The collaboration books are coming together quickly now – this was another sea inspired one, shared with Karen Bailey and Kylie Fogarty. Although both are in Australia we are still scattered, with me in Sydney, Kylie in Canberra and Karen in Melbourne.
As with the previous one (see here) once the book came back to me I couldn’t resist adding a little bit to my main drawing (above), just a touch of extra colour to give it more depth and form. My drawing is exploring the shapes suggested by the seaweed that is found washed up on so many Australian beaches.
The paper in these little books is thin, so marks show through from one page to another, and there is a bit of cockling where water media has been used, but hopefully this adds to the authenticity.
This is the first page that we all worked on, keeping very much to the seaweed theme, Karen and Kylie doing the drawings at the bottom, and I did the bubbly seaweed at the top.
The next spread was Karen’s wonderful Leafy Sea Dragon – these are magnificent, tiny creatures and Karen has captured it so beautifully, taking us down under the surface to explore its world in the depths amongst the weed.
In the final spread, Kylie has taken us back onto the land, to the rocky sea shores that she visited as a child. She has brought it to life, taking us with her as we clamber on the rocks and search in rock pools with her wonderful loose pen and ink and watercolour washes.
The final page brings us full circle to the objects we find washed up on the beach, odd little shells and scraps of seaweed, just waiting to be collected.
I am so pleased with this book, I think it really tells a story, but needs no words. Thanks Karen and Kylie!
To see more of Karen’s work go here, and for Kylie’s go here.
We have used ink, watercolour and coloured pencil in these small Moleskine folded books.
anna warren portfolio 
Anna I love how you finished the book off! I think you said it perfectly when you note that this booklet tells a story but doesn’t feel as if words are necessary, the finished result is beautiful – I love the back page!
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Thank you so much Kylie, I really think this one has come together beautifully. Both Karen’s and your pages would work as independent images on a larger scale. Food for thought for you!
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This is so wonderful to see. I love the visual story told by three artists. It’s really beautiful! Amazing collaboration!
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Thank you so much Cathe – each one has developed a character of its own. It’s such fun to see the progression!
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Great finish to the book Anna – a great collection from you three artists. Really enjoy seeing the sea-theme and creativity at its best.
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Thanks Mary – the sea offers so much beauty and opportunity for ideas, it is a nice theme to work with, and I know one that is close to your heart too!
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You are so right Anna ~
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What a beautiful collaboration between you all! It would be so great to see in person. 🙂
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Thanks Gale. We really are going to have to work out a way for all these books to move around!
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I really love this, Anna. You ladies did a fantastic job! So creative and fun to view!
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I think we all had fun with this Patsy! Thank you so much.
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I am sure you did, Anna! You’re welcome.
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What a wonderful thing to do, the three of you apart but together. Fabulous Anna!
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Being ‘apart but together’ has been a really interesting part of this exercise. With all the artists I have been involved with I feel a strong friendship has been built, and built on the basis of shared artistic endeavour. A really great experience! Thanks Jane!
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Each book is so different from the others. I wonder if the thin paper doesn’t add to the coastal flavour – as one thinks of coastal air as either damp or drying. This paper reminds me rather of surfaces by the sea (whether dry seaweed on sand or flakey paint on a weatherboard house) which has been soaked and dried, soaked and dried over time.
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You are so right about the sea air affecting paper. It adds a nice element to the whole concept! The quality of the paper irritated me at first, but eventually I embraced it as part of the theme, and now am quite happy that each page is not pristine – it somehow adds to the authenticity. Thanks Julie, I always appreciate your take!
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So great to see one of the books finished. It looks great and it all worked so well together. The thin paper was fun to work on and really influenced the work. I will be working on the last one next. Karen
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It is nice to see it all come together isn’t it? I am really happy how our differing approaches have enhanced one another’s work. Looking forward to the next one!
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An excellent result, Anna! I love it…reminds me of my school days geography excursions to Ricketts Point, here on the Beach Road about 15kms from Melbourne…so much to see there in the rockpools and items to collect. Thanks for the memory! :O)
ps: There is a problem with the link you gave to Kylie.
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Thanks Janina – I have always loved rock pools and the objects that wash up on the beach, there is an endless supply of things to keep me looking down! The pleasure that was there when I was a child is still there now, I’m glad you feel the same! (I have checked the link to Kylie and it worked from my iPad, although slowly, I’ll check it from my computer tomorrow – thanks for letting me know!)
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BTW, my WordPress website logo (top left corner with the words An experiment underneath) is a Photoshopped (posterized version) of some shell debris in closeup taken at Ricketts Point a number of years ago. I liked the abstractness of the result. It is also available at my Red Bubble site and is called ‘Seashells’.
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A great accomplishment by talented artists !
The notebook paper maybe fragile Anna but the pages seem to be holding up well to the differing types of medium used . A little cockling does not detract from the work at all !
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Thanks Poppy – the quality of the paper was one of the interesting and unexpected challenges! But I do think it somehow adds to the end result, maybe reminiscent of paper that has endured the predations of nature.
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