2005 Journal

This is a journal that I made and used at the start of 2005. I recorded my thoughts for a few months in it. I used mainly Pitt Pens, Pigma Pens and watercolors as well as various and assorted emphemeria that I found along the way. IT's colorful and documents some time of rage that I had as well as some very good times.



It has pages made from Strathmore watercolor paper 140lb, is stitched with irish linen and is made of dark chocolate brown sheep hide, super smooth ans soft with a unique pebble pattern. I love it.

Travel Journal- Maine

Travel journal for my visits to my parents.

Big Hard Cover Sketchbook on YouTUbe

Go to YouTube see a larger version.

Also i started a group on YouTube for videos of sketchbooks and art journals me appropriately enough ArtJournal. You can sign up or view videos here.

YouTube Group

I created a YouTube group called ArtJournals. I'm interested in other people's videos of art journals.

You can see and join the group here:
ArtJournal Videos

Time of my life

This is a small watercolor sketcbook I worked on in 2002 and 2003. THe pages are thick HMP made in Nepal. the book was made here as well. I had purchased the book with the intent of rebinding it into something I liked a little more, as I ripped it apart it became apparent that was going to happen, the binders had used some harsh stiff and non flexible glue that was not reversible. It made the whole thing a pain in the bum and I abandoned the project as fast as I started it. Needless to say i simply kept the book the way it was but added a sleeve in the back that allowed the end sheet to slide and allow the book to open. The paper in this thing is thick and stiff, very nice for water color or gouache.

I have again done the horrific thing with this journal and torn out pages. When I worked on this journal I really looked at the journal as a means to an end and not a finished product. Tearing out pages meant nothing, or not much. As such pulling a page out and selling it didn't bother me at all. I sold many of the pages from this journal on eBay, they averaged about$50 for the 4x6inch pages. Not bad for me at the time as I was very poor and they funded my electric bill and my food bill.

Though I was dirt poor I loved that time I spent as an artist and making money off my art. It was seriously some of the best times of my life. I can only dream of devoting my life to art like I did those 2 summers.

Anyway onto the video, (see a larger version on YouTube.)

Quick String Pad Binding

I just posted another video to youtube, kind of a cop out though as it's just a series of stills strung together with music.

Quick Sketchbook

I don't know why I never filled this sketchbook, it has pages of all my favorite paper, arches, canson, stonehenge, copperplate, and others. I love them all, but for whatever reason this journal and I never became friends. I also tore an entire signature out of it...this was back when I lived in Maine (2002-2003) and I was selling a lot of pieces on eBay. It's also from around the same time I started working on my website. It's come a long way. Most of the pieces are quick watercolor sketches, done while sitting on the waters edge, usually between the hours of 7 and 9 for one beach I would then travel to the next waterfront location and work until 1 or 2pm. I'd then go to the local natural grocery store and pick up lunch. Or if I was being smart eat a bag lunch I would bring with me. These summers were great summers I worked a mere 20 hours a week and my bills were low. I was able to afford my meager lifestyle on those 20 hours a week and my eBay sales.

I tnk that because of the paper in this sketchbook I felt like I couldn't use it, intimidated by the paper.

That is a point I would love to get to again. 20 hours on the DayJob and full time on art. That is the life. Not to say that art isn't hard work, hell I used to put in a full 40 to 50 hours a week on art, stopping only for meals often those 2 summers I would stay up late and get up early.I was perhaps the hardest working artist out there. What I mean to say is that I would love to work on something I love again, rather than something I tolerate.

Maine Festival Volunteer Journal

This journal details my experience volunteering at a festival. It was a headache and a weird experience. I won't go more into it here, but I would suggest that if you get a chance to volunteer at a festival make sure that everything is well planned in advance. Make sure you get a firm commmitment from the people in charge of everything that they intend to provide, if they don't' you'll be up a creek without a paddle.

Late late for a very important date

I had to stay late at the DayJob, while it's a consternation it's a necessary evil for the time being. I really can't wait for the holidays to be over. Not to be a scrooge but it's a hard time of year to work in retail. I'm pretty exhausted.

I've been working on a few projects, one very cool project which includes adding secret compartments to a journal, I'm having fun with it, but I hit a major snag when it came to gluing up the journal. The glue I normally use fouled up a pocket, so I have to rethink what I'm going to use for the pockets....I'm getting lines printed at a local print shop, though, each time I have time to stop by they aren't open!!! So hopefully Tuesday I'll be able to get the lines printed.

I noticed this several days ago, but I thought that I would point it out before anyone else did that my user name on youtube was intended to be ComfortableShoesStudio. What I didn't realize that e I hit enter my user name was 2 letters too long and thus YOuTube automatically cut off 2 letters, the last 2 letters.














So my user name ComfortableShoesStud. I'm hanging my head in shame that I didn't notice this before I finalized everything. But this also explains why I've gotten several messages from users who have "invited" me to view the close up videos of their Brazilian wax job. Which seems like a horrifying prospect to me. So yeah, head over to YouTube and checkout ComfortableShoesStud, it's not some hot oiled down hunk of manly muscle it's just me, kind of soft and pudgy Leslie. I swear there will be no "studly" videos!

Journal #5 Youtube

Another You Tube post

Not quite as personal as the last but it's one of my first leather covered journals. I think I made it in 2002. I last wrote in it in 2005. It's survived a lot- my backpack for 2 years, camping and many moves.

moving journal

At this point I've decided to try to create these videos in roughly chronological order. The moleskines I first uploaded are recent. This journal was created after the Maine vacation journal, started while I was in transition to Maine, moving my belongings to my new place after I spent several very difficult months with my life in complete transition. This is essentially my last month in Mass in 2001, probably February March.

I think that while the art in this journal is not my best, it has the most feeling.

Technically-wise this is one of my first multiple signature books and is mechanically terrible. It'sbound with a double thickness of dental floss, on a covered cardboard that's covered with a metallic gift bag. The cord is a heavy cotton cord stripped from a pair of shorts. The paper is canson mein tents in bone or a similar color. I used mainly ink, watercolor crayons and collage. Shortly after making this journal I learned to make structurally sound books

vacation in Maine

This journal was made by me and it was the first multi signature journal that I made. It is a truly horrible structure and I'm surprised that it survives and has survived my former evil dog and the may moves since it was created and used.

IT chronicals the best vacaton that I've ever taken, the most relaxing vacation ever and thonly vacation C and I have ever taken that we still talk about. 7 days in Maine, on a lake, with no running water or electricity.

Day program sketchbook

This sketchbook was created over the course of 2 years while working at a day program. It's cheap paper- standard 20lb printer paper drawn on with crayon, pen, watercolor and ink. Mostly crayon. Have I mentioned that I really love crayon? It has a certain feel that I love for drawing, plus one can lay on layer after layer of color.

Anyway, many of the people pictured are dead. Sad but true. I've also lost touch with many of them. Also sad but true. THis is a sketchbook that makes me sad when I look at it. One of the guys I sketched had all of the money that his very rich father left him stole from him from his able bodied siblings and lawyers. Another was in Fernald State. I won't talk about the atrocities that occurred there, but it's sad. While the art contained in this sketchbook varies from bad to wonderful I feel that more than in any other body of work, these little sketches truly capture these people and the terribly difficult lives they endured.

I made hundreds of these drawings over the course of 2 years. I know that several of the residences had them framed and several pinned them to bedroom walls. So:

youtube 2

Here is the second video on you tube of my moleskine.

You Tube

I just signed up for a youtube account and took a video of my first moleskine. You cansee it here: