Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Moleskine - What's the Deal?


Well, I tried a sketch (from the PoseManiacs site) with 2B graphite in the moleskine journal. And I just don't like this slick paper at all. So - I've tried it and it's going back on the shelf to be a backup to my Exacompta.


Sorry, all those Moleskine-ites out there but this just doesn't do it for me. I like a paper with a bit of texture and toothiness. I even got out my graphite set and using my new mechanical pencil with a 4B lead + an 8B graphite pencil, I did a portrait. Better - but the 4B lead seemed to incise the paper and then the 8B over it left white lines. This is a (not very good) portrait of my artist friend, Mary. She definitely has beautiful "Bette Davis Eyes," and I was trying to capture that.
I really should be embarrassed about this sketch - I've tilted her nose straight when it should curve around and that makes the fact look odd - I couldn't draw a decent thing in open figure session Saturday, either. It's like I can't SEE anymore when it comes to faces and figures. I'm sure it will come back...won't it?



3 comments:

Suzanne McDermott said...

I use moleskine watercolor notebooks for daily watercolor sketches and keep one small moleskine notebook in my handbag for notes and ink sketches. I bought a stack of small moleskine sketchbooks for a drawing class two years ago and was horrified by the graphite on that paper surface. Try using ink or felt tip or something.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Suzanne! I have been disappointed with this sketchbook but I do have a watercolor Moleskine I haven't used yet. This one may be for pen and ink or like you said, a felt tip pen or even a ball point but graphite doesn't like it at all :)

laura said...

I have a watercolor Moleskine notebook that I've only used a couple of times because I haven't been pleased with the results ... For me, the paper's too absorbent. But, since Suzanne likes it, I'm going to try it again! ;-)