A Sketch In Time • Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn

Digital Edition – View Online + Download Today
Jan and Jean explore different formats, papers and media for creating sketchbooks and discuss a variety of methods for their use.

$12.50

$12.50

A Sketch in Time • Book 12 by Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn

Sketchbooks are an essential tool for most textile artists and they are as varied as the individuals who use them. There is no right or wrong way to use a sketchbook and the most useful are those that are an honest reflection of the thoughts, observations and ideas of the maker.

For some, the completion of the book is an end in itself. Sometimes a book can be based around a single theme and this is a good device for encouraging focused and lateral thinking.

Sketchbooks could contain:

• quick studies and impressions
• accurate visual research
• quotations from prose, poetry or the media
• notes and diagrams
• design developments
• fabric and thread snippets as appropriate
• found items (tickets, feathers, skeletal leaves etc) that might add to the essence of an experience
• a spice rubbed into a page might be a good way of establishing a sense of location
• photographs can be useful as additional reference but too many turn it into an album

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Using Sketchbooks to Develop Ideas & Designs

Some sketchbooks are used not only for observations but also the development of designs. The discipline of working through the sketchbook can encourage the application of lateral thinking and act as a catalyst for fresh ideas.

Starting with the source each new development leads to another variation. As the subject becomes more familiar then different elements can be exaggerated or altered to expose fresh aspects of the original inspiration. The use of different media will encourage
new ways of thinking and looking. Although the imagery may become more and more abstract it will retain the essence of the original inspiration and help to bridge the gap between literal and personal interpretation.

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In this booklet we explore different formats and papers as well as a variety of methods and media. Our aims are both to encourage those lacking in confidence and, for the more experienced, to find challenging and innovative ways of extending their vocabulary.

  • 28 pages of full color illustrations
  • Online Reader + PDF Download
  • First published by Double Trouble Enterprises 2003
  • ISBN No. 0-9546014-1-6

Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn • About the Authors

Jan Beaney Jean Littlejohn Bw

Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn are internationally acclaimed textiles artists, authors and educators. For more than forty years the duo know as “Double Trouble Enterprises” has been challenging traditional notions of embroidery and stitch by working with soluble fabrics, mixed media, bonding, printing, embellishing and collage and extensive use of color development and journaling to great success. Founding members of the 62 Group of Textile Artists, featured instructors at Callaway Gardens School of Needle ArtsCity & Guilds (London), Fellows of the Society of Designer Craftsmen (UK)  and Presidents emeritus of the Embroiderers’ Guild (UK), Jan and Jean continue their work in inspiring stitch artists of all ages with print books, digital books, and a wide range of DVDs and streaming workshops.

Learn more about Jan and Jean in their interview with TextileArtist.org

Visit their Double Trouble Enterprises Website