My First Zine: Toilet Paper

Posted on April 17, 2018 by

My first Zine!

I took a class from Skillshare (two months free from Doodlewash, I figured why not)
and was surprised at the fun of listening to Kate Bingaman-Burt’s enthusiastic class
“Making Your First Zine: From Idea to Illustration“.
It was much more than I thought it would be and I recommend!

It saved me a lot of figuring-it-out time…

My biggest takeaway from this class was not to make this first zine precious,
but to take an idea and run with it.  I had no clue what to create — the zines I previously
considered would take much more time than an hour or two.  

Then I sat on the toilet.  Without reading material.   The rest is herstory.


Frightening to share this
first zine with you because it is
raw writing of stream of consciousness
thoughts recorded into a zine.
 My. Crazy. Silly. Musings.
ON TOILET PAPER CONSERVATION!

I laid out the pages on the letter
(8 1.2 x 11 inch) paper.
Cut it as instructed, and folded it!

WA-LAH, A ZINE!

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Don’t laugh at me….
Laugh with me!

Platinum Carbon Pen with Platinum Carbon ink waterproof cartridges on copy paper.

     

I agree to Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International License,
which you can learn more about by visiting the site, or,
visit my web page for a more user-friendly summary on my terms.
My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back to dkatiepowellart.

☾

W14 4 27 WC PALMS PAT SQAs my Patreon supporter, you will have
access to some content not on this website,
sneak previews, goodies, discounts on classes.

I teach architectural sketching,
art journaling (art+writing), creativity, watercolors.
That annoying loud-mouth editor/critic in your head?  GONE!  How great would that be?

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Posted in art journal | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Bright Ideas Journal, Cat Memories

Posted on April 14, 2018 by


At the end of 2016 I made a commitment to finishing off wayward abandoned journals.
I’ve made great headway in that, with only a couple to go.

The Bright Ideas Journal isn’t one of them,
Though I picked it up again (found it in the pile is more like it),
and it was nice to be back to line drawings only (or mostly).
A hundred+  pages left to go means this is a long project!

The Bright Ideas began as a memory journal,
mostly about family objects I am giving away to someone who wants them,
while I retain their memory.


Now I’ve added other object+memories.

I never said all the drawings would be good….
Worst. Shading. Ever.
But I am new to these finny crayons so okay!


Savitri has this thing for the Purple Mousey Majesty.
She goes nuts for the purple furry mousey, not red, not yellow.
Not the purple stripy mousey.


Kamala (RIP) loved the red feathered bird and a crazy squeaky blue mouse that
I cannot find (meaning the kittens have carried it off to a hiding place.)
She would kick and toss and generally get a little crazy on her own


Duckmouse is Sammy’s favorite…
It can sooth the slightly psychotic nature of Sam, who is skittery and obstinate and hard to handle… except when he is not!  Old age is making him more so!  But when Duckmouse is pulled from the toy box he gets all loving, rolling and purring and I do not know what powers this scrappy little felt yellow and green mouse has, but they are formidable!

And BTW, cats see color because how else would they have favorite colors?

Older memories of Cats and toys…

Bright Ideas journal multi-color journal with Platinum Carbon pen,
Lamy Al-Star with De Atramentis Document black ink,
and colored pencils and crayons….

w16-5-11-wold-heart-01-sq w16-10-10-bi-stars-too-sq W16 4 21 BI STUPID PHONE 01 SQ w16-5-5-altar-dish-05-sq w16-10-6-bi-rhinestone-stars-sq

 ©D. Katie Powell.
My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back  to dkatiepowellart.

☾

W14 4 27 WC PALMS PAT SQAs my Patreon supporter, you will have
access to some content not on this website,
sneak previews, goodies, discounts on classes.

I teach architectural sketching,
art journaling (art+writing), creativity, watercolors.
That annoying loud-mouth editor/critic in your head?  GONE!  How great would that be?

Posted in animals, art journal, drawing, journal, memory, pen & ink, sketchbook | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Florian Afflerbach: Der Zeichner

Posted on April 13, 2018 by


Florian Afflerbach was an amazing urban sketcher and architect.
I wish I’d known him; I wrote to him once to tell him how his drawings were an inspiration to me… I’ve seen many many architects turn to art, but Florian’s work was exceptional.
When the crowdfunding for a tome about him was offered, I immediately said yes…


His pencil + watercolors were my favorites, and this book is full of
inspiration for me to peruse for many years.  They are delicate but not timid,
and the buildings are served by his beautiful renditions.


He painted some of my favorite architect’s buildings.

I think most will know him by his images of cars and bikes.

