Thursday, February 19, 2009

climb onto your seahorse

Click on image to view.

The obsessional part of me knows no bounds. I first did a drawing like this for the MoleyX project. Those little Japanese Moleskines are so tiny, I knew I wanted to revisit this subject because I needed more room to put the notes in. I felt I needed to explain where granny had gotten her jewellery from. So, revisit I did, both in a brand new Moley and on an A4 sketchbook. I abandoned the sketchbook halfway through and kept going with this. I now realise what this drawing actually needs. And, that's an A3 page. So, yeah, one day, in the future, I'll be revisiting it again. On A3!

I hope you can read the notes, they are very tiny. It's almost like a mouse has written them.

36 comments:

Caroline said...

This is wonderful! Love the necklaces and the little stories to go with them - such imagination! Granny would be proud of you! P.S. I left you a little award on my blog.
http://carolinesstudio.blogspot.com/2009/02/7-things-i-love.html

suzanne cabrera said...

This is WONDERFUL Andrea! Wow...was your granny ever spectacular :)

Victoria Robison said...

Each day since I found your blog I check my updates hoping to find yours. And today it was there! I so love your work. And the combination of graphics and typography, wonderful!

K said...

Hmmm, if your granny was on the Titanic, how old must that make you (*counts on fingers and quickly runs out of numbers . . .*)??
Love all her jewelry, though!!

Anonymous said...

Really LOVE the stories you've written for each thing. Superb. I read the first one about the engagement ring, and thought they were going to be genuine. I had to do a double take at the next one.

Jules said...

This is an absolutely lovely drawing, as always. That Granny of yours... would I ever love to meet her! :)

Teodora said...

Absolutely lovely! My favourite is the birdie in the cage

Anonymous said...

So beautiful and expressive. Aren't grandma's amazing? I love the whole concept - the jewelry (I love jewelry and design it) the drawing, the words, the stories, the caligraphy and the very human touch in it all. Would love to see the A3!!

skywind said...

Japanese is one such, they refine it impenetrable.
http://eyesinkaleidoscope.blogspot.com/
http://fymtyh.blogspot.com/

Doda said...

Wow! That is an incredible piece of work! I LOVE it. And as for your imagination - it rocks!!!!
Maybe I need to upgrade my jewellery designs to be more like your imaginations! Wonderful!
I especially love the touch of colour in the image. I can so imagine this in a book one day. And I would buy that book!

Unknown said...

Granny was BUSY!!!
You continue to amaze me.

Jules said...

Stunning as always - I can imagine this BIG! Jules W.

Anonymous said...

Your patience knows no bounds. Amazing!

Laure Ferlita said...

No boundaries can be good, or as in this case, great!

Oh my, would I have loved to have known your granny. She sounds a whole lot like my granddaddy! Thanks for a trip to memory lane!

Rita said...

I chuckled all the way thru! Had no trouble reading them when I clicked on the picture to enlarge it--except that it gave me a crick in my neck--ROFL!! Wonderous!! :):)

RetRomantic said...

I love it. But I'm afraid , one day I shall most likely turn into a similar granny. My collection is already odd and curious. Thanks for inspiration and a good laugh :)

Alex Louisa said...

Your handwriting is just as good as your drawing!!

Love all the stories. Especially the 20,000BC (ish) and the bit about Sicily. And the brand of the watch!!

melissa said...

I love to get caught up in the little details that make up an AJ original. That Granny was some dame!

Edgar Cabrera said...

This just blows my mind! Cheers to your Granny!

Beth Baxter said...

I love the intricacy of the design.

Gulnaz said...

wow, I love the way you draw--detailed and I love how you design the whole spread

Anonymous said...

Well I've just spent a little while at my desk with my head on one side. If Steve comes back from wherever he's gone with that coffee and does the same, I'll be entertained to see if people start wondering what's going on. :)

This is such a great coincidence - I was staying at my cousin's just after Christmas and she has huge racks of necklaces - I took a few photos thinking it might be cool to try something with them.

Now I have an excuse not to bother - I'll NEVER equal this! What a fantastic idea. Wonderful detail considering the size you were working at! Would love to see another version on A4 (if you want more jewellery pictures you know where to come!)

A friend and I used to play a game if we were out somewhere - we'd ask each other about the origin of something, like a weird bit on the side of a building and the other would have to come up with an explanation - my God you'd be red hot at that.. (Hang on, I'm getting deja vue.. I was putting something about the same friend on Winna's site the other day...weird.)

Anonymous said...

I mean A3... obviously...

croqui said...

nice blog, amazing works!

Rick said...

I had to turn my laptop on its side to read about your Granny. She sure got around. Sorry about the Nobel. That will teach them to send it in the regular post - should have used Fedex.

Stephen Hall said...

Andrea, you do the most amazing and intricate art!Then you take it to another place... then do something better, and then improve on it. The {worse) thing is ... I guess there is more in there to come out. Love your stuff! :-)
I'm off to Argos to find an old sad pen and try my luck ...x

andrea joseph's sketchblog said...

Thanks, folks.

Yeah, granny sure did pack a lot into her 127 years.

I'm quite happy with this drawing, but I think I may just be completely happy with the next, and 4th, attempt on a bigger A3 page. Maybe.

I couldn't even tell you about how she got the seahorse necklace. Or, how the engagement ring had to be put on a chain because her fingers got all fat when she accidentally swallowed a hellium balloon.

Oh well. Glad you guys liked it. Cheers, lovely peeps.

Teri said...

What a brilliant composition, one only you could think of and make it so successful!!

lori vliegen said...

it's genius...andrea joseph style!! :)

Pippa said...

I LOVE the drawings you do where it is necessary to view it big and study it for hours to really appreciate it. This one did make me a bit dizzy (tilting my head from one side to the other) and I will have to go and lie down now, but it was totally worth it.

Anonymous said...

This is amazing. Lovely work.

Margaret Ann said...

Phenomenal...Totally "charming" in every sense of the word. You and granny would have made a wild twosome! :)

sandy said...

Amazing, I need to visit here more.

Neal said...

I love looking at your drawings from your collections, you must either have a massive mansion of a house or one crammed to the roof with objects and boxes and God knows what. Always a relaxing way to spend time going through your drawings.

andrea joseph's sketchblog said...

Thanks guys.

Neal, just a head full of craziness!

Cheers, y'all.

Anonymous said...

I love this drawing/idea - it's utterly charming and whimsical and full of love and laughter. It made me smile for a long time - thank you!

Steven