Kirsty Hall: The Diary Project

31st December

2008-02-12T15:21:00.000Z

Well, what can I say about the final envelope? Drawing this was tough because I was filled with a heady mix of relief, sadness, elation and anxiety that made focusing on drawing quite hard. Plus I've never found finishing things easy, so I put this one off until I couldn't avoid it any more.

At first I thought that I should end with something spectacular but in the end, something very simple seemed more apt. After all, the whole point of the Diary Project is that all our journeys with drawing are a work in progress and an endless acceptance of where we are right now.

I know that many people have been inspired by this project and to you, and everyone else, I have only five words to say:

GO DRAW. DO IT NOW!

If I can do it, so can you...

It doesn't have to be perfect, indeed, I've found during this year that the quest for perfection is the enemy of drawing. Instead, it just needs to be something that comes from you.

Posted: 11.53pm on 31.12.07
Returned: 4.1.08

30th December

2008-02-12T15:16:00.000Z

I know that a lot of people work with watercolour by drawing in pen or pencil first and then filling it in with colour but I seem to prefer doing it the other way around. I like to lay down the colour first and then add detailing in pen. For this drawing, a few lines of coloured pen seemed a much more subtle and appropriate choice than the harshness of black ink.

Posted: 11.55pm on 30.12.07
Returned: 2.1.07

29th December

2008-02-12T15:08:00.000Z

Oooh, look at that red!

I love this drawing; the simplicity and the colour make me very happy and I may have to do a larger version just for myself. I don't bother framing and displaying all that much of my work, although there's still a fair amount of it around the house, but sometimes I make something that I know I want to keep and this is definitely one of those. Of course, I know that I'll probably never be able to capture the same energy and feeling but I don't mind giving it a go. I never do exact copies of things but I've always worked in series so making different versions of things doesn't bother me.

Posted: 11.55pm on 29.12.07
Returned: 2.1.07

28th December

2008-02-12T14:56:00.000Z

Black ink worked into a slightly wet watercolour background. I am still pleasantly surprised by the intensity of colour from this Sakura travel set of watercolours. I've avoided watercolours, particularly the pan sort, for many years because in the past I'd found them wishy-washy and hard to use but now I'm having to rethink that attitude.

Posted: 11.53pm on 28.12.07
Returned: 2.1.08

27th December

2008-02-12T14:50:00.000Z

Drawn from life, this is one of the beautiful thistles that Camilla bought me for my birthday. She said that she got them because they reminded her of the Diary Project drawings, so it seemed only right for them to become a part of it.

Posted: 11.53pm on 27.12.07
Returned: 31.12.07

26th December

2008-02-12T14:47:00.000Z

I had the sudden urge to draw in coloured pen. It was something I hadn't done for a while so I had to hunt the house for my set of fine-nibbed coloured pens. I swear my art materials hide themselves when I'm not looking!

Posted: 11.05pm on 26.12.07
Returned: 29.12.07

25th December

2008-02-12T14:44:00.000Z

I found it very hard to draw on 'significant days' because I always wanted to do something extra special. I usually ended up having to let go of that feeling completely before I could manage to draw at all and this day was no exception.

Posted: 11.26pm on 25.12.07
Returned: 29.12.07

24th December

2008-02-12T14:38:00.000Z

I've drawn a lot of these sort of 'hovering in space' objects over the course of The Diary Project. Part of me likes the abstract quality of floating objects on or slightly above the page but looking at them now, I wonder if I need to anchor my drawings more.

Posted: 9.50pm on 24.12.07
Returned: 29.12.07

Apology

2008-02-12T14:34:00.000Z

Sorry for the huge delay in updating this, folks. Unfortunately my son has been quite ill since before Christmas so although I successfully completed The Diary Project, I haven't had the time or energy to write up the last 8 envelopes. I'm hoping to get it completed over the next few days though.

23rd December

2007-12-29T14:50:00.000Z

Wetting the paper afterwards gives a very different look to working directly onto wet paper. With wet paper, the line will spread and blur in ways that you can't control and the black ink will often separate into its constitute colours. Working with a wet brush over an existing line results in more controllable washes of soft grey (or purple depending on the kind of ink used in the black pen) surrounding a still black line.

