Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Passover Matzah Cover - New!


I found a use for one of those sketches that I really liked but wasn't right for Eli's tallit.  The top image is one side of a Passover Matzah Cover and the bottom picture shows the other side.  Inside are three pockets to hold the three symbolic matzahs of a Passover Seder.   The small bag is an "afikomen" bag, so you can hide your afikomen without getting crumbs all over the house!
The Hebrew on the left says 
love
PEACE
freedom
The Hebrew on the right says, interestingly enough, "afikomen."

Monday, February 20, 2012

Sketchbook, part 9

 Here is the emblem I've designed on the previous pages, shown now in a completed Prayer Shawl for my son Eli, who at age 19 has decided to move to Israel and serve in the IDF.  In the stripes above and below the emblem, family member's names are written in Hebrew and English (click the image for a larger view).

The final pages of the sketchbook.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Sketchbook Project, part 8

Hmmm....some ideas better than others...

I like these sketches above a lot, but I want to make the star more subtle. I figured out I want a round emblem, not star shaped.Yeah, that's the one.....

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Sketchbook Project, part 7

In the next several pages I'm working on an idea for a project.
I want to make an emblem. For Peace, Love, Freedom, Israel
This is one quintessential use of a sketchbook. To work out ideas...

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Sketchbook Project, part 6

This is a kind of introduction to the project that I will be working on for the rest of the sketchbook...

Monday, February 13, 2012

Sketchbook Project, part 5

Do you notice anything different about the flower shape on this sand dollar? It didn't grow that way, I'm taking artistic license...

Friday, February 10, 2012

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Sketchbook Project, part 3

Full page spread of the sketchbook. More of the amazing sand dollars, and their light and leaps of fantasy.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Sketchbook Project, part 2

Have you ever examined the underside of a sand dollar? They are just as interesting as the top side. These are watercolors, about 5 x 7, the size of the sketchbook.

The sketch below is about 10 x 7, the size that the sketchbook is when it's opened.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Sketchbook Project

And...She's Back!

I've recently finished participating in The Sketchbook Project, presented by Art House Coop. Anyone can participate. You pay your money, and receive a small sketchbook which you fill in any way you wish, then return it by a specified date. It had been a long time since I had asked myself, "what do you want to paint, Hillary?" and I used this sketchbook and it's deadline to bring me back to painting some things for my own personal interests, expression and growth.

The sketchbooks will go on a world tour, and then be housed at the Brooklyn Art Museum. They'll also be available online. You were invited to choose from a variety of themes, and I chose "Hope." There were no other directions, but a suggestion for it to actually be a sketchbook - a place where you practice your craft and develop ideas.

I took that to heart, as I love seeing the process of other artists by looking at their sketches, and also worked towards a final project which is pictured at the end of the book. Here is the cover of my sketchbook, above, and below is the first page of the sketchbook.