The Book Nook - Jane Davenport Beautiful Faces Review.

Hello,
and welcome to a monthly feature here on the blog 'Book Nook' Where I'll review an art and journal related book on here and also on my Youtube channel. Once a month I'll do a written and verbal review for you guys! This month I've decided to chose a very in demand book Beautiful Faces by the lovely Jane Davenport. Not only do I adore Jane as a teacher but as a person, but she has created a book that stormed the amazon charts for mixed media taking number one spot for many weeks! Even now shes at number 6 and I only think its there currently because the colouring book craze is mammoth at the moment.

This book is filled with not just eye candy, but it is also bursting with information, techniques, ideas and inspiration. I feel personally there isn't a book like it on the market. Published by Quarry books (where I feel the best art/mixed media books are published) Jane's book is not just a book, but an experience.

I did not get sent this book in exchange for a positive review, I purchased this book with my own money, as I have done with almost all of her classes. Others were gifts, and also a scholarship. Now you all know I am a mumma on a family budget, so I make sure I am buying things I think are worth the price tag, and let me tell you this book is.

I've taken many of Jane drawing classes and they are always the ones I recommend to people first, 'Supplies Me' is still by far my very favourite of her courses on offer, for beginners and beyond! even with all the class videos, this book is fantastic reference material for when I'm on the couch or at my desk and want to just draw! instead of watching a video refresher.

Beautiful faces is slightly different to everything else out there, for while Jane was writing this book, she was also filming a sister class, so the pages were bought to life in front of your very eyes. Now I am not a member of this class YET, but it's on my classes to take, I have friends in the class and have only heard great things. Like I said this book in an experience on its own, but I can imagine how amazing it would be to watch them be created layer by layer face by face.

 I have enjoyed sitting with the technique pages,  just pouring over every single detail. This alone is so lovely to be able to do, as with the classes I've taken I spend more time rewinding to catch things than I'd like to admit! But with this book, I spend ample amount of time on each step, so that I too can get the right amount of shading, or my face symmetry right. These book literally has endless tips and beauty to behold...I'll admit more than I expected before purchasing.

The step by step images are all very close up, so the detail you can see is truly helpful when you have the book only as a reference. (I'm just a glutton and want the class as well) I don't want to show too much of the tutorial modes within the book, as that will spoil it for you, but know there is lots of step by step guides for you to fawn over not just for eye candy but for genuine help with your own artworks.

Within the pages of the book is also supply advice! giving you some of Jane's very much love supplies, which are photographed beautifully and also very tempting to buy everything she says is lovely...That is one thing with Jane she will never steer you wrong when it comes to supply buying, I have yet to hate something shes recommended to me. Including paper tips...

All in all I think Jane's book was well worth the pricetag! and I can see myself purchasing copies of this for my nieces as gifts when they are a touch older. I can already picture my niece Sophia losing her mind at all the colours and the step by step guides and shes 7 next weekend. This book is a fantastic one to have in your collection for the beauty and for the brains.

If you'd like the book and the course pop on over to Jane's Website where all the links to all the things are! its a very magical place over there!
On my review scale I give this book a 9/10, truly a must to have in your collection. If I ever manage to squirrel away enough cash for the course as well I'll review it too!

If you have any questions about the book, or have a book you'd like me to review for next month, pop it in the comments! I'd love to hear recommendations!

Tomorrow I'll be filming the youtube review which will go up on Friday the 12th of June, when its uploaded I'll add the video down here  for you to watch aswell.

Take care, Cx 

2015 word of the year - ACCOUNTABILITY

The year that was, 2014 started out with such high expectations that it was going to be the year where I chased down joy. For Joy was my word, and yet this year was one of my toughest emotionally and mentally. I struggled with the stress and anxiety of planning our wedding from the ground up. Thinking that this was going to be a breeze boy was I wrong, it was one of the hardest and yet most rewarding things I did in 2014.

I think choosing joy was a rookie mistake, with my rose coloured glasses on thinking that the year if I was just 'happy' then everything would just work out and yet it didn't, because sometimes joy cant be controlled. Joy and depression are not friends and I worked that out. This year has been a rather hard year, I don't deal well with pressure clearly! 

So when sitting down to think about my word for 2015 I know I didnt want to pick a word I couldnt control, for it would only disapoint me if I got to the end of the year and another word would be a waste.  So with such big plans for my little blog and my youtube channel what word would be fitting. There were a few words that got thrown about, John even suggested home, but it didnt click. Most things I set out to do seems to fizzlle out, my blog for example I posted 4 times in 2014 an all time low since I started, even though I have ideas bouncing around my head I never seemed to take the time to get them out or started.

My word for this year is accountability, something I can control, something I am responsible for, I want to be accountable for my blog, my channel, my little business and also my health. I want to take charge of 2015 with a fire in my belly, Ive made pre plans already, I wont be planning to fail this year, I want to plan to win. I have many projects and ideas that I want to execute this year and the only way that is going to happen is if I am accountable for my actions.