Posted: 11.53pm on 23.12.07
Returned: 27.12.07

22nd December

2007-12-29T14:43:00.000Z

I've noticed that when I'm struggling with inspiration, I often fall back into working wet into wet. It's such an easy and comfortable aesthetic for me. The centre of these drawings were worked in pen on small sections of wet paper while the outer lines were drawn on the surrounding area which was mostly dry. I like the combination of blurred and sharp lines.

Posted: 11.46pm on 22.12.07
Returned: 27.12.07

21st December

2007-12-29T14:37:00.000Z

Ah, now this one is definitely gouache paint over ink pen outlines. I know this because I tested it several times with watercolour paint but it was always too patchy so I switched to gouache, which gives a lovely flat matte finish. Isn't it amazing how paints, which generally all start out with exactly the same pigments, end up with such very different qualities and uses.

Posted: 11.55pm on 21.12.07
Returned: 27.12.07

20th December

2007-12-29T14:31:00.000Z

I not sure what this was drawn with; the grey could be gouache or ink but I seem to recall that it was watercolour paint. I've arbitrarily decided that it still counts as a drawing as long as there's some pen on there too. Last night I was working in watercolour again and found that I couldn't bring myself to post an envelope that only had paint on, I had to do another one that also had pen - yet another hidden rule or bias that I didn't know I had. Actually, it's always baffled me why gouache or watercolour is considered painting but ink, even when you put it on with a brush, comes under the heading of drawing. There's probably some historical reason for this but it's always struck me as a bit illogical.

Posted: 11.54pm on 20.12.07
Returned: 22.12.07

19th December

2007-12-29T14:23:00.000Z

A first experiment using watercolour on the envelopes. I was surprised at how well it went on, the paper didn't buckle nearly as much as I'd expected.

I worked wet into wet on this drawing, laying down a random shape using the blue watercolour and then drawing over it with pen while it was still wet. I've discovered that using a thicker nibbed pen works best when working onto wet paper - very thin ink lines just disappear almost completely as the ink spreads and forms a wash.

Posted: 11.56pm on 19.12.07
Returned: 21.12.07

18th December

2007-12-29T14:12:00.000Z

Another experiment with the Sakura glaze pens. This time I drew the forms in white glaze pen before going over them with red Inktense pencil. I didn't want to wet the pencil so I ended up going over the pencil several times to deepen and intensify the colour. One of the nice things about the glaze pens is the embossed quality they have, it makes filling in the spaces between lines a lot easier.

Posted: 11.54pm on 18.12.07
Returned: 21.12.07

17th December

2007-12-29T13:40:00.000Z

More fun with new art materials; this was drawn with the new set of Sakura glaze pens that I got for my birthday. I laid down the little dashes with green and blue glaze pens and then when they'd dried, I went over them with a blue Inktense pencil, which I then wet to form a wash. I wasn't originally going to wet the pencil because I liked the little white 'shadows' that formed around the raised glaze pen lines. However, the pencil had also highlighted the internal edge of the envelope, which left an unattractive line that I needed to disguise. If I use this technique again, I'll start the drawing in the middle of the envelope!

Posted: 11.37pm on 17.12.07
Returned: 20.12.07

16th December

2007-12-28T03:09:00.000Z

This was drawn with the finest pen I own - a Sakura Micron ink pen with a 0.25mm nib. The Diary Project has been a great justification for indulging my pen habit, I guess I'll have to come up with a new excuse next year!

Posted: 11.56pm on 16.12.07
Returned: 18.12.07

15th December

2007-12-28T03:05:00.000Z

Even my 40th birthday party couldn't stop The Diary Project!

I tried out some of the Derwent metallic pencils that I got as a birthday present in the centre of this drawing.

Posted: approximately 11.30pm on 15.12.07
Returned: 18.12.07

14th December

2007-12-28T03:02:00.000Z

I tried to draw the spirals over each of these grey lines in a single continuous line but I only managed it on one of the three.

Posted: 11.29pm on 14.12.07
Returned: 18.12.07

13th December

2007-12-28T02:54:00.000Z

Once, when I was a toddler, my parents realised with horror that I had vanished. They searched the house and garden with an increasing sense of panic. Eventually they found me at the bottom of the garden, completely hidden in the rows of peas: I had been studiously ignoring all their frantic shouting because I was busy surreptitiously stuffing myself full of peas! I don't remember this at all but I can completely believe it because I still love fresh peapods.

