moly_x_64

Szaza's entry in Rose's book - Reboot?

2011-02-08T23:36:00.000-08:00

So, there was a nice surprise over on Samantha Zaza’s blog the other day. She posted this amazing entry into Rose’s moly for this long-lost group of ours. Here’s what she had to say about it:

“After Moleskine Exchanges 64, 24 and 29 fell apart and one of my books disappeared somewhere between Australia and Mexico, I must admit I had become a little disenchanted with the whole exchange experience. I've been participating in Moleskine exchanges for three years, and I think I just got a little tired— and life eventually got in the way.

Lately I've felt something was missing in my life and the little black books piled on my desk with blank pages waiting for me, reminded me of how much I had loved participating in these exchanges. I had befriended so many artists from around the world and we had shared our artwork— a truly magical experience. I realised I needed to get back into it and hopefully, inspire some of the other disenchanted artists to do the same. So much beautiful artwork has been produced in three years, and it would be such a pity to let it all just fall apart.

Well dear Rose, here is your book. I am terribly sorry for keeping it empty for so long— I do hope you will like it.”

I don’t know about you Rose but I think it’s amazing and I would love to add something to it and maybe even bring this group back to life. I had really high hopes for this group when I put it together way back when and have always regretted letting it die. I don’t think I really knew what it took to make a successful group at the time and I’m sorry for letting everybody down (especially Ben, whose book I held onto for ages and wasn’t able to complete...sorry Ben).

Rose, if you’re out there please let Samantha or myself know what you’d like us to do with your book.

A whole year has passed guys - no books!

2010-09-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

I'm announcing the end of my participation in this group (not that there's been any, since the only entry I've been able to do is in my own book)! I'm surprised how far my moleskine seems to have travelled and I'm really looking forward to seeing the result in my hands!
Last time I heard Samantha was holding onto my moleskine. Sam, I'm going to send you an email now with the address for you to forward it on if you haven't already sent it on!

I just want to say thank you everyone for your fantastic entries, I can't wait to see them! Good luck with everything!
Rose
xxx

Lost books

2009-09-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

So my dear fellow artists, it seems as though my book has been lost somewhere between Australia and Mexico. Leanne, if it comes back to you, please let me know— and Ben, if you ever receive it, shoot me an email as soon as possible. I have all my fingers crossed that it will turn up, along with Leanne's book, which has also mysteriously disappeared; this was one of my favourite Moly-X pieces that I've ever made and I'm quite bummed to say the least.

That being said, I am dropping out of this group. If my book surfaces, I'd like to have it sent back to me. Rose, I will work on an entry in your book, then someone let me know who I should send it to next.

Thank you.

Where are the mollies?

2009-09-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Hello dear artists.
I have Rose's book. I have been hanging onto it until I see some work coming through, as I don't want anyone to be stuck with more than one moly. I have seen this happen in other groups, where someone needs longer time and keeps receiving books— they just get overwhelmed.

So everyone, let's ask ourselves:

Honestly, do I want to participate in this exchange?
Do I have the time to do this?

Please let everyone know how you are doing and if you plan on truly continuing. Otherwise we are just holding people's books hostage. There is no shame in dropping out. Life is a priority, and it's ok if you cannot continue. I am thinking I will drop out if things don't pick up.
I hope you are all well and have had a wonderful summer :)

What is happening?

2009-07-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Its only me or this group its really stucked! Are we going on?

Ben's moly: A preview

2009-06-04T08:09:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I'm moving soooooo slow with this group. I'll try to pick up the pace and get this finished soon (I'm also working on getting my own book off the ground as well). I tried to contact Monika through flickr mail but haven't heard back yet. Hopefully the rest of you are doing better with your books. Great work so far!

Thieving

2009-05-07T15:11:00.001-07:00

So here it is, my entry. I don't know why the image is being cut off on the right. If you click on it, you can see the whole shebang on Flickr.

I used a dip pen and brush, Winsor & Newton India ink, white ink and some red gouache. For the first time, I am going to set a few restrictions on my Moly:

• Only use black and white with a touch of red. You can use whatever medium you prefer.

• Please continue the story in your own style. I'd love to see what happens next— where did the birds take her heart? Does she get it back? Does she meet any interesting characters along the way? I can't wait to see what all of you will do!

Spring cleaning.

2009-05-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hi gang. Going through the groups to see if all is going smoothly. Great start here. Keep it up. Have fun. Communicate.

M

Open the door

2009-04-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

Yay I've finished! The story is based on a girl who has a gift for opening any door in the world, whether it's locked or not. I've had this story in my head for some time now and I was dying to get it out. Anyway, the possibilities are endless for this one! I hope you guys like it.
Samantha, I'll send a flickr mail to you now asking for your details to send this on to you :)
Hope everyones getting on okay with their molies!
Rose

Ready to Go

2009-03-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

Well here is my first entry and Im hoping there is enough info here for a very interesting and exciting story to develop... Ben do you want to send me your address and I'll get this puppy into the post.

Hi Folks!

2009-03-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a little preview of my entry that I am working on:

I am thinking I might like all the entries in my book to be done in black and white with minimal colour for a consistent look. I think it would be pretty cool looking. How is everyone's coming along?

Inspiration - Part 2

2009-03-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

We're closing in on one month since this group's inception so, I thought I'd post another big pile of inspiration and ask everyone to check in on their progress. (As far as my book, I'm still in the penciling stages.)