The book is 300 pages of amazing commentary, and mostly, images!
His legacy will live on…

Links: http://www.florian-afflerbach-der-zeichner.com/

To purchase (while they last): https://schaff-verlag.de/produkt/florian-afflerbach-der-zeichner/

And his Flickr site, amazing!

My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back  to dkatiepowellart.

Posted in review, urban sketchers | 2 Comments

Lojong 34: About Your Attitude

Posted on April 12, 2018 by

I’ve studied through the slogans a dozen times in my life;
these are my musings on the slogan currently, not a formal interpretation.
For that reason they are less about straight Buddhist teachings,
and I think able to be shared with most practitioners of other faiths or no faith
(unless yours doesn’t allow you to read any other tradition.) 
If you have time and the inclination, I published the WHOLE  thang here!


“24: Change your attitude but remain neutral.”

For the longest time, this one stymied me.

Then I heard, “What you resist, persists!”
I wish I could remember who said it… Brugh Joy?  AA meeting?
Anyhow, it was about not defending, but leaning into whatever harshness was coming up.  Instead of defensiveness and guarding your territory,
you breathed in sadness or shame or anger or righteousness or being stupid
or fat or whatever might be being said about you or whatever was criticism was floating around in your own monkeymind, whether accurate or not,
and opened to the possibility that there might be truth in there.
Sometimes not, but the blustering defensiveness is a waste of energy.

If there ever was going to be any change within yourself or your relationship with others, changing the defensive posturing was a beginning.


Day eight of #the100daysproject, in which I will be WRITING each day…
I won’t always be able to share it with you in the blog…

☾

Okina Journal, with pen and ink, in this case
Platinum Carbon Pen with Platinum Carbon ink waterproof cartridges.

 ©D. Katie Powell.
My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back  to dkatiepowellart.

To hear about classes, follow me on Facebook
or check out my new, improved dkatiepowellart.com

In this weekly commentary on the lojong, I am not open comments becoming
a debate for people to nitpick Buddhism or my interpretations of Buddhist concepts.
(There are lots of places for debates.)  I am more interested in hearing about
YOUR life or how the lojong affected you or your practice awakening in some manner.

☾

W14 4 27 WC PALMS PAT SQAs my Patreon supporter, you will have
access to some content not on this website,
sneak previews, goodies, discounts on classes.

I teach architectural sketching,
art journaling (art+writing), creativity, watercolors.
That annoying loud-mouth editor/critic in your head?  GONE!  How great would that be?

 

Posted in art, Buddha, journal, lojong, meditation, pen & ink, ritual, tonglen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Milking a Steer

Posted on April 11, 2018 by


I wrote a lot about my mom last week in my journal, as I didn’t do anything
but engage her and medical people and Medicaid… my work went on hold.
Our system is corrupt and we are a cruel country, as I said a week ago,
and still it is another story for another time.

To keep my sanity I am drawing/sketching/water-coloring each day,
however much I can…
I decided to commit to the 100 days project, and I will be writing daily.
I may not be able to share it all, however.
This is one of those days, because I might be sued for the rant on the facility she is in…
Yes, she is difficult right now, and yet, unless she is hitting and biting or whatever they should be able to take it and serve her or they can hang up their medical credentials.


I leave you with the general idea of
what it is like to try to deal with the system and ALL THAT!

“You ever try to milk a steer?”
Perry, on Lois & Clark (Superman).

To hear about classes, follow me on Facebook
or check out my new, improved dkatiepowellart.com

“Memory is more indelible than ink.”
Anita Loos, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

“I think not….”
Me… why I journal!

Hahnemühle Nostalgie Sketchbook,
Conklin Duragraph w/ 1.1 Stub with Super5 Australia ink,
Da Vinci and Holbein watercolors.

☾

 

 ©D. Katie Powell.
My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back  to dkatiepowellart.

☾

W14 4 27 WC PALMS PAT SQAs my Patreon supporter, you will have
access to some content not on this website,
sneak previews, goodies, discounts on classes.

I teach architectural sketching,
art journaling (art+writing), creativity, watercolors.
That annoying loud-mouth editor/critic in your head?  GONE!  How great would that be?

Posted in art journal, drawing, journal, painting, sketchbook, watercolor, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

USk: Williams Shopping Trip

Posted on April 9, 2018 by


We took a trip to the store on Saturday, not our usual day.
Whenever we go to the Williams store we pass by this brightly colored
green and purple store, which I thought was a children’s bookstore.
Turns out it is a publishing house!

A great example of the disappearing culture of Portland,
being taken over by beige and cream and gold thinking… I love these crazy paint-jobs!