Posted: 11.58pm on 13.12.07
Returned: 15.12.07

12th December

2007-12-28T02:49:00.000Z

I loved this drawing when I did it and now that it's returned, I'm amused at the way the postal service has altered it with a suitably appropriate smudgy black postmark.

Posted: 8.39pm on 12.12.07
Returned: 17.12.07

11th December

2007-12-28T02:46:00.000Z

Adding the two thin lines on either side completed the drawing for me: often it's the simplest line that finishes it.

Posted: 11.52pm on 11.12.07
Returned: 15.12.07

10th December

2007-12-28T02:41:00.000Z

Walking home on a darkening December day, I took photograph after photograph of chestnuts hanging ponderously on bare thin branches.

Posted: 11.42pm on 10.12.07
Returned: 13.12.07

9th December

2007-12-28T02:35:00.000Z

Even this late in the project, I'm still trying out new materials and techniques. This drawing was made with grey acrylic ink poured in a random shape onto the envelope and then drawn over in pen. It was the first time I've used acrylic ink in the drawings and I liked its matte flatness.

The pen marks were directly inspired by mattress stitch, a stitch that never fails to excite and delight me: one of these days, I must learn how to sew it!

Posted: 11.55pm on 9.12.07
Returned: 12.12.07

8th December

2007-12-28T02:33:00.000Z

I like the irregularity of these looped, feathered lines; it would be a boring drawing for me if they were all ordered and identically angled.

Posted: 11.54pm on 8.12.07
Returned: 12.12.07

7th December

2007-12-28T02:31:00.000Z

What on earth's going on with those weird little nodules? I think there's something a bit science fiction about this drawing.

Posted; 10.29m on 7.12.07
Returned: 10.12.07

6th December

2007-12-28T02:27:00.000Z

I really let rip with this one, this was fingerpainted with ink from the Pentel Colour Brush. I used a bit of scrap paper as a palette, squeezed out a pool of ink and then just got stuck in with my index finger. So much fun! When it was dry, I added the fine lines with a pen to add a bit more definition.

Posted: 11.53pm on 6.12.07
Returned: 10.12.07

5th December

2007-12-28T02:24:00.000Z

I'm still loving these little dots on lines, it's something I've come back to time and again in the drawings. It's been very interesting learning so much more about my own drawing and discovering that I really do have my own style.

Posted: 11.56pm on 5.12.07
Returned: 8.12.07

4th December

2007-12-28T02:16:00.000Z

I think I'd like to make this in silver wire, it would make a good brooch or earrings. I used to try to keep my different practices separate but it doesn't really work. I'm starting to accept that it's probably pointless to even try - it's all coming from the same source after all. The trick is not to pretend that I don't do different things but just to get better at recognising whether an idea or image wants to be sculpture, performance, a drawing or jewellery.

Posted: 11.45pm on 4.12.07
Returned: 7.12.07

3rd December

2007-12-28T01:59:00.000Z

The material and tools you use make a big difference to the way you draw. I've had very little success achieving fine controlled lines with a large brush pen like the Pentel Colour Brush that I used here. Of course, that might just be my hand - other artists may be able to coax fine detail out of this pen! But in my experience, you can get some fine lines but eventually the brush will blot and splodge because you're trying to use it in a way that isn't right for it: I've found that this particular tool works best when you drew quickly, lightly and with confidence.

If you fight what a drawing instrument wants to do, you'll just end up frustrated and cross (and possibly with a ruined tool). Of course, you should always experiment and push yourself and your materials but sometimes you have to recognise the essential nature of a medium. For example, despite the fact that I love charcoal as a drawing medium, it wasn't suited to this project at all. Even if I'd sprayed it with fixative, charcoal wouldn't have survived a trip through the post. Maybe I'll do a series of big charcoal drawings in January once the envelopes are finished: I'm certainly ready for a change of scale and medium now.

Posted: 11.54pm on 3.12.07
Returned: 6.12.07

2nd December

2007-12-28T01:54:00.000Z

This is quite a scratchy drawing but I think I was pretty content when I drew it; I was just in the mood for some scratchiness. I definitely have different aesthetic moods: some days I start out drawing in one way and just hate it and then I know that I need to switch my style or medium. If I had to draw in the same style everyday, I'd never have made it this far with the project.

Posted: 11.52pm on 2.12.07
Returned: 4.12.07

1st December

2007-12-28T01:52:00.000Z

I would never have had the confidence to do such an empty and simple drawing at the start of the project but I'm glad that I do now because I like this envelope very much.

