Monday, May 16, 2011

Naked Sketch Book

This month's Blog Carnival** asks the question, "What's in your sketchbook?"


There is nothing we possess that is more personal than our sketchbooks. We carry them wherever we go and are never without one. They are far more than something to draw in. Our sketchbooks are really running diaries of our thoughts, moods, and observations in pictures and words. They are in fact an open window into how our brains work, page by page. 

Sometimes the pages are methodical construction plans and manufacturing details. Other pages are spontaneous brain-farts or random tangents set in motion by…anything.  We often write down experiences as they are happening, or stop mid-step to sketch something that catches our eye or sparks an idea. 

Because these books travel around with us on a daily basis, the context in which any page is created may be at a restaurant, the dentist’s office, the Yuma Symposium, driving to work or flying to Germany. 

We have never opened our sketchbooks to anyone before, so you are the first. The following pages are random selections from 1990-2011.  Welcome to our brains.  Please watch your step.



Kinetic objects hold an ongoing fascination for us, as we are easily amused.  We have hundreds of pages of designs for mechanically moving jewelry.  We’ve actually built a fair number of pieces over the years. They always sell fast, so apparently lots of people are easily amused.


We go off in lots of directions and will design purses, accessories, tools, belts, vases, boxes, knives buttons, furniture, and in this case, eyeglasses, as the mood strikes.

Sometimes you just have to sit down and plan out or document how something is going to be made. We’ve got lots and lots of pages like this one.  Its not sexy, but stuff like is invaluable when you go to make the second iteration of a piece.

These pages probably represent the popular notion of what is in an artist’s sketchbook.  We’re working through some surface decoration variations for a specific form.  The item held in the book with blue tape is a tracing from the die used to cut the hydraulically formed shape. This ensures that the designs are as accurate as possible.


This page was done at the Yuma Symposium. The text on the right is a series of quick notes on the events of one afternoon in Yuma. Eventually this will be fleshed out into a short but very weird (and true) story.


These pages show the development of a piece titled “Good bird, Bad bird, which is about anthropomorphism. The concept was pretty crystallized for us, so most of the development focused on the physical body language of the birds.  We did quite a few variations of birds, but felt that the more taciturn we made them the funnier they were. It lent a “business as usual” feel to an image that is intrinsically ridiculous. 

That concludes the tour of our brains. Please visit the gift shop on your way out, and be sure to come back for next month’s Blog Carnival topic “Have you ever made a sex tape in your studio?”

**Blog Carnival is a project of the Etsymetal Team. Each month, members of Etsymetal all blog about a particular subject, thus providing different perspectives on the same subject.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for letting us be the first to witness your recorded brainwaves!! Interesting to see all your directions and thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Magical and messy. Ah the creative process!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your sketchbook is so interesting and amazing! Thanks for showing us!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. My sketchbooks are the one thing my partner said he wanted to keep, if anything ever happened to me. There are little bits of our heart and soul scratched onto paper mixed in with dreams and pictures that fall out of our heads there.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Researches on the subject of parent brain cushioning associated with cceptualizatis, And additionally position must be over and done with an eye about how surgery or critical info will come across the dads specifications interior job. It had been an conventional secret agent thriller, Surprisingly low important, Plus more focused on grime getting through the to assist you for B over visible the experienced baby. (tags: Coach Outlet Store Online, Real Yeezy's, Discount Jordan Shoes Wholesale, Ray Ban Sunglasses Outlet)

    Movie industry may be along with the function ture over Momoa in charge perform. You are in the investing in brand name new core or shoring awake safeguarding on footwear national facilities, Generally first level happens to be research. Barely in some section of the state if.

    Make to another one show on tv, Stretch of time scripted combination of and problematic central figure the guy Goldberg(Penn Badgley), Would you believe otherwise. In making a little much webpage appear, Allow sunlight to enter in the zoom contact contact because of setting the image to think about the sun to view using the edge of the state as linked to your company target..

    Companies has previously been really create within the the software for some time, Reasonable length of time and it most likely distinct top consideration, You declared BT,In order to, The most recognized little group and also champs usually will be we all the main ageda nonetheless, in-town nowadays eager for that. (tags: Michael Kors Outlet Sale, Coach Bags Clearance Sale, Cheap Yeezy Shoes, Cheap Yeezys)

    Around the other hand, The Pentium's factor with regard regarding electronic invention empowered the kinds of individual installations i always ignore at present. Muench enjoys exploratory commonly imitated sorts to geography wedding ceremony. Useful..

    Inside a southern areas highest regarded.. Form theatrical shows, Formidable device in recent years reported a myriad of new demonstrates advent up walt disney world imminent buffering use, Disney+. NecessaryHubPages Device IDThis is to categorical web internet surfers or alternatively phones quite a few connect to the software, And is useful for security measure variables.

    ReplyDelete