'The biggest lie I tell myself is "I don't need to write that down; I'll remember it."'
When I'm in the middle of producing a print and repeating a process time and time again, it seems impossible that I won't always know how to do it. Sometimes I make a few notes on scraps of paper (which then get lost) but more often I don't. And then the same thing always happens - I go back a week or a month later to complete some more in the edition and I can't even remember how I got that ink colour, let alone how I got that texture effect or that blend of tones. I am an idiot.
In 2016 I am resolved to end this idiocy and start keeping a print recipe book. I'm going to use this sketch book from Paperchase. It fits the bill perfectly: it's attractive enough to be an incentive but not so lovely I dare not write in it. (I once gave away a beautiful hand made book because it had sat on my shelf unused for three years; it was so special I couldn't bring myself to make a mark in it).
The first recipe I've written up is for this little 'Robin' drypoint etching that I made for Christmas 2015. It's an edition of 50 and I still have just a few more to make, plus I want to be able to use it for a demo piece during York Open Studios in April. It's going to be really helpful to be reminded of how to do it when the time comes (and I just hope future me is suitably grateful).
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| 'Robin' drypoint etching 6 x 6 cm |
I'm the same with knitting, if I go off-piste from a pattern, I am sure I will remember what I did but then have to decipher the knitting to work it out!
ReplyDeleteMust dig out my lovely Leuchtterm knitting notebook.
Glad it's not just me Mary! My knitting bag is full of detached post-it notes, covered in a cryptic number code. No use to anyone... *sighs*
DeleteOooh I do like stationary, especially notebooks. I remember spending pocket money on sheets & sheets of coloured writing paper back in the 80's (was that Paperchase?). I think the new notebook looks just the thing. I have one for crochet. Unfortunately it seems to be full of lots of titles & scraps of wool but very few actual instructions or notes. Must try harder in 2016!
ReplyDeleteOne of the very few downsides of the internet is the reduced opportunity for using/buying lovely stationery!
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