Posted: 11.37pm on 1.12.07
Returned: 4.12.07

30th November

2007-12-28T01:46:00.000Z

This chain was drawn from my head but I think it's obviously a very damaged metal one, although I suppose it could be a particularly battered paper one.

Posted: 10.09pm on 30.11.07
Returned: 3.12.07

29th November

2007-12-28T01:43:00.000Z

I had thought I might cover the whole envelope but this seemed like enough. Oh OK, I got bored* - it happens occasionally if you're daft enough to draw 333 envelopes in a row!

* If I'd really thought it needed more, I'd have kept drawing.

Posted: 11.20pm on 29.11.07
Returned: 1.12.07

28th November

2007-12-28T01:41:00.000Z

These make me think of rows of eggs on shelves, maybe in a museum display. I've always loved museums and the idea of collecting plays a big part in my work. The Diary Project is also a museum of sorts, I suppose.

Posted: 10.37pm on 28.11.07
Returned: 1.12.07

27th November

2007-12-28T01:35:00.000Z

This was the first envelope I drew with my new Sakura glaze pen. It doesn't show up clearly on the scan but this style of pen is so highly glossy that it still looks wet even when it's dry. I don't know how archival it is but since the envelopes definitely aren't archival, I guess it doesn't matter too much.

Posted: 11.53pm on 27.11.07
Returned: 30.11.07

26th November

2007-12-28T01:32:00.000Z

This makes me think of glamorous pouting women with swooshy ostrich feather fans.

Posted: 11.55pm on 26.11.07
Returned: 29.11.07

25th November

2007-12-28T01:26:00.000Z

This was one of the heaviest envelopes that I've done. I ended up putting two stamps on it, partly because I was worried about the weight but also because I was feeling slightly guilty about the envelope from the 20th November, which I forgot to stamp. Perhaps it was just a superstition need to appease the Post Office Gods!

Posted: 11.47pm on 25.11.07
Returned: 27.11.07

24th November

2007-12-28T01:23:00.000Z

I wonder if I will make any sculptures from the drawings I have done this year? This looks very much like something that might become 'real'. Of course, drawings are also real but sculptures are just more real for me.

Posted: 11.55pm on 24.11.07
Returned: 27.11.07

23rd November

2007-12-28T01:19:00.000Z

Although they could just as easily be tiny, beaded things, in my head these are enormous sculptures that tower over people. It's the sort of art I have absolutely no interest in making but it's still nice to consider it sometimes.

Posted: 9.50pm on 23.11.07
Returned: 26.11.07

22nd November

2007-12-28T01:17:00.000Z

I'm still not sure about the crimson in this drawing.

Posted: 11.55pm on 22.11.07
Returned: 26.11.07

21st November

2007-12-27T23:49:00.000Z

This is one of the drawings from The Diary Project that I'd love to make into a limited edition print, if I had access to the equipment to do so. I'm considering investing in a little Gocco machine or some screenprinting equipment. I do know how to screenprint (although I haven't done much of it) but I don't know how complicated and expensive it would be to do at home.

Posted: 11.25pm on 21.11.07
Returned: 24.11.07

20th November

2007-12-27T23:47:00.000Z

This envelope was notable for being the one I forgot to put a stamp on! Surprisingly, the Post Office delivered it without demanding extra postage.

Posted: 9.53pm on 20.11.07
Returned: 22.11.07

19th November

2007-12-27T23:42:00.000Z

Drawing without outlines is a technique that I keep coming back to: I'm very intrigued by the way it works, especially on this envelope where I've combined the dots with outlines and dark shapes.

Posted: 10.49pm on 19.11.07
Returned: 22.11.07

18th November

2007-12-02T12:56:00.000Z

Loosely based on ash seeds, this now makes me think of whale tails and reminds me that seeing whales in the wild is one of my life's ambitions.

Posted: 11.49pm on 18.11.07
Returned: 20.11.07

17th November

2007-12-02T12:46:00.000Z

Another drawing done on acrylic gesso. I've been using gesso a lot lately because I've started an art journal. It's such versatile stuff: you can use it to tone things down or to stiffen your paper before you start or even to cover things completely when you want to start over.