At the store there were magnolia
blossoms in varying stages.
Locals call these tulip trees, not sure why, but they are one of the few
brilliant pink early Spring flowering trees.
By noon I think the blooms
may have scattered, as this
was a day when we had a huge
windstorm that came with our downpour!
The local crows that visit the studio neighborhood were shocked by the suddenness and we watched them scramble for safety, some coming down on the pavement.  I love the rain, but not so much the wind. It slammed against the windows, but didn’t deter the Cal-Bag truck washers from their jobs washing the trucks!


I continue to journal about my mom, the system, and the family struggling to care for her.
When I can share I am sharing the writing too…

This was also recorded for Moment Sketchers... Check it out… Join in!

To hear about classes, follow me on Facebook
or check out my new, improved dkatiepowellart.com

“Memory is more indelible than ink.”
Anita Loos, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

“I think not….”
Me… why I journal!

Hahnemühle Nostalgie Sketchbook,
Noodler’s Lexington Grey Ink and Super5 Frankfurt inks in Pentel Aquash waterbrushes, Lamy Vista with Nemosine Aeolis Palus Red ink, Lamy Vista with Monteverde Californian Teal, Lamy Joy with De Atramentis Document Black ink,
Platinum Carbon Pen with Platinum Carbon ink waterproof cartridges,
Da Vinci, JazperStardust, PfeifferArt, Sennelier, Holbein,
DS Primatek, and Daniel Smith Watercolors.

   w15-6-27-gratitude-journal-003-sq

 ©D. Katie Powell.
My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back  to dkatiepowellart.

☾

W14 4 27 WC PALMS PAT SQAs my Patreon supporter, you will have
access to some content not on this website,
sneak previews, goodies, discounts on classes.

I teach architectural sketching,
art journaling (art+writing), creativity, watercolors.
That annoying loud-mouth editor/critic in your head?  GONE!  How great would that be?

Posted in art journal, creativity, drawing, ink painting, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, watercolor, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lojong 33: Boddhisattva Vow

Posted on April 5, 2018 by

I’ve studied through the slogans a dozen times in my life;
these are my musings on the slogan currently, not a formal interpretation.
For that reason they are less about straight Buddhist teachings,
and I think able to be shared with most practitioners of other faiths or no faith
(unless yours doesn’t allow you to read any other tradition.) 
If you have time and the inclination, I published the WHOLE  thang here!


I haven’t much time these days…
My daily work is to repair/conserve/preserve objects;
and make sure that my mother has the least amount of suffering at this stage of her life.
The source of much of her suffering right now is her own monkeymind,
her failing body,
and our system in the USA, or how we treat the elderly.

“23: Always abide by the 3 basic principles:
1) Keeping the vows of Refuge & Boddhisattva;
2) Refrain from outrageous action;
3)  Develop patience.”

I am glad that I’ve managed to learn,
somewhere in my mid-thirties, to refrain from outrageous action.
By this they don’t mean having a walloping good time doing this or that…
Mostly the slogan is referring to harmful behavior,
like flying off the handle, in my case, or jumping to conclusions or being a drama queen!
I was a very different person in my twenties;
I worked hard to become mindful and  change that pattern.

“Pause.  Center.  Shift.”

An excellent supportive phrase that another excellent
spiritual teacher frequently said, and it became a mantra that
helped me to stop and find my heart/mind center.
From there I could shift my observations and
actions into what might be a more productive pattern.

Develop patience?  Peals of laughter!
Not even close to saying that I have that one down.
Really, it shows in everything like when I have an idea I must do it whether I have all the right materials or not, to when I must wait for an answer to anything…

I wish I had a bit more time on this one this week but really,
I am shocked I managed to get to this at all!

Day two of #the100daysproject, in which I will be WRITING each day…
I won’t always be able to share it with you in the blog…

☾

Okina Journal, with pen and ink, in this case
Platinum Carbon Pen with Platinum Carbon ink waterproof cartridges.

 ©D. Katie Powell.
My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back  to dkatiepowellart.

To hear about classes, follow me on Facebook
or check out my new, improved dkatiepowellart.com

In this weekly commentary on the lojong, I am not open comments becoming
a debate for people to nitpick Buddhism or my interpretations of Buddhist concepts.
(There are lots of places for debates.)  I am more interested in hearing about
YOUR life or how the lojong affected you or your practice awakening in some manner.

☾

W14 4 27 WC PALMS PAT SQAs my Patreon supporter, you will have
access to some content not on this website,
sneak previews, goodies, discounts on classes.

I teach architectural sketching,
art journaling (art+writing), creativity, watercolors.
That annoying loud-mouth editor/critic in your head?  GONE!  How great would that be?

Posted in art, Buddha, journal, lojong, meditation, pen & ink, ritual, tonglen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments