Jason Das

When the USPS says it costs $2.12, I got $2.12.

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:17:17 -0400

When the USPS says it costs $2.12, I got $2.12.

Finally finished the last of my little Mokeskine Cahiers 3-pack...

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:56:51 -0400

Finally finished the last of my little Mokeskine Cahiers 3-pack on the D train this morning. I think I’m ready for a break from those.

Three more 18”x24” urban sketch acrylics, these all...

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:49:29 -0400

Three more 18”x24” urban sketch acrylics, these all done around the Meat Packing District on May Day. They are up along with most of the last batch (minus a couple that sold) at ‘sNice Soho (150 Sullivan Street between Houston and Prince) for the month of May. After that, my ‘sNice world tour continues onto their West Village location for June. Hopefully will make some more new ones for that; that place has some looooong walls.

Big thanks to Mike ‘sNice for booking me three months in a row like this!

(And yes, at some point I will have better photos of these all for you to see.)

Jason, can you recommend a nice sketch book; I like sketch paper that has a little texture, that's not just totally slick paper. I'd like the book to be able to open flat (but I'm left handed and don't like large ring binders. ) I just bought two sketchbooks from Barnes/Noble today; great fiber paper, but my gouache leaks through on both of them. I'm quite aggravated! Your sketches are great; explosive and exciting! Ceci Neustrom, Lafayette , LA

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:04:00 -0400

Thanks for asking the first question here, Ceci!

Short answer: No.

Medium answer: I can’t imagine anyone being too unhappy with Holbein “Multi-Drawing” books. (they have a small spiral, perforated pages, excellent paper, come in many sizes, and are delightfully designed)

Long answer:

Your first step should be to go to an art supply store and feel all the books. Hopefully you’ll find a few that feel nice and aren’t too expensive. Do look for books meant for artists (not just notebooks), and perhaps books that claim to at least be able to accept a light wash. (Though I have done plenty of watercolor on paper that wasn’t meant for it; as long as it’s sturdy enough, the worst that will happen is buckling.)

I’ve yet to find any one type of paper or sketchbook that’s worth being faithful to. This may be more about me than anything else; I am really not a creature of habit. And I always have multiple books going at once, which I rotate between.

I have made great sketches on horrible paper and horrible sketches on great paper. My only real breaking point would be if the paper starts falling apart, which sounds like what happened to you with the B&N books.

On the flip side, if the paper is too nice, I run into performance anxiety issues—afraid to mess up the nice paper, or thinking I have to work in a certain style to justify it. This rarely works out.

Good luck! Shop around and experiment.

True story

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:37:32 -0400

True story

Sanjeev Joshi: black and white sketches,done with calligraphic...

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:58:03 -0400

Sanjeev Joshi: black and white sketches,done with calligraphic metal nib

Marc Taro Holmes: How to do huge sketches in the field (and not...

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:56:10 -0400

Marc Taro Holmes: How to do huge sketches in the field (and not carry a lot of stuff)

Here's a few things I liked online this week

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:18:52 -0400

From The Observer, a long look at one of those endlessly fascinating lives of the rich and daring, in this case that of Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, from the perspective of her great neice. Here’s Theloniuous Monk with Pannonica, his number one patron, outside the Five Spot in 1964:

At her blog Bowsprite, outstanding chronicler of New York Harbor Christina Sun offered up one of the very few Titanic tributes that didn’t make my eyes (or my moral compass) glaze over. In addition to her own lovely pictures, she shared this glorious 1919 Arthur Lismer painting of the Olympic.

Philip Glass and Robert Wilson talked to the Guardian about the origins of their opera Einstein on the Beach. I’ve really been enjoying the recorded version recently, and it’s great to get this perspective on their unusual (and enviable) creative process.

Johnny Marr tells Pitchfork about some of his favorite records. All solid choices of course, and great perspective on life and music from a man I admire more and more the older I get (as both a musician and a human being).

And finally, Strange Maps wrote up Michael Wallace, who tracks his movements via GPS as he bicycles around Baltimore in rather amusing paths, such as this centaur:

Smoking!

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:50:01 -0400

Smoking!

James Kochalka: Dumb Flowers on a Dirty Table. drawn after...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:06:00 -0400

James Kochalka: Dumb Flowers on a Dirty Table. drawn after dinner

Uncle Monkeybags?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:24:00 -0400

Uncle Monkeybags?

Marina Grechanik: Berlin has it all

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:02:00 -0400

Marina Grechanik: Berlin has it all

Nina Johansson: Preparing for Santo Domingo

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:25:00 -0400

Nina Johansson: Preparing for Santo Domingo

Door-sized preparatory sketch for Drawn Out Storytelling.

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:08:00 -0400

Door-sized preparatory sketch for Drawn Out Storytelling.

The EU. By Blu, in Morocco.

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:45:53 -0400

The EU. By Blu, in Morocco.

Wow, Lapin’s new book looks tremendous. Enter his contest...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:30:40 -0400

Wow, Lapin’s new book looks tremendous. Enter his contest to win a copy!

Ladybug season.

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:14:36 -0400

Ladybug season.

Brooklyn Café Yards

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:36:03 -0400

Brooklyn Café Yards

"Personal homepages and weblogs have long since faded from the popular trends. They’re no..."

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:17:00 -0400

“Personal homepages and weblogs have long since faded from the popular trends. They’re no longer hip and nobody’s launching the hot new startup to reinvent them or make them better. Most of the interest in writing online’s shifted to microblogging, but not everything belongs in 140 characters and it’s all so impermanent. Twitter’s great, but it’s not a replacement for a permanent home that belongs to you. And since there are fewer and fewer individuals doing long-form writing these days, relative to the growing potential audience, it’s getting easier to get attention than ever if you actually have something original to say. Carving out a space for yourself online, somewhere where you can express yourself and share your work, is still one of the best possible investments you can make with your time. It’s why, after ten years, my first response to anyone just getting started online is to start, and maintain, a blog.”

- Timely advice from Waxy.org, celebrating 10 years of worthwhile blogging.

I have eight 18” x 24” urban sketch paintings up at...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:12:00 -0400

I have eight 18” x 24” urban sketch paintings up at the Brooklyn branch of ‘sNice for the remainder of the month.

All were done this March “en plein air” and often en air trop froid. They are acrylic and water-soluble graphite (with a little bit of contractor crayon and Sumi ink in there, too). I did a bit of touching up back home, but mostly I was out there with fingerless gloves and a jar of water. Most were painted near my home in, Brooklyn, except one which is from Lafayette and Bond in Manhattan.

‘sNice is located at the corner of 3rd Street and 5th Avenue in Park Slope. You should go look at them—and have a sandwich, too! (They look better in person. Also larger.)