ArtPlantae Today

Yesterday an exciting thing happened for the team at The Sketchbook Challenge. A book based on their wildly popular website was published by Potter Craft.

Written by Sketchbook Challenge founder, Sue Bleiweiss, the book The Sketchbook Challenge: Techniques, Prompts, and Inspiration for Achieving Your Creative Goals is a collection of themes, techniques, and art that will inspire first-time artists and experienced artists alike.

Bleiweiss’ introduction to paper, sketchbook formats, mark-making tools, paints, adhesives, and loosening-up exercises is followed by twelve chapters of themes and specific instruction about thirteen techniques. The techniques receiving special attention by Bleiweiss are: screen printing, stenciling, digital printing, thread sketching, painted papers for collage, hand-carved stamps, hand-dyed fabric, soy wax resist, image transfers, foiling, silk fusion, moldable foam stamps, and a 4-step drawing technique.

While these techniques are presented in a special “spotlight” feature, this book is really about several techniques and features a rich selection of examples of how these techniques are used by the 21 artists who have contributed their knowledge and artwork to this mixed media guide for sketchbooks.

The Sketchbook Challenge is a wonderful resource for anyone who lets a blank sketchbook, with its white pages, suppress their creative urges. If this is you, then I encourage you to browse through several pages of this book online.

Join the Celebration!
To celebrate the publication of their new book, the artists at The Sketchbook Challenge website are hosting a blog hop and giving away over $1,200 worth of prizes. Learn more about this 10-day event and how you can win one of the prizes at The Sketchbook Challenge Blog Hop.

Did You Know…

• That Jane La Fazio, ArtPlantae’s Featured Artist for January 2011, is a regular contributor to The Sketchbook Challenge?
• Artists from all over the world share pages from their sketchbook on the Sketchbook Challenge Flickr page?