Dear Everyone ~
Bookful of Fanciful Faces is my twelfth Bookful collaboration with artist, author & dear friend Cat Bennett. Our four-session workshop via Zoom will begin on Saturday, January 27, well into winter and a wonderful time for creative camaraderie.
In this series—as Cat previews in her whimsical way— “we’ll explore the basics of drawing faces and also create images that are fanciful and free. We’ll work on different size papers and use different materials, as we wish—permanent markers, watercolors, colored pencils, pastels and collage. We’ll need a few photos from magazines for the first week when we'll explore drawing real people. Then we’ll branch out to making faces in more fanciful ways. For me, accuracy doesn’t really matter as much as communicating a certain joy in life. In the end, we’ll have a small portfolio of friends to amuse and delight us. And perhaps to enclose in snail mail to bring a smile to our real friends!”
The structure we will make together in the first session of this series is a portfolder. It has a soft fabric spine, hardcovers, and an interior envelopment created by 3 flaps, each with 2 “gusset folds”. The portfolder measures 9 x 11 x ⅝, and closes with a single tie of vintage Japanese cording. This structure encloses & protects your loose sketches, drawings, paintings—and inspirations.
The kitful of materials I’ve selected for this Bookful features the bright & cheery patterned papers of Cambridge Imprint. If you haven’t worked with them yet, you’ll discover one of my great joys when using them for a book (or box): Beautiful as the papers are when flat, they are mysteriously even more charming when paired with a solid bookcloth. Your kitful includes complementary linen bookcloths for the spine and Japanese cording for the tie. As you know, I delight in mixing & matching colours and patterns. If there’s a particular palette or CI patterned paper that strikes your fancy, please feel free to e me and I will do my best to accommodate your request.
In weeks #2, #3 & #4, Cat will begin the workshop with exercises in the basics of drawing faces. She will then lead the class in painting & drawing using a variety of mediums, including coloured pencils + watercolour, pen & ink, and collage. We’ll also explore painting with gouache, which is opaque, and wondrous for the layering of colours.
Cat & I want to assure you, especially if you are a Bookful newcomer, that truly no drawing or bookbinding experience is necessary—all levels of artistic skill & interest are welcome. Our pace is relaxed & supportive, and the camaraderie is delightful. Plus, you will have four complete workshop videos (recorded in real time) to watch and rewatch at your leisure. We look forward to seeing you soonish via Zoom!
Bookful of Fanciful Faces
Fancifully, Bari