In the above image I have a pile of planners, journals and notebooks that Ive decided are going to keep me on track for the year of 2015.  I was going to go over them in this post but I think that will take away from just talking about my word. So my 2015 journals and planners will have a separate post and video to go along with it as many prefer videos to written text.

What is YOUR word for 2015 I'd love to know.
x Courtney

  

Planners and Journals 2014

Let me start with saying 2014 was a total B*tch to me, I set out all bright eyes and excited with my word for the year being Joy...and before the end of January I was failing at all the things, and totally riddled with anxiety trying to plan my wedding from the ground up. 

I posted a total of three posts this year...3. Thats how much of a time suck planning a wedding was! Next year I have a plan, many plans and many calenders so that I wont have a repeat of this year. Stay tuned for the 2015 planners and journals which will include a video along with the post.

Lets start with the above planner, the Gillio Mia Cara A5 in Rust. It isn't a planner for the feint hearted, it is big...which is why I call her Big Girl. The a5 was our household planner and didnt leave the house often!

I had monthly spreads that were tabbed, but I changed my inserts a few times till I decided to go simple...with cheap undated ones from officeworks. 

These inserts cost under $5 they are undated, and plain and boring, but I decided to make them work for me, as the budget was tight and I couldn't afford to be buying inserts every 5 mins when I wanted to try something new. So I divided the pages up left hand side housed reminders, dinners, appointments, bills all that wonderful housey stuff we all dead with when running a busy household, and on the right side was my cleaning schedule, my little ones homework and readers, and sometimes my work tasks that I needed to attend to, and I colour coded those accordingly. 

Sometimes cheap and simple work just fine!

 I dabbled only once towards the end of the year when a friend of mine designed these inserts for herself I fell hard for them and she sent me over the file with my customizations, part of me still looks at these inserts and adore them! even though next year, I'm going RINGLESS!

I had random to do lists that spanned pages, school calenders and also the canteen list punched in for the days when the school snacks had run out.

I also used a personal during the year of 2014 as my everyday carry, there were only two personals in my life a dark brown companga, and a hot pink Wesley zipped Kate Spade.

these housed my week on two pages, with basic reminders for when I was out and about. Also things from the a5 got transferred like bills, school notes, school dates, parties all things appointment related, I also kept running to do lists in my personals as well, I'm a list maker what can I say!

Moving onto my Journals of 2014, and there was only one journal the entire year, my Midori Travelers Notebook  in brown pictured above with a field-notes sized black  Raydori. As you can see I have already finished one inesert and close to finishing my second for the year of 2014. This journal captured my heart instantly and I knew I had to get one, and as soon as I did, it hasn't left my side. 

My midori hasn't been replaced so to speak for 2015...lets just say she got a little upgrade...more to come on that later.

I experimented with drawing my weeks to get a feel for that hobonichi style that has taken the planner and stationery community by storm, being a visual person in my journals anyway, drawing my days became a fond love of mine, and something that will feature heavily in 2015 in video format.

There are going to be some exciting changes in what I used next year for my planning and journal system and I can't wait to show you guys! I have got myself centered and ready to hit the ground running in 2015 with lots of projects, reviews, some design team work, speed art videos and also some drawing of my day weekily videos, I want to make this a place of colour and inspiration in the coming years, so hold on tight while I make some blog changes between now and the new year, but dont fret it will be worth the wait! Next post will be what's my 2015 Word of the year.

little update on life atm...art and the new filofax.

I've been a little bit MIA lately! and all for good reason, I've been working on commissions and playing in my art journal, plus I got the filofax bug so I was on a crazed hunt for one. When I fall for something, I fall hard, and devour videos and blogs devoted to them, so I fell down a filofax hole lol.
currently on my easel is one of a set of three of a commission for the one client.

 and with each layer, i fall a little more in love...even though I know I have to add in things I wouldn't normally add...I will be taking shots of sections that I want to preserve just for me.

I'm in a mail art group over on Artgeeks and I also put a call out for penpals over on facebook, I miss writing letters and getting little bits of love in my mailbox so I've been sitting making little index cards into postcards to fly across the skies to their new owners.

with my word for this year being organized, I did end up getting myself a filofax...after a much appreciated mermaid circus angel, offered to buy one in her state and post it to me..saving me a lot of cash. My life atm looks like this

 my beautiful leather malden personal filofax, my writing brain dump book and my art journal these three books contain my life and I love them.

I thought I'd lost my muse the other day, my mojo was gone and I was desperately trying to find it...but as a lovely woman said...my mojo was being poured into my filo creating instead of my artjournal, and its true...I got my filo on Monday, and started making it fully mine with customized items and little 'courtney' touches.

I started by replacing the cream dividers because...as much as I like cream...comon...lol do you know me! lol

so I used some of my scrappy journal pages I started months ago to turn into a journal and made dividers.

I also made sure I added a little of myself into my weekily pages...this is where I am atm..but I know I have done a few things since this image, mainly add more colour...because I am a visual girl and wherever I go..there has to be colour.

then I knew something was missing...photos! my world is kept in photographs and I needed my filo to hold the people that ment the world to me, so i started to DIY some little photo holders out of trading card protectors I had lying around. I printed my photos to the protector size, and added washi tape boarder to punch holes in...and before I knew it, I had my family happily at the front of my filo.