Here the gesso is forming a subtly textured white ground for waterproof ink and my beloved Inktense pencils. Because the envelopes are so smooth and thin, it's nice to have something with a bit of a 'bite' to work on for a change. Drawing on thin, low quality paper every day for nearly a year has certainly given me a great appreciation for higher quality paper!

Posted: 11.43pm on 17.11.07
Returned: 20.11.07

16th November

2007-12-02T12:39:00.000Z

I'm enjoying having more than one red Inktense pencil to play with, this drawing uses two different reds that mix to form further shades once they're wet.

Posted: 11.55pm on 16.11.07
Returned: 19.11.07

15th November

2007-12-02T12:37:00.000Z

This reminds me of Rorschach drawings - what can you see?

Posted: 11.42pm on 15.11.07
Returned: 17.11.07

14th November

2007-12-02T12:34:00.000Z

This has a seaweedy kind of quality, although I started out thinking about ribbons and wrapped parcels. I've been fascinated by the idea of wrapping and binding for years and would like to make some sculptures that explore it but it's still not quite clear in my head yet. It takes a long time for my art to percolate, sometimes it can be years from the first inkling of an idea to the finished reality.

Posted: 8.46pm on 14.11.07
Returned: 16.11.07

13th November

2007-12-02T12:30:00.000Z

I was intrigued with the way the little blank circles create the illusion of holes punched through the paper. It's amazing how much pen and line can say and how different the results can be depending on which techniques you use. Although I've used other media in The Diary Project over the year, I keep coming back to pen because the simple complexity of it as a medium totally fascinates me.

Posted: 11.53pm on 13.11.07
Returned: 15.11.07

12th November

2007-11-30T21:48:00.000Z

This is the closest I've come to missing the deadline. I actually had to run to the post box - see how dedicated I am to this project! Of course, if I'd been a bit more dedicated I wouldn't have left it so late before sorting out that day's envelope but I'd been writing a blog post for Up All Night Again and time got away from me.

Posted: 11.59pm on 12.11.07
Returned: 14.11.07

11th November

2007-11-30T21:43:00.000Z

This is one of my favourite envelopes: I love the way the ink looks more like charcoal. I achieved this effect by wetting my finger and lightly smudging the waterproof ink while it was still damp enough to smear.

Posted: 11.58pm on 11.11.07
Returned: 13.11.07

10th November

2007-11-30T21:33:00.000Z

I was trying out something a little unusual here - this is a metalpoint drawing on acrylic gesso. Metalpoint is something I read about in The Drawing Book by Sarah Simblet, which I reviewed very positively over on Up All Night Again. I happened to have a brass tool sitting on the desk in my studio and was excited to accidentally discover that it made a mark on paper and an even better mark on gesso.

Simblet specifically discusses silverpoint in her book and says that it needs to be sealed to stop the marks turning brown. I didn't use any fixative on this drawing, so it will be interesting to see if it changes colour at all. However, since I used brass instead of silver it might be OK since I believe that brass is much less reactive to oxygen than silver.

Posted: 11.56pm on 10.11.07
Returned: 13.11.07

9th November

2007-11-30T21:30:00.000Z

I find this drawing quite strange and I've no idea where it came from. It looks almost like an enamelled brooch and it makes me think of landscape drawing, which is something that hasn't played much of a part in The Diary Project.

Posted: 9pm on 9.11.07
Returned: 12.11.07

8th November

2007-11-30T21:24:00.000Z

This drawing makes me think of marzipan. I've never liked marzipan, yet as a child I regularly made marzipan sweets to give as Christmas gifts to relatives. I loved to shape the soft almond dough into very detailed fruit shapes that I would then lovingly paint with food colouring. I wonder if the recipients ever actually ate them?

Posted: 11.53pm on 8.11.07
Returned: 10.11.07

7th November

2007-11-30T21:18:00.000Z

I've noticed myself becoming much more attracted to white on black as the Diary Project has evolved - there's something about that reversal that is very appealing to me. Perhaps I'll do a series of drawings using white ink on black paper next year.

Posted: 11.53pm on 7.11.07
Returned:

6th November

2007-11-29T13:56:00.000Z

I love this drawing because it makes me think of brains. I am a Zombie Queen!

Posted: 11.53pm on 6.11.07
Returned: Again, I haven't taken a note of the date it returned but it was probably 9.11.07

5th November

2007-11-29T13:01:00.000Z

Oops, I forgot to note when this envelope returned. My record keeping has generally been excellent on this project - I even have a data base of the contents so that I don't accidentally repeat myself - but occasionally, I mess up and forget to write something down.