PRINT COMICS:

The pile o’ books above represents a fairly decent cross-section of my prize possessions and you could definitely do worse than tracking some of these down. (On my flickr page I've noted what's what and provided lots of links if you're interested in a specific book.) I'll start with the ANTHOLOGIES:

McSweeney’s #13 - edited by Chris Ware - This was the first of the recent flurry of great anthologies and is probably my favorite. It's extremely comprehensive, gorgeously designed (containing two mini-comics and a fold-out cover designed by Ware), and has essays by renowned authors John Updike, Glen David Gold, Ira Glass and others.

An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories - edited by Ivan Brunetti - Another fantastic compilation, Brunetti's put together a second volume that came out recently.

MOME Summer 2005 - edited by Gary Groth and Eric Reynolds - This is the comics answer to magazine's like Granta or the Paris Review, a quarterly anthology of new works by contemporary artists. This was the first of the series.

Drawn & Quarterly V. 3 - edited by Chris Oliveros - Great cover by Chris Ware riffing on Frank King's classic Gasoline Alley, contains a beautiful selection of King's sunday pages as well as terrific contributions from artists hailing from N. America and Europe.

Whew...I think that's it for the reviews...you'll just have to check out the other stuff at your leisure. I assure you, all of it is worth your time.

Also, I just heard that Pulizer-Prize winner/living legend, art spiegelman is giving a lecture here in Rochester on Sunday! I'll be sure to report back in next week.

My first entry...

2009-03-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

I just finish my first entry for the exchange, I'm very happy and ansioux to share it with you, Hope you enjoy it like I do!!!! wee heheh! I ask Tim for his adress, Maybe the next week I send it to New York... :D

Ready go!

2009-02-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

OK finally I found a japanese moleskine and it's ready to be used, I got a few ideas about what story to work, I only hope that i have in mind will be the final result, How you're going? Do you already have your moleskines?

Tim thanks for the ideas!

Inspiration

2009-02-20T07:28:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not sure how familiar everyone is with comics/sequential art so I thought maybe I'd throw a few things out there for inspiration...

WEBCOMICS:

(Several webcomics utilize the concept of an "infinite canvas" layout and while our nine-foot moly aren't quite infinite they do offer lots of possibilities that a standard book wouldn't. With that in mind here's a few online comics that might interest everyone)

Scott McCloud - McCloud is a great starting point for anyone interested in comics and the possibilities of the form. Most famous for his indispensable book, Understanding Comics, he's also done quite a few interesting webcomics of his own. (In particular, I really like My Obsession with Chess) He's also got a great list of links to explore.

Demian 5 - This guy is brilliant! Definately check out his amazing wordless comics, When I am King and The Truth About Elephants

Kazu Kibuishi - This is the mastermind behind the popular Flight anthologies. His online comic, Copper, is great fun, has gorgeous colors and some nifty page layouts.

David Gaddis - Piercing is from 1999 but still beautiful. Looking for it today I see that he's posted what looks like the begininng (or middle? or entire?) of a new work on his blog just a feww days ago! Which begs the question...what's he been up to for the last decade???

Act-I-Vate - A collective of accomplished comics artists. My favorite is Roger Langridge, who does an amazing homage to vaudville performers and early animation in Mugwhump the Great

So, there's a few things to drool over. Of course, your books can be whatever you want them to be...we are ounded only by the limits of our imagination!

Welcome to moly_x_64!

2009-02-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

Moly_x_64 (The Sequential One), founded by Tim Clary (USA), is an extension of the Moleskine Exchange. This blog will follow the adventure of a group of artists around the world, in a Japanese fold Moleskine sketchbook exchange. Our current group includes the artists listed to the right, including contributors in many different countries all over the world.

Each artist will set off with a small Japanese (accordian) folded Moleskine. Creating a drawing, collage, or painting, then send on to the next artist. Each artist will draw on a couple of spreads (3-4 pages) then send it on to the next artist. When the artists book is filled, it will be returned to the owner with images created by artist around the world. Each artist has a month (give or take) to make an entry. The outcome will be a pleasant and surprising adventure, as artists are encouraged to interact and merge their art with others.

The major twist for this project is that each moleskine will tell a sequential story, begun by the book's owner and then riffed on by the other artists.

The concept:

1. The artists start with the Japanese fold Moleskine - Name, address, email address written in book.

2. Each artist gets 1 month (give or take) to make a sketchbook entry, and mail it to the next person. The order is listed to the right -- for participants in this exchange, look at the list of names under MAILING ORDER. If you ever need to update addresses, please feel free to contact your partners directly! An important part of this project is to discuss and exchange information and ideas.

3. Each artist will do 3-4 pages each round.

4. Artists are encouraged to interact with other images in the book. Please be respectful, but also don't hesitate to meld your art with earlier entries.

5. When the book is full, when one side of the unfolded book is filled, the book will be sent back to its original owner. That artist may continue by buying a new book and sending it to the next person.

6. If a person decides not to continue, she will simply keep her book when it comes back to her. She should email all of the participants to say she is not going to continue. We will decide, then, if we want to find a new person.

7. Please communicate regularly via email. Let each person know that you have received/sent the book. The goal is to have a dialogue. Any comments and questions are welcome.

This moly_x_project was begun by Marty Harris, Minnesota, USA.