Paper Delph

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I love this doll by Traci Stillwell that I cut out of Cloth Paper Scissors – doesn’t she seem perfect for this quote from A Reunion of Ghosts? (It’s a fantastic book, BTW)–Deb Matten Desi.

I came across this today on a blog called Of Sage and Sepia. The blogger, an artist named Deb Mattin Desi, does what she calls “doodles.” Her current doodling project involves filling a book with a doodle a day. She  writes: “Doodling is what this book is about–most pages have a prompt and some subtle background color or design, so there’s no dreaded white page. I’ve been stretching myself to put pen to paper on most days-either as a doodle or lettering…”

Her work reminds me of the approach folks such as my colleague Lynda Barry and my former grad student Oliver Baez Bendorf take to drawing, collaging, and cartooning. As is the case with Lynda and Oliver’s work, I found Deb’s blog inspiring, especially given a project I’ve had in mind since visiting the Galapagos in late July/early August that would blend story and visuals. I’ve loved drawing since I was a kid but was dissuaded from pursuing it because…well, I’m awful at it. (And now I hear Lynda chiding me as she does everyone who demeans their own drive to create art of any kind by constantly plaguing themselves with the two questions, “Is this good? Or does this suck?”)barry001

Anyway, what I really wanted to say here is how happy it made me to see this particular doodle on Deb’s blog. In the caption Deb explains she began by cutting out a doll by another artist (the prompt), then doodling in the background and adding the quotation from A Reunion of Ghosts. Gotta say that it definitely doesn’t suck to come across something like this! Thanks, Deb.