How’s your summer going?
In publishing August is considered a “dead” month because so many people are out of the office. I think of it as a vacation even though I’m not on one. I’m working on several book projects and trying to keep my life in balance.
I have a knee injury that is alarmingly reminiscent of a past elbow injury. This time, however, I’m not doing all the things that in the past led to its worsening: Not getting enough sleep; overworking; stressing out; exercising through the pain; etc. Instead, I’m doing the opposite.
If you are suffering from any knee or other joint issue, I highly recommend these compression sleeves. While waiting to see a physical therapist next month, I’ve been wearing these every day, and they’ve have helped me heal to the point where I have no pain when I walk, bend my legs, etc. They are a life saver!
For my mental and emotional health, I’ve been seeing friends and family and going to exhibitions IN PERSON! I saw the Alice Neel show at the Met a few days before it closed. It was so inspiring. I love her work so much.
If you visit the Met, the one thing I recommend is to book your time slot as early as possible. Even with the pandemic, the museum gets very crowded, Since they only allow a certain number if people into the galleries, there was a very long, snaky line to get into the Alice Neel show by the time we exited, And there was a huge line of people waiting to enter the museum when we left. Currently, the Medici show is open, and I hope to catch that one before it ends October 11.
I also recommend the Cezanne show at MOMA which runs until September 25. I think it can feel a bit overwhelming because there are so many pieces, but I loved seeing his many drawing studies. He often painted and drew of the backs of other paintings. He didn’t consider them “precious”. Sometimes he would cut out a painting from another painting! There are even some very early pieces which if you didn’t know were done by Cezanne, you might think they could be any art student’s work. Seeing these makes him seem more human. It is interesting to see what he was exploring and how his style evolved.
If retro cars are more your jam, the Automania show, also at MOMA, is a must see! It was cool to see a vintage Citroen in mint condition. My father-in-law drove and earlier model of this in the 1960s. What a cool guy he was!
Art Tips
An artist in my agency, Jamie Green, recommended these cool Procreate Riso brushes from Tip Top. I’ve been loving playing with them. The opening illustration was created mostly with them. I have to say that Procreate is my tool of choice for sketching and experimenting. I did three book dummies recently all in Procreate using the sketching pencil. I’m also loving the Riso brushes for shading to add some values to my sketches.
Another artist friend, Stephanie Fizer Coleman, mentioned this wonderful drawing exercise I had forgotten about from Ivan Brunetti’s, Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice!
What you do is set a timer for 4 minutes. Draw and object. Then, draw the same thing again within 2 minute, 1 minute, 30, 15, 5 seconds intervals. I have begun doing these every day as a great warm up for starting work! The beauty of this exercise is that: 1) It’s easy to just start drawing without thinking and without pressure. 2) It gets your brain and hand moving faster 3) It teaches you how to break something down into its simplest parts – getting to its essence. Here’s an example of mine today:
I like the 1 minute one the best.
Summer Salad
This is another refreshing summer salad that is perfect for a picnic! Recently I’ve been making it every week. Also, if you ever have a bunch of leftover parsley, this is a great way to use it all up! Adjust amounts to your liking and taste. It’s a really forgiving recipe. Feel free to double it as well. I’m the only one who eats this in my family, so it’s a smaller portion.
Tabouleh
About 1/4 cup bulgur wheat
One bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped
About 2 tablespoons minced onion
1 plum tomato, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons olive oil
1. Boil 1 cup of water in a saucepan. When it comes to a boil, pour in bulgur wheat and simmer about 10 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Drain in a fine mesh sieve, pressing down with a wooden spoon to remove excess water. Transfer to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.
2. Add parsley, onion, and tomato to bulgur. Season with a pinch of salt and toss to combine.
3. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over bulgur mixture and stir to coat.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!