 

so that is where I am at...making art...making art snail mail...and getting my life orgaizned and personalized. I want the filo to help me flesh out the ideas for the future of little raven ink...I am in the process of making repeatable patterns to make fabric...featuring the nook dwellers..so look out for that.

have a wonderful Wednesday..yes I didnt cook...but you got art and filo love! 

xx Courtney

Inspiration Tuesday - Collections are Beautiful

I think collections of things are so lovely, they move a person to love it so much that they want multiples of this one thing..they really do fascinate me.

here are some collections that have won my heart lately.

 

above is Gertie Jaquet's handcarved stamp collection which I gasped at when I saw it! so so amazing.

of course whats collections post without journal collections

 

a year of journals from the blog Wild thyme

 a beautiful collection of teacups from the blog inspire Bohemia 

do you collect things?

I know I have a few little collections happening, maybe one day I'll photograph them

enjoy your Tuesday

x Courtney 

The Evolution of a Journal Keeper

I am a journal keeper, and have been for as long as I can remember, my first journal was a little fairy one with a padlock that my nanna gave to me one Christmas. Now I am an Art Journaller, and that' s how most of you who read my blog know me as, but before I got to where I am now....there was alot of journals that came before the arty art ones...

to help give you an idea of my journals, I did a couple of videos, showing you the pages of my older journals, that haven't really been seen on this blog before...

I kept my life between the pages of these now well worn journals, from cheap notebooks to leather journals, I wrote and wrote, filling pages with my life, an odd collage here, a stack of self portraits, some doodling, stickers and journal fodder...I never expected to expand my journal keeping into what I do now...so we all dont magically have amazing journals, we grow into them...we get better, more refined..with more doing..comes more learning.

I didn't care how pretty it looked, I didn't care what supplies I used, most the time it was a glue stick black pen and some coloured pencils..the occasional sticker and a folder of scrap paper.

If you haven't taken the steps to keeping a journal, and you want to..then just do it! there are no rules, you keep a journal for yourself, and only yourself.

I intend to keep a journal till the end of my days, I believe its made me a better person, and now I can say that it has definitely made me a better artist. I've traveled many steps with a journal in my bag, to far off places and home again, documenting, writing, drawing, photographing. Sometimes all you need is a black pen and a notebook..strip it down and just enjoy

there are more parts the the video's I just have to finish uploading them...I want the barrier between just starting, and being an 'old hand' at journalling to be broken down...we all started somewhere.

xx Courtney

Inspiration Tuesday - Handbound beautiful

There is something magical about a hand bound book, it has a soul, it whispers...it beckons you to flick through its pages...I am an avid believer in keeping journals, and to add to that passion, is to keep handmade journals.

Mary Ann Moss over at Dispatch from LA, is a woman who makes some of the most unique and beautiful handbound journals I've seen to Date.

they just look so loved, and so filled with life and memories. I have taken two classes from her on bookbinding and I adored every second of both classes.

another beautiful book binder, is the adorable Pam Garrison

who also sings to my journal keeping soul, with fabric and vintage flowers, pops of colour and a lot of handbound beautifulness.

 

so magical, it makes me want to go into my studio and just start making books, so I can spend the rest of my years, filling them with memories and photosgraphs.

 One last book binder who I adore, she is so down to earth and such a genius when it comes to making handbound books is Jenniebellie 

if you have never bound a book, I suggest you immerse yourself in these women's blogs and fall head over heels in love with them. I will be spending my weekend this weekend, folding pages, and creating books for myself, and my little girl, as I know she will love a book bound by mummy

enjoy your evening...make a hot drink and go blog hopping.

xx Courtney

currently crafting.

Happy Thursday!
I am having such a great time exploring a new medium of fabric and thread. I can sew, I have made 2 quilts and many quilt squares...but this is a little different.

For my birthday I asked my girlfriends to get me started with a little embroidery love...and they did a great job! I have a couple of basic books, and I've been watching youtube videos, and immersing myself in blogs on the lovely thready subject...but while I sat in the drs office last week I thought I'll just jump in with both feet and try...no real stitches, just me trying to draw with thread. So when I'm stuck creativity in my art journal, I draw flowers...so what did I do...I stitched flowers, or the start of some!
I think I will fill the hoop with flowers, no real precise technique, just me making images with thread instead of art supplies....I must say, I am loving it!

Now! another thing that is inspiring me and making me pick up a needle and thread, is the lovely and so very talented Teesha Moore.  made these videos a while ago now, and I watched them then...and I've watched them about 10 times recently! take the time to watch all 4 vids, its such a simple technique but it creates some awesome looking journal covers!

 So I got my fabrics out, and my threads and before I knew it, I was making the little pillows to make a journal cover! they are nice and relaxing to just sit and stitch on the couch. Who doesn't love a good handmade journal! Lets hope mine is half as awesome and cool as the lovely Teesha.

what are you crafting today?
share your links in the comments! I love to find new blogs, and discover who my readers are.
xx Courtney