Posted: 11.50pm on 5.11.07
Returned: ? Possibly 9.11.07

4th November

2007-11-29T12:57:00.000Z

I discovered that the Pental ink brushes respond much better if you work very quickly, lightly and intuitively, which seemed to naturally result in this psuedo-Chinese style. I guess that's apt since the pen brush is made in China.

Posted: 11.50pm on 4.11.07
Returned: 6.11.07

3rd November

2007-11-29T12:56:00.000Z

This plant study was drawn from life but severely abstracted.

Posted: 11.45pm on 3.11.07
Returned: 6.11.07

2nd November

2007-11-29T12:52:00.000Z

This very 'hairy' drawing was unusual because it was the first envelope drawn in a club (we were out at a friend's birthday party).

Posted: 11.20pm on 2.11.07
Returned: 5.11.07

1st November

2007-11-29T12:50:00.000Z

I love the pale watery quality to these 'little lollipops'.

Posted: 11.53pm on 1.11.07
Returned: 3.11.07

31st October

2007-11-24T12:52:00.000Z

This envelope marks the first time that I used ordinary pencil in The Diary Project. I'd been wary of it because I was worried about smudging but I needn't have worried; using an HB pencil worked just fine. In real life, this drawing has that lovely shiny graphite quality to it.

Posted: 11.52pm on 31.10.07
Returned: 2.11.07

30th October

2007-11-24T12:49:00.000Z

This is a favourite image, I love the softness of the wash and the slight strangeness of the shapes.

Posted: 11.51pm on 30.10.07
Returned: 2.11.07

29th October

2007-11-24T12:46:00.000Z

My partner said "I like your mushrooms" but actually this drawing was inspired by an image of some ceramics on someone's blog but then I thought, 'oh well, maybe the ceramicist got their original inspiration from mushrooms'.

Posted: 9.44pm on 29.10.07
Returned: 31.10.07

28th October

2007-11-24T12:41:00.000Z

Abstracted from a photograph of barnacles - Google Images has been my firm friend throughout The Diary Project!

Posted: 11.50pm on 28.10.07
Returned: 30.10.07

27th October

2007-11-24T12:34:00.000Z

I had to go back through the scanned envelopes over on Flickr for this one because I thought I'd done one that was very similar. It turned out there was one but I decided they were different enough and far enough away to let this one through.

This drawing is also notable for being on the 300th envelope!

Posted: 10.47pm on 27.10.07
Returned: 30.10.07

26th October

2007-11-24T12:26:00.000Z

11.53pm seems to be one of my most popular posting times. This translates as "damn, there's only ten minutes to the deadline, I'd better go out and do it" - apparently there are exactly 3 minutes from putting my shoes on to reaching the post box. Often my envelope will have been completed for a while and I'm just putting off going out to post it, on other occasions I'll have been frantically drawing at the last minute.

Posted: 11.53pm on 26.10.07
Returned: 29.10.07

25th October

2007-11-24T12:23:00.000Z

Before I did my degree, I did a part time sculpture course at a local college where I made several pieces in metal based on both insects and armour. This drawing, with its articulated plating, reminds me of those.

Posted: 9.47pm on 25.10.07
Returned: 27.10.07

24th October

2007-11-24T12:21:00.000Z

I was vaguely thinking of shells when I drew this, although it doesn't particularly look like it.

Posted: 11.28pm on 24.10.07
Returned: 26.10.07

23rd October

2007-11-24T12:19:00.000Z

I like the minimalism of this envelope. I seem to be getting better at 'leaving it be' and accepting very sparse drawings.

Posted: 11.50pm on 23.10.07
Returned: 26.10.07

22nd October

2007-11-21T10:13:00.000Z

This makes me think of intestines, fish eggs or seaweed.

Posted: 11.27pm on 22.10.07
Returned: 25.10.07

21st October

2007-11-21T10:11:00.000Z

I like the way this works on the page. Although I haven't used it all that often, I'm very fond of this sort of upside down composition.

Posted: 10.37pm on 21.10.07
Returned: 23.10.07

20th October

2007-11-21T10:09:00.000Z

I've realised that I'm slightly uncomfortable with work that is too 'flowery'. That said, I do quite like this one.

