Fashionary Traveler's Notebook Sketchbook.

Fashionary is a company that produce design sketchbooks for fashion/costume designers and students. As well as planners and notebooks that come with different cover colours and designs their range is simple, and stylish.
Each of the male and female figure sketchbooks has 32 pages of fashion dictionary and 130 pages of 400 barely visible figure templates, allowing you to use as many or little as you want.
I am not a fashion design, I did do costume design at school, and I wish I had had these then.
The paper in them are lovely to draw, write and paint on. They expensive yet worth the money.

In side the A5 sketchbook, some of the 'fashion dictionary' pages

For nearly a year I have been using a Traveler's Notebook for work, drawing and for my blogs and writing. I find them a grate size to carry around. On shopping trip to the London Graphic's Centre, I found their small section of the Fashionary books. On  of the items they had in stock was the Fashionary Panel for men and women.

These packs are the perfect size to fit in side of my traveler's notebook. Each panel is perforated so that you can detach each of the 72 figure templates, (there are 72 front/ back template and on the revers of each a side template).
My first idea was to carry some of these in my notebook and use as and when I wanted. Then I had a brain wave. Using two of each of the panels, I went round the faint out line of the figure so that I have back/front and side of both the women and man figure templates, and laminating them to make them a little more durable. Making it possible to put them under a page in my sketchbook and create my design, in my own sketchbook

All I need to do is to buy or make a craft folder so that they can be kept safely in my black Midori traveler's notebook, along with some blank panels. (The sketch above was done quick just to give you an idea. Not my best. Hope to be shearing better one's with you.)

I am currently using a plain notebook from paperchase, as the paper is thin enough to see the figure but thick enough to take pen, you could also use the Midori branded notebooks number 3, plain paper or number 13, the light weight paper. (check out the Journal Shop to see the books)

I also picked up their Neon lights set of three sketchbooks, these have 4 pages of information and 36pages female templates. the pocket size book measures 9cm by 16cm, a perfect fit for one of the ZLYC traveler's notebooks. Which I am very tempted to buy one.

Neon Lights set of 3 sketchbooks next to the A5 fashionary Sketchbook.

Both of the above journals are from ZLYC on Amazon.co.uk. The one on the right is their:

Handmade refillable leather travelers journals pencil case set of two in dark brown 

and the one on the left is:
Vintage handmade refillable leather traveler's blank pages journal diary Notepad. Notebook with Strap in dark brown. 

I can not decide weather to get on and if so which one...

My Theory Of The Crows Sketchbook.

At the beginning of the week I went to I went to the Natural History Museum, (London) Among the the photos that I took with my digital camera, (and on my 35mm film Olympus camera) I took four photos of the heads of crows in their Birds section (with in the Green Zone). A lot of this beautiful cabinets which are as old as the building were empty, as they were working on cleaning the displays. A little disappointed as the signs did not read:

“ We have flown south for our holidays”. 

It has to be about two years since I was last in there, and the Green Zone Which follows the planet's evolution, uncover the relationships between life forms and their environments. with exhibitions of rocks and minerals, creepy crawies birds, fossils, and mammals, which I could not help but notice how dusty the displays had become, which was a shame as it covered the colours of the animals. Making them look rather sorry and sad. But they are something you can't just clean with a Dyson hover. So looking at the freshly cleaned display with Lion, Leaped, and polar bead they looked like freshly brushed stuffed toys. I can not wait to go back and see the bird section once it is completed. All that currently remains during the cleaning are half a dozen small displays, On of which contains the crows heads, and wings and claws of other birds, an owl, the Humming birding case and some other small items.

The Humming Birds

It was not until I got home after I had put the photos on to my computer and when I was looking at posting one on Instagram that the idea came to mind to use one of the crows as my new avatar on Facebook, Tumblr and any where else I did it. Which I am kind of liking. It is plan and simple, I my play around with it a little more but for now it is the one at the top of this post.

The Crows

Artists Notes: Things To Come

Last year I filled up 17 sketchbooks, this year I have so far filled up 2 and I’m working on my third, apart from my photos from Venice I haven’t really done any. I have a film in my camera with about 9 frames left, which has been in there scene late March. You could say I have had a case of creative block (and writers block). I have a collection of unused sketchbooks on my shelf and loads of creative ideas, of things that I want to draw, paint, design and photograph.

• In my Camera I currently have a 35mm, 400 ISO, 36 exposure Lomography, Black and White Lady Grey film. And I have two of them in the fridge. I am thinking of doing a roll on street photograph. shop fronts, side streets, Graffiti. all in black and white printed as 5 x 6.

• Haven't done much polaroid photography, as the camera seems to be a little temperamental and keeps jamming, and resulting in me losing images.

• I have wanted to do this one since March, Its a sketchbook of drawings and water colours form my photos of Venice. this is to be in a A5 sketchbook.

• About a year ago I was listening to Now thats what I call music 35 on my iPod, and I was inspired by a song by The Light House Family, ‘Goodbuy heartbreak’ manly by the second verse: 

Do you remember as a girl,

You had a picture of the world

And you'd think about the great things you would find?

The thing is 9 to 5

And a struggle to survive

Ain't exactly what you had in mind.

But that's the beauty of life,

It takes a while to find,

And you can't have things your own way all the time

The idea for this one is in two of the lines ‘You had a picture of the world. And you'd think about the great things you would find?’ The sketchbook would have a would map, weather I’ll draw in it (or stick on in). 
When I was a child my aunt had this amazing atlas and I would copy the Islands and masses, labelling the capitals and the city’s. Looking back at it now i was her way of educating me and cousin while we were on the school holidays. But anyway, The pain is for me to have my own map of the would with drawings of buildings, flags, art from all over,

• 99 red balloons. we all know this one. I want to do a sketchbook which has a total of 99 red balloons in. It will be a mixed media, a combination of pencil sketches, water colour paint, and colour pencil.

• I have recently purchased a Midori Traveler’s Notebook, Which I want to carry on with my Lost sketchbook art.

• I have recently brought a selection of acrylic inks which I have just stared using to create more of my Lost Sketchbook art.

• #AntiArtJournal I got brought one of these from my secret santa, and I have only just got around to using it. I have also purchased a second one, as I complete pages I will start posting.

I’m still working on My little Book Of Skulls sketchbook. 
And Concept art which I have stuff to post. 
Also I still have my Fashionary sketchbooks to start using.
I also want to do some reviews on the sketchbooks I use and the film I’m using

All in all I enough to keep me busy for a go few months. But with the busy period fast approaching for work I will not be getting a huge amount done, but I will be using my sketchbook to escape the madness during my breaks and lunch time.