TBP: Personal Geographies, Part 4 + Giveaway

This is the final project that I decided to try from Personal Geographies.

My Heart Belongs in San Diego.  Inktense pencils and India ink on watercolor paper.

Once again, this was loosely based off one of the projects of the book.

I absolutely loved flipping through this book, but as much as I loved the little stories and tidbits of inspiration, none of the projects really resonated with me.

Since this book is primarily about the projects, I don't feel right continuing to try working through it if I can't put my whole heart into it. So I'm passing this book on to you, one of my dear readers, in hopes that it will be an inspiration for you.

For your chance to win a copy of Personal Geographies, leave a comment of what a map means to you and a way of contacting you if you are the winner.  I will announce the winner on Friday, April 27th.  After the announcement, the winner has until Monday April 30th to contact me with a mailing address.  Otherwise I will be choosing a new winner.

TBP: Personal Geographies, Part 3

Here is another piece that was loosely based off a project in Personal Geographies.

Hand Map. 8" x 10".  Inktense and Micron Pens on watercolor paper.

My favorite piece in the whole book was Carla Sonheim's take on this project, so I had to give it a try.  Adding all the symbols onto my hand took so long it actually became a little meditative.  And now I know the palm of my hand a little more! 

Hmm, now that I'm taking another look at it, maybe I should have added a key . . .

TBP: Personal Geographies, Part 2

I have started to work on some of the projects in Personal Geographies. But as it turns out, I'm veering from what the directions actually say to do and doing my own thing based on some of the examples I saw.

Meanderings of My Mind. 8" x 10". Inktense and Micron pens on watercolor paper.

This one took me a long time to make. In general, it should have been a short project - but I decided to make little bits and pieces of it complicated.

I didn't like the profile shape that I was supposed to use. So I kept trying to draw my own until I got a shape that I liked (though it looks nothing like me).

After I drew in some shapes and colored it all in with inktense pencils, I ended up letting this sit for some time. I wasn't sure what I wanted to put down. Should I be honest and just put down what ever I'm thinking? Should it be funny or serious? I was over thinking it big time!

Eventually, I just picked up a micron pen and wrote stuff down as my mind wandered about for the day.  A bit more personal of a project than I'm used to.  In fact, I was very hesitant to post this.  But, I figured, why not?  I gave it a try, right?

I would love to hear from you.  How personal do you let your art projects go?  How much do you like to share and expose, if at all?

TBP: Personal Geographies, Part 1

Over my winter break, I received Personal Geographies by Jill Berry in the mail.  Even though I haven't had a chance to work through the projects yet, I thought that I would share my initial thoughts on the book.

In a quick flip through the book, I felt that the book was just full of different map-type projects that you could do and examples from different artists.  None of the projects stood out for me, so I made the mistake of putting it on my shelf for when I wanted to try out a project.

When I finally decided to pick the book up again, I slowly started reading through it from the beginning.  That was when I noticed the REAL gems of the book.  But before I get into that, let me share an overview of Personal Geographies.

First, there is the initial introductory chapter.  It discusses types and parts of the map, with tips on designing a compass rose and cartouche.

The rest of the book is separated into three chapters with 5-8 projects in chapter.
Chapter 1: Mapping the Self
Chapter 2: Mapping Your Experience
Chapter 3. Plans, Projections and Possibilities

As you can tell from the chapter names, they are primarily about looking into your self.  Past, present, and future as well as both mentally and physically.

Each chapter is full of projects that are clearly written and accompanied with step by step pictures. Through out the book, you will find examples of the projects from other artists as well.

The gems of the book were the stories and inspiration.  Not only did the author explain her map projects with the stories that brought them about, she also took the time to share what inspired her to create the project.  The inspiration could have been a quote, a specific map, an artist, or even a conversation.

Another little gem was the artwork and stories from other artists.  Every piece had a story attached to it to that the artist had written to explain their map.  Some short and sweet, while some others were long and engaging.  What ever the case, there were plenty of different perspectives for even more inspiration.

If you are looking for a book on making traditional maps, this isn't exactly it.  But if you are looking to make variations of maps, want to look more into yourself, or just love to read stories of other peoples lives - then I recommend you look into this book.

I think that I will be trying out some of these projects fairly soon.

The Book Project is an ongoing project to put my collection of art and craft books to good use by working through them. You can read more about it here. I would also love to hear if you are working through your books as well or would like to join me!