Posted: 11.53pm on 20.10.07
Returned: 23.10.07

19th October

2007-11-21T10:06:00.000Z

This one reminds me of smocking, a technique I've always been fascinated by - I suppose that makes sense since it's a very sculptural way of using fabric.

Posted: 11.13pm on 19.10.07
Returned: 22.10.07

18th October

2007-11-21T10:05:00.000Z

Weeks after drawing it, I'm still surprised by the intensity of the yellow on this drawing.

Posted: 10.33pm on 18.10.07
Returned: 22.10.07

17th October

2007-11-21T10:00:00.000Z

One of the things The Diary Project has taught me is how much I enjoy doing washes with ink. I've been experimenting with using washes on cartridge paper lately but it still tends to buckle; I think I need to try watercolour paper instead.

Posted: 10.57pm on 17.10.07
Returned: 20.10.07

16th October

2007-11-18T00:17:00.000Z

I must be hungry, I'm looking at these and thinking of biscuits!

Posted: 11.36pm on 16.10.07
Returned: 19.10.07

15th October

2007-11-18T00:13:00.000Z

This is probably as close as I'll ever get to actually making patchwork!

Posted: 10.34pm on 15.10.07
Returned: 18.10.07

14th October

2007-11-18T00:09:00.000Z

Wow, yet more thread imagery, I hadn't realised quite how strong a theme it was that week until I uploaded this particular chunk of images. Sometime images carry over for several days like this without me realising at the time.

Posted: 10.30pm on 14.10.07
Returned: 17.10.07

13th October

2007-11-18T00:07:00.000Z

I like the looseness of this drawing.

Posted: 10.21pm on 13.10.07
Returned: 17.10.07

12th October

2007-11-17T23:50:00.000Z

I described these in my project journal as 'little green cup shapes' but looking at them now, they remind me more of ivy.

Posted: 11.20pm on 12.10.07
Returned: 16.10.07

11th October

2007-11-17T23:36:00.001Z

I'm currently planning a series of sculptures based on thread so the image of looped and twisted threads keeps unconsciously coming up.

Posted: 11.50pm on 11.10.07
Returned: 15.10.07

10th October

2007-11-17T23:27:00.000Z

The first appearance of purple in the Diary Project! I indulged in some new Inktense pencils because the set of 12 that I bought earlier in the year just didn't have enough colours for me. I now have all the colours except one, I'm still waiting for the art shop to get some more white pencils in. I didn't think the white would be useful but I've since discovered that you can use it to blend the colours together. New art materials are one of my favourite things in the world!

Posted: 8.55pm on 10.10.07
Returned: 13.10.07

9th October

2007-11-07T22:27:00.000Z

A deliberate choice to 'do something messy' - sometimes I just need to cut loose. Drawn with the Pental ink brush and then softened with water.

Posted: 11.54pm on 9.10.07
Returned: 16.10.07

8th October

2007-11-07T22:23:00.000Z

I wish I'd made this drawing simpler and more spread out - it reads as too cluttered and fussy to me now. Doing this project has been a great lesson in acceptance for me. I'm one of those artists who will fiddle with things forever if you let me, so doing a project where I have to make a decision and then stand by it has been quite a challenge on occasion.

Posted: 10.10pm on 8.10.07
Returned: 16.10.07

7th October

2007-11-07T22:16:00.000Z

This drawing makes me think of embroidery. When I first started the project someone said they wanted to make embroideries inspired by some of my work, I wonder if they ever did?

I'm usually fine with people making work inspired by mine because all artists see things differently and what you end up with is rarely an exact copy of your starting point. Plus I get my inspiration from the things I see around me, including other people's art so it would be churlish to mind if other people are inspired by what I do. Anything that adds more art and creativity to the world is a good thing, in my view.

Posted: 9.30pm on 7.10.07
Returned: 16.10.07

6th October

2007-11-07T22:08:00.000Z

I like the simplicity of this little circle caught in an almost square. Although I'm apparently incapable of drawing parallel lines, I'm never tempted to use a ruler to make geometrical shapes because I prefer these more organic shapes.

Posted: 11.53pm on 6.10.07
Returned: 16.10.07

5th October

2007-11-07T22:06:00.000Z

Most of my drawings float in space, this one is unusual in being very firmly anchored to a drawn horizontal surface.

