Tuesday, March 15, 2011

First four pages of the series 'Those who live'

It took me several days to collect little sketches from nature, where pigeons are sitting on cables with lean over bottoms. I went for a walk to draw them and brought back several pages covered with pencil trifle pics. Finally I made this 4 pages with a pen, following the poses and characters of native Moscow pigeons ;)


21 comments:

  1. They are so charming :) I feel as if I know their names!

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  2. Its a good story about how you have sketched them. I love your description 'lean over bottoms'!

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  3. They are indeed charming. I have my fingers crossed that they fly safely to Marcia.
    Katie

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  4. They have such personality! I’d love to have a glimpse of your little sketches--to have an insider’s understanding of how the ones in your final drawing came into being AND to inspire me to do some similar field sketching. I love the horizontal, curved line that you set up with the wire. Somehow, I’m going to work with that......hmmmm, wonder what it’s going to be?

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  5. Thank you very much Rosie! :)) Pigeons are so fun and interesting to observe... First I thought their poses are quite the same. But after a few minutes it turned out to be absolutely opposite!

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  6. Me too, me too, Katie... I think this first flight to and from me would be a good test of how would it be in general.

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  7. Dear Marcia! I will try to scan my sketches today (or tomorrow) to show you how was it from the beginning. How do you think, would it be fine to show the process here, in this blog?

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  8. Yes, please do post the sketches on the blog. I would like to see them too.
    Katie

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  9. Thank you! Yes, I did it, you can see the latest post here http://moleskinex24.blogspot.com/2011/03/sketch-for-my-first-4-pages.html

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  10. MASHA!!!!!!
    Your sketchbook arrived today!!! Exactly two weeks travel time--I’d say that’s really good postal service. I think we can all relax a bit, since there was reason to believe that the Russia to USA link might be tenuous. Now lets hope for consistency with our future mailings.

    I was just trembling as I opened the envelop. So amazing to be connected with you through this beautiful handmade creation. Like the feather of your sign-in page, one, fine, blonde hair floated out as I slid the sketchbook onto my kitchen table. I’m assuming it’s yours, dear Masha, unless you have a kitty.

    I will do my best to put something worthy to follow your exquisite Moscow pigeons.

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  11. Yippee! Another international exchange successful!

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  12. Great news, things really are unfolding and progressing now! :)

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  13. Hello dear Marcia! :>)
    I'm very-very happy it came to you so fast! Unbelievable fast. Two weeks is a record, because I followed the parcel on Internet and saw it went from our Russian border 2oth of March. Now we know it's working and do not need to worry! Yahoo!!
    I'm very sorry about how my envelope looked... They do not have other packages! I will check in a special office for international post for other possible bags. There is one more way to make post coming even faster - we have a special office for international deliveries in 1,5 hour from my home (opposite city corner). Next time I'm going to try it and see what would it be (one week??) :))
    Sorry for that hair! If it was long, light and curly it's mine if 10cm and medium tone - cat's ;) We both are hairy and even special hoover can do nothing with us ;)
    So excited to see what would you draw! You could extend that line (where pigeons sit) to the fifth page to make it connected. I was not sure should I do that or not, but if you like it please do. So very interesting who would be your sitter and what animals there would be! :)))
    Masha

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  14. Katie and Rosie I'm so very happy it works! Now I know the full first circle is completed. Great news! :)))

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  15. Masha,
    that is very sweet of you to worry about the packaging. You know, I didn't think carefully about mine! There was a long queue at the Post Office and I quickly chose the most suitable.
    I love receiving them however they're packed. Interesting simply because they came from another country. :)

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  16. Masha--

    For me to proceed on my contribution to your book, I need to have some advice and approval from you. I have an idea for my contribution, but it involves plant life, not animal life.

    When I was on a wild beach in California a couple weeks ago, I came across huge long, tubular strands of seaweed (I think it was kelp) that had been thrown up by the unusually high tides which had resulted from the Japanese tsunami. I didn’t have my sketchbook with me, but I did have my camera. I took some photos which I was thinking about working from. The line-up of your pigeons would therefor be followed by a long, undulating, tangled mass of sea plant matter--an essential element of ocean life. What do you think? Or would you prefer we stick with animals?

    If you prefer my sticking with animals, I have a back-up idea. There is a small natural history museum in the adjoining town that has a collection of live snakes. I could spend sometime there sketching & probably come up with something suitable.

    Let me know your thoughts, please.

    --Marcia

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  17. Rosie, me too, I love the fact it came from far away and would be glad to explore any package :)) Postal services are so very high-level in Britain, that you don't need to worry about anything!

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  18. Dear Marcia! :)
    You know I think we all better be free of choices! That would bring differences and originality. But if you ask me wich theme I like more, I can say the first one :) I thought my theme is more about animals, who live near us, not in a cage (or aquarium), like free inhabitants of the same cities. That's why I would probably prefer seaweeds! There are from nature and came to your beach in a natural way :)
    But once again do as you wish and feel better. My theme=your theme after it came to you!

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  19. Thank you so much for expressing your preference, Masha. "Free inhabitants"--I like that statement. I interpret that as wild things that us humans have the privilege to live in proximity to, come in contact with. After going through all the photos from my California trip yesterday, I came across pictures of an elfin forest, near Los Osos--ancient oak trees that grow laterally rather than upwards in a crooked-limb manner near the rich estuary that flows into the Pacific. I'm ready to try some rough sketches--seaweed and trees, before I commit to one or the other on the page.

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  21. Marcia! I'm so afraid to write smth, that would keep your artist's spirit in a cave. Please, feel very relaxed about everything. I trust you, your ideas and feelings :)) I I love your last comment about the stuff from a trip! You know it all sounds like from Mars to me, so far (California, US in general).

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