcast on Periscope to see how!

The postmark deadline for the 2016 Sketchbook Project is tomorrow! So before I send it off, I'm sharing a bit of mine on Periscope today. That's my DIY watercolor paper accordion insert with the watercolor sketch of blueberry pancakes. If you miss it, watch the replay on periscope.tv/michelecoopart or Katch.me/michelecoopart 

My Sketchbook Projects Then and Now

The Seattle Times wrote an article about The Sketchbook Project in 2011.  I was thrilled, since it was the first time the tour came to Seattle and the first time that I had entered.

With promises of drinks and nibbles afterwards, I dragged my husband, sister and brother-in-law with me all the way downtown to see my contribution. We waited outside in a line that went down the block and around the corner. I remember seeing a mother and her 8 year old daughter sitting outside on the stone windowsills of the building, smiling and reading each other's sketchbooks.

Accordion spread from 2011 Sketchbook.

Note: I rebind my sketchbook with 140lb. watercolor paper, because it better suits my way of working than the thinner paper that comes with it. I also use a few accordion folds to make it less bulky at the binding and to extend the pages out further when the subject calls for it. Good for my style, not so much for the way they digitize the pages. So not all my pages are visible online. I hope someday they will discover how the flaps might fit their format. Guess you'll just have to visit the Library or Mobile Tour to see the missing images!

A spread that stayed folded up in the 2014 digitized version.

Come to the Mobile Tour in Seattle July 10, 11 & 12 at the Seattle Public Library and check it out! More info.
You can see my projects digitized at Sketchbook Project here.

PS. I wasn't planning to, but I signed up for the 2015 Project, since it's coming back here to Seattle on Tour. It could contain a lot more street scenes if  I can include some of the sketches I am doing with the USk Seattle and ASk.

Big Foot Java

"Big Foot" drive through
Original Watercolor by Michele Cooper
From the 2014 sketchbook project

They have had these "Big Foot" chain coffee stands around here for quite awhile now. SO very Northwest!
I think the one in my town has taken over two years to finally open. Guess I ought to try it out instead of  just lurk nearby sketching and taking photos from the car! Java!

Chosen for the entire Sketchbook Tour!

My sketchbook is going on THE ENTIRE 2014 TOUR!! This year the Mobile Library will be taking to the road with thousands of sketchbooks visiting more than 20 amazing cities across the United States and Canada with MY work. Head to the official tour page for even more details

Little did I know that my modest entry into the Pacific NW tour would evolve into international exposure!

Starting in New York on March 14, you can see the pages I've posted so far, and then some! I guess I should have gone to greater effort in dressing up the cover! Oh, well, never judge a book by it's cover. :)

Make sure you spell "Michele Cooper" correctly when searching for it!

Kualoa Ranch

Three-section foldout from 2014 Sketchbook Project
Original Watercolor by Michele Cooper

I finished my sketchbook and mailed it from Hawaii this year. For those who've been asking, I'm finally posting a few of the sketches from "Michele's South Pacific Studio." :)

Cold Weather Coffee Break

Sketchbook page from 2014 Sketchbook Project
Original Watercolor by Michele Cooper

Last November, I was teaching a watercolor class in Seattle, and I took a walk around the block for a break between sessions.

I took a snapshot of this worker warming up across the street and finally got the opportunity to add it to my sketchbook this winter.

Coffee, White

Original watercolor by Michele Cooper
Pages in the 2014 Sketchbook Project

This is the solution I came up with when I first started taking coffee breaks at work, even though I didn't actually like the taste of coffee.

I've overheard people ordering "coffee, white" when they want milk or cream in their coffee. That's the inspiration for these sketches: everything white that has to do with "black" coffee. It was fun to meet the challenge of painting white objects with transparent watercolor. No opaque white or masking fluid was used to preserve the whites.

Stir it all up

Original watercolor from the 2014 sketchbook project

So if you don't really care for the taste of coffee, but you have mandatory coffee breaks, just fill up your cup with cream, sugar and a few drops of coffee, stir it all up and pretend it's hot cocoa.

Did you notice how I used the color of white and black coffee for the "equal" sign? :) I have to say that my monitor doesn't quite show the real color as it appears in the sketchbook. You'll just have to see the book in person in New York at the Brooklyn Art Library or catch it on tour when it comes to the Pacific NW this year.
(This is a page from my 2014 Sketchbook Project. Click the link for the Digital Library, then search my name for any digitized pages from previous projects I'm in.)

Add Cream

Here's the rest of the sketchbook page. (I posted the sugar section of the sketch last time.) It's part of my formula for a cup of coffee.
The rest of the equation will be posted next.