Posted: 11.23pm on 5.10.07
Returned: 16.10.07

4th October

2007-11-07T21:29:00.000Z

Oh dear, I seem to be a month behind on these entries - how did that happen? Well, getting a stinking cold for several weeks certainly didn't help but it's mostly been because I've been blocked on what to say about the drawings. When I started out, I thought the drawings would be the hardest part but they've mostly been fairly straightforward. To my great surprise I've found writing the entries on this blog has consistently been the most difficult part of the project.

Posted: 11.533pm on 4.11.07
Returned: 16.10.07

3rd October

2007-10-18T16:55:00.000+01:00

So far I haven't drawn any identical envelopes but obviously, I have definite themes and styles. I know that's unavoidable and I don't object to it. So why do I feel so guilty about my love of ovals and my tendency to return to them again and again?

Perhaps I should listen to Edith Wharton who said: "Another unsettling element in modern art is that common symptom of immaturity, the dread of doing what has been done before." Mind you, she also said, "Beware of monotony; it's the mother of all the deadly sins." How wide or deep you plough your furrow has always been a pressing question for artists - are you exploring something richly and deeply or just in a rut?

Posted: 9.36pm on 3.10.07
Returned: 16.10.07

2nd October

2007-10-18T16:46:00.000+01:00

There's been a postal strike in the UK recently. I was able to carry on my daily posting but it messed up the return of the envelopes for several weeks - I didn't get any envelopes at all for about a week and then they all came back in the wrong order as the Royal Mail tried to clear that backlog. During this time, I realised that one of my unspoken rules is that I have to wait until they're all in the right order before I can scan and blog the envelopes. This makes me wonder what I'd do if they lost one - how long would I wait before I admitted defeat and continued scanning and blogging the subsequent envelopes?

Posted: 11.03pm on 2.10.07
Returned: 10.9.07

1st October

2007-10-18T16:37:00.000+01:00

I'm still finding drawing with dots and small dashed lines very compelling - there's something about the way it breaks up yet connects the space that intrigues me.

Posted: 11.42pm on 1.10.07
Returned: 3.10.07

30th September

2007-10-18T16:31:00.000+01:00

There's something very bone-like about this form. I've always loved drawing bones: as a teenager, I used to go to the museum in Chamber Street in Edinburgh to draw the stuffed animals and skeletons. I learnt a lot about drawing anatomy there, I drew bones long before I ever did proper life drawing.

Posted: 11.46pm on 30.9.07
Returned: 2.10.07

29th September

2007-10-18T16:20:00.000+01:00

Sometimes losing myself in intricacy and pattern is so blissful - I love that deep state of concentration that drawing can induce.

Posted: 11.22pm on 29.9.07
Returned: 2.10.07

28th September

2007-10-18T16:18:00.000+01:00

Taking refuge in some realism.

Posted: 11.41pm on 28.9.07
Returned: 1.10.07

27th September

2007-10-10T14:35:00.001+01:00

Unlike the last envelope, this drawing is so elegant in its simplicity that it's easy to love. But for me there's a dark side too because it reminds me of childhood walks in waist-high bracken and the attendant fear of getting sheep ticks. Looking back, it's clear that nature frightened me quite a lot as a child - at least the insect part did - so it's quite amusing that I'm so inspired by it now. All those endless childhood nature hikes obviously left their mark.

Posted: 10.23pm on 27.9.07
Returned: 29.9.07

26th September

2007-10-10T14:32:00.000+01:00

I find these amorphous shapes quite odd, they're clearly attractive to me because I keep drawing them but I also find them a little repellent - maybe that's why I need to keep drawing them.

Posted: 11.20pm on 26.9.07
Returned: 29.9.07

25th September

2007-10-10T14:25:00.000+01:00

It's very unusual for me to draw an envelope just in pencil, without any ink at all but I like the pale ghostliness that it gives here. I probably ought to work this way more often - perhaps I should even try ordinary pencil on the envelopes, I've been quite resistant to the idea because I'm afraid it would smudge badly but maybe that's OK. Maybe it's more than that, maybe I'm a little bit intimidated by pencil - it does seem a lot like 'real drawing' and that thought still scares me a little.

Posted: 8.26pm on 25.9.07
Returned: 28.9.07

24th September

2007-10-10T14:21:00.000+01:00

It's intriguing the way that quite small, compact shapes like these crosses can fill up the space.

Posted: 11.53pm on 24.9.07
Returned: 26.9.07