Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Artists Workbooks Yahoo Group

I recently discovered the Artist Workbooks Group on Yahoo and joined. I know some of the other people who read this weblog and whose weblogs I read are also members. But I wondered whether maybe there might be others who read this journal who would also be interested in joining this group, which currently enjoys a membership of over 100 people.

This is their description of what the group is about and who it is targeted at:

Do you use your art journal or sketchbook to do field sketches, value studies, or test paints, pens or work out creative solutions to other projects? Is your journal your practical, hands-on workshop for painting design, textile, fiber art, jewelry making, sculpture or book design? Does it include watercolor tests and color experiments or explorations of new calligraphic styles? Do you work out ideas for landscape or fashion design? Is it crammed full of swatches and photographs, dye samples, pottery glazes or interesting ideas to try? Are you a digital artist who keeps track of your Photoshop experiments, brushes and filters? Have you made your own workbooks for these purposes? If so, you're in the right place to share ideas with like-minded people, many of whom are working professional artists, dedicated students of the arts and art teachers.

These workbooks are tools we use in the process of creating art somewhere else in the world, whether we do it as professionals, as fine art students or as dedicated, committed hobbyists.

It's a place where a watercolorist might get ideas by seeing the journal of a landscape architect, and where someone working in oils might get a glimpse into the inner working life of a quilter. You may be inspired by someone's on-going figure drawing or perspective studies, or participate in a discussion with botanical illustrators.

BUT they also make very clear what the group is NOT about (and it's my emphasis in capitals):

The workbooks we refer to here are NOT primarily illustrated journals or everyday diaries, NOR are they altered books or gluebooks. It is NOT a place for novices to learn to paint or sketch, or get motivated to face a blank page. You will NOT find any journal prompts, ephemera exchanges, round-robin journal, ATC
or secret sister swaps. There are other excellent groups that focus on those topics.

So - anybody else interested?

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2 comments:

  1. The group looks interesting and I have applied for membership. Thanks for letting us know about it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Neil - let me know how you get on.

    Karen, who runs the group, tells me that she is getting applications from people who just want to "hang out" there and "have a look". If this is the sort of thing which somebody reading this post might tend to think then please don't apply - it's a group for people who keep sketchbooks on an active basis rather than beginners and/or people with a casual interest in art.

    I'm doing a post about groups which might be more suitable for those starting out.

    ReplyDelete

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