I remember the sound of the bottles rattling in the wire carrier when the milkman brought fresh cold milk to our door. We got whole milk, where the thick cream rose to the top. My parents used it in their coffee or whipped the separated cream to top strawberry shortcake in the summertime. Does anyone ever get milk delivered on their front porch anymore?

A spoonful of sugar

Section, sketchbook page
Original Watercolor/Graphite by Michele Cooper

Since I didn't really like coffee when I first started working, I learned that you could make it taste better by adding "a spoonful of sugar".

My project theme is "Welcome to Coffee World" with sketches representing some of my memories and experiences with coffee.

Rebinding the 2014 Sketchbook Project

For my 2014 project, I needed to take out the thin, sketch paper that came in the provided sketchbook and replace it with Fabriano Artistico 140# CP. It makes all the difference in the resulting quality of my painting. I kept the first two original pages, just for comparison.

You can see below how the new watercolor pages fit together, ready for rebinding into my official  cover. Now that it has been sent in, I will be posting a page or two of the finished sketchbook. Keep checking back or subscribe for a peek!

Last minute adjustments

Getting ready to mail off my sketchbook project for 2014. These are the portable supplies I took with me to Hawaii for the last part of the book. (To see details and the cover page, click image to zoom.)

"The richest kind"

My grandparents made coffee in a percolator on top of the stove. Since my grandmother believed everything Mrs. Olson said, she bought just the richest kind---Folgers.

I always thought the key was the neatest thing. It came attached and you wound it around until it was all one tidy little coil and the lid came off. Too sharp for kids like me to handle.

This is a page from my 2014 Sketchbook Project. Search my name for any digitized pages from previous projects I'm in.

Hurricane Sandy delays Sketchbook Tour

I am pleased to announce that my sketchbook has been selected from thousands of others in the collection to go out on tour with "A Landmark and a Mission", curated by Christopher Jobson over at Colossal. He describes his blog as a place that explores the intersection of art, design, and physical craft.

The tour was scheduled to start in Pittsburg, PA, on Nov 6, but has been delayed due to Hurricane Sandy. I am happy to relay that all the people at Arthouse, the sketchbooks and the Brooklyn Art Library are safe and sound.

Monday at Pike Place, Pencil Sketch

Pike Place sketch, pencil
Original 7"x10" (two facing pages)

This is typical of my quick pencil sketches in preparation for a watercolor painting. It takes only about 10 minutes or less. I use this method to work out my composition, capture fleeting effects of light and shadow and eliminate unnecessary detail.

Sketchbook Fold-Out with Apple

Two 5x7" sections showing
with 4" journal tab

Since this sketchbook journal was made accordion style, it's fun to see what you get when pages are folded out at random.

Trees

Original Watercolor
7"x10" center of foldout
Sketchbook Project, Limited Edition

Here's another page from my sketchbook. It's the center section of an accordion foldout. It has another section either side of it, each 7"x5".

We had a long winter and the transition was almost immediate into spring. Another day in early April, and I don't think I would have caught the change.

I'll post more about this series of three sketches soon.

Moleskine Rebinding, Accordion Style

I've added a new YouTube video, demonstrating how to replace the thinner paper from a Moleskine sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project, Limited Edition, with #140 Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. This is necessary for me because I often do ink & wash or watercolor sketches in my sketchbook and I need the proper absorbency of the real watercolor paper.

I bind it accordion style so that more paper can fit without stacking too thickly into the binding.
This also gives me the option of several format choices, running across more than one fold at a time.

I have another video here, showing exactly how to sew the paper onto the cover and the materials used.

The Sketchbook Project, Limited Edition

Original Sketches from my Sketchbook Project, Limited Edition
7"x18" Accordion Fold Section

Now that this has been sent in, and the deadline has passed, I thought you might like to get a peek inside my sketchbook. Visit here for more information on the whole project.

I removed the thin paper from the original Moleskine sketchbook provided by the project and replaced it with 140 lb. CP Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. Directions on how to rebind your sketchbook here.

Every contributor to the Sketchbook Project Limited Edition Vol. 1 will be included in a series of art books documenting the project. Together, the series will provide insight into the imagination and process of each artist participating in the project. Bound by the Brooklyn Art Library Press and hand-finished in our Brooklyn workshop, the book series will be published in the fall of 2012.

How to Rebind Your Moleskine Sketchbook

I'm participating in the 2012 Sketchbook Project. The paper that came with the official sketchbook is too thin for me to use with watercolor, so I replaced it with Fabriano Artistico and used a simple binding method to make sure it holds up to many (I hope) page turnings.

Here's the method I used to bind my sketchbook with watercolor paper. Watch on YouTube if you want to see it full screen.

If you think you'd like to try this project, see my other posts regarding the Sketchbook Project. Please let me know if you have any questions....or send me a link to your sketchbook. I'd love to see how it's coming along so far.