Hallo Everybody,

As you can see (that is, if you are reading this directly on the blog page and not on a reader) there has been a change in the appearance of the blog, which really refreshes the look, and although it is not orange (ahww!) it is very pretty and creative and coordinates well with the posts on the blog.

I’m really happy with it! Huge Thanks to my brother for helping me! ^_^

Now, seizing the opportunity of a the new look, this post is somehow related to the theme.

I really love to draw (think that is obvious by now, no?) but more than that, I love to draw on something that will become useful, that will be appreciated and not just kept in a sketchbook closed away from view, to me it seems a little pointless, though I won’t deny it, I myself have several sketchbooks. They are useful in the sense that you won’t have pages all over the place with sketches, but they don’t exhibit the art, they just collect it and keep it tidy in one bounded “very thin pillbox-shaped” package. They are like photo albums, you only see the contents and open up their world once every now and then.

Drawing on something that receives a daily usage is another story. It’s a window into their world. And it is something that will be appreciated. Notebook covers are one of those places. They are perfect for this. It doesn’t matter the material the cover is made of, be it paper, card stock or plastic, there is a way to draw on them, create something out of the ordinary, open up a window, and stand out from the boring crowd of mass produced printed notebook covers.

I love doing this, drawing on the covers of my notebooks and folders. I also love to make them for others. Here are some examples I have done recently. Let’s start with something simple.

Computer Notes

I made this one to keep in one notebook all my computer related notes, since I continuously keep forgetting basic or essential things, so I usually end up asking my brother once and again the same thing.

Here you can see the design is simple enough, abstract, and the color scheme is on the same side of the color wheel… or for those of us who prefer more technical and descriptive terms, they are all towards the lower wavelengths of the visible portion of the EM spectrum. It gives it a somewhat monochromatic feel, yet it has vareity. The lettering is bold and not frilly, which fits the theme of the notebook and the use it is destined to have. Also the theme was carried throughout the cover, which gives continuity.

It is always interesting to design the cover according to the notebook’s intended use, and also give it personality, both according to the use and the user.

This notebook was done using ink, and three brushes: a thin number 0, a thin number 2 and a broad flat number 4. Before inking, the design and lettering was done using light pencil lines.

Here’s another one.

Mom's English Notebook

I did this one for my Mom ^_^. She told me she was planning on going to English classes, so I wanted to do something special, so she could have something unique and personal.

In this case, I went more with the personality of the user, in this case my Mom, than the theme of the book, as can be clearly noticed: cherry trees in full blossom for an English book.

For this one, I took into consideration that my Mom loves flowers, but not bouquettes or cut flowers, intead she loves the lively ones. She also likes it when the drawing have movement. Cherry blossoms are good for this. They are small yet beautiful, simple, yet a tree in full bloom looks just stunning. Also, the wind blowing off petals gives the image movement and also a certain beautiful elegance. The butterflies where added as a detail, both to add more movement and playfulness and to give some color.

The lettering complements the delicate style of the notebook. For this one I also continued the design all the way from the back to the front, by extending the branches and the flowing petals.

Watercolor was used for this one, though the paints were not diluted, so the white would be more visible. The brushes used where thin number 0 and 2 brushes, and a liner for the details of the stems and butterflies.

These pictures, the one above and one below, where taken by my brother ^_^ thanks!

butterfly and blossoms

In this image you can observe the detail of the blossoms and of the butterfly.

Here’s the last one for this post.

Phyllis' Work Journal

This one I did for my friend Phyllis (子晴). She started doing a research project in the university, so I thought it would be very useful for her to have a lab journal or a work journal. So here is the result.

For this one, I decided to do something related to the use of the notebook, which is a research project in the field of astronomy. I also wanted it to reflect her and what she likes. Thus, I choose this “fish eye” image of the sky as seen from the Lulin observatory, which is located in the mountainous region of Taiwan, as inspiration for the cover, and made the image as big as possible. I tried to do all the relevant details: the buildings and surroundings. As for the stars.. well, they aren’t 100% accurate, that is just too difficult

I choose this image because it gives a good view of the sky, and also because she likes Lulin very much.

As for the lettering… it was of her request ^_^

For this notebook, I used mixed media. I used ink for the lettering and for the silhouettes of the surroundings in the images. For the details of the buildings and trees, white watercolor pencil was used. The sky was done using white and black watercolor pencil and done in a circular manner to continue with the theme of the fish-eye view. The stars were done last using a silver pen.

Pictures (above and below) where taken by 藍仕豪 (he’s a grad student in the Institute of Astronomy, Phys Dept. NTHU). Huge thanks. The above one was cropped and re-sized by my brother. ^_^

In all of my finished notebook, I like to sign them on the inside of the front or back cover, write the date and for whom the notebook was made. It gives it both a personalized look and says who made it. Sometimes, when I remember, I also write the title of the design, like here “Work Journal: Lulin Sky”.

So there you have it. These three designs have been the latest I have done.

It really brings great joy to do these notebooks, not only for oneself, but also for others to enjoy. But more than just doing them for others, it is doing them so that they reflect the intended user, and the fact that they bring joy or at least a smile and that they find it useful is just a great feeling.

I hoped you enjoyed them.

Cheers, NM