2016 - In a Minute Ago

The 1000 Journals Project

I have always been fascinated by 1000 journals project. Browsing the website I enjoy the raw, unmediated creativity of it. Since the project started there has been a film made about it and a book produced. Today I thought I would share some links to this inspirational site Graphic designer Brian Singer who goes by the name “Someguy” purchased blank journals real, physical book kind of blank journals and released them into the world in the summer of 2000 in other words he gave them to friends, left them public places such as coffee shops, book stores,libraries, park benches.The project …

Yulia Brodskaya Paper Quilling Artist

Paper Arts1 comment

I have recently discovered the paper artist Yulia Brodskaya via her website. Yulia Brodskaya uses thin strips of paper cut and bent into dramatic, rich three-dimensional paper illustrations that delighted and fascinated me. I spent a good time browsing and I am sure readers here will find them interesting. Yulia Brodskaya says “I draw with paper instead of on it”. It is a very apt description for her innovative style. To find out more about her paper craft practice visit her website and browse her gallery pages. SaveSave

Finding threads of a story while traveling

Journaling / Travel Journal9 Comments

I am not sure what I feel about omens as sometimes they sound like new age clap trap but I did pause to think about the person who carried this shell on a pilgrimage. This shell dated at 1200 AD was found in the old city at Bristol. Now, the interesting thing about this shell is that this type of shell is not found in British waters. The scallop shell is the symbol of St James and worn by pilgrims as a sort of badge while walking the Santiago de Compestela in Spain. In times past it was believed to …

British Library has over a million images online in the public domain

Resources online1 comment

Over the last few years the British Library, has digitised books, manuscripts, and all manner of printed media from their collection. They have compiled over a million images which are released in the public domain so you can use them. Anyone who does collage will enjoy their flickr stream. They state here on British Library’s site that We have released over a million images onto Flickr Commons for anyone to use, remix and repurpose. These images were taken from the pages of 17th, 18th and 19th century books digitised by Microsoft who then generously gifted the scanned images to us, …

The History of Typography in 5 minutes

Resources online1 comment

The History of Typography is a creative and pretty cool animation by Ben Barrett-Forrest. Needless to say it is about the history of fonts and typography. Take 5 and spend a few minutes to view and not only will you be entertained I bet you will learn something too. In a Minute Ago delivered to your inbox Use the subscribe feature in the sidebar. Enter your email address, and when you get the confirmation email make sure you activate it and you are all set! If you are on a mobile or tablet you will need to scroll to the …

Choosing an Eraser

Equipment and Supplies / Resources online / Sketching5 Comments

If you have ever been dazzled by how many erasers in an art store you will find Choosing a Rubber: Comparing Erasers is a huge comprehensive article. I know many people think that an eraser is big no-no but that is tosh as erasers can be a great tool for subtractive drawing techniques where you lay down a colour or a layer of graphite then pick out highlights with and eraser. There is also nothing wrong with erasing the odd line or two Some of the questions Julie tests and discovers the answers for are “I set out to see …

Stefan Baumann classes on YouTube

Resources online8 Comments

Stefan Baumann creates videos of many of his classes. They are great online resources that people can view. This one is a gem as he launches into a talk about what is take to become an artist and how to develop your style. The video starts out with a discussion about colour charts and colour wheels then develops from there. Stefan Baumann is very real teacher (although he calls himself a coach) and I always enjoy his forthright manner as he usually hits the nail on the head . Make a cuppa and take some time to watch. It is …

Cut and paste prints at the Rijks Museum

Museums Collections and Exhibitions / Paper Arts10 Comments

One of the surprising discoveries I made during my visit to the Rijks Museum is that early 17th century prints were not necessarily produced for only walls or to be housed in albums. There was a whole industry of prints produced for people to use in craft work as clip art. Apparently cutting out prints and pasting them to form new pictures or using them as decorations in craft work became a rage. Publishers responded by producing books of prints to cut out. This blue collage sheet is from an album decorated with cut-out prints by Hendrick Goltzius, Arent van …