Panorama Retrospective

5/16/17 Venice

Nearly two years ago I took a retrospective look at the landscape-format Pentalic Aqua Journal sketchbook that I had taken more than four years to fill. That was mainly because it was one of the first sketchbooks I had started, and I jumped around a lot among various sketchbooks back then. I also didn’t take advantage much of the double-wide page spreads until a few years later. Even then, I used a long-page format only sporadically, usually when I was traveling and wanting to capture a panoramic view.

7/7/17 Pike Place Market view of the waterfront

When I finally did fill it, however, I immediately got a new landscape-format book – this time a Stillman & Birn Beta softcover – and christened it with the Seattle skyline from Jack Block Park. I realized from reviewing the first book that I tend to forget about the format except when traveling, but Seattle offers opportunities for panoramic views, too. Starting the book at Jack Block Park was my way of reminding myself that I didn’t have to wait until I was traveling to use the book.

 

9/9/16 Seattle skyline from Jack Block Park, West Seattle

A little less than two years later, I filled the last page spread of that S&B Beta with another Seattle skyline – this time from the Bell Street Pier. I have a nice sense of closure starting and finishing the book with sketches of home.

7/29/17 Chicago

5/23/18 Yosemite Falls

In between, I have sketches of Joshua Tree National Park (where I memorably used colored pencil as my sole coloring medium for the first time), skyscrapers of downtown Chicago, long, narrow alleyways and canals of Italy (where I used the panorama format more often than on any other trip), and the falls of Yosemite. And as I promised myself, I took the book with me around town, too – like to Pike Place Market’s new waterfront view.

Since I make almost all of the rest of my sketches in my DIY sketchbooks and bind them chronologically, the landscape-format book is the only volume that covers a significant span of time (in this case, almost two years). While I generally prefer to keep my sketches stored chronologically, I do enjoy seeing the passage of time and especially my travels represented in one volume.

I just bought a new landscape-format Stillman & Birn Beta softcover that I’m looking forward to filling.

11/16/16 Joshua Tree National Park