The Sketchbook Project

So, I received my sketchbook from The Sketchbook Project last week, and while pondering circles around it, I have yet to actually make a single mark in it. It seems I have been affected by the blank page syndrome, and while most might advise me to just dive right in - I have found the consequences of that to, more often than not, be perilous. 

No, I find it best to ponder the page, allowing it to dictate - much as Michelangelo's quarried stones dictated to him. Not suggesting, by any means, that I am a Michelangelo - merely that a substrate is more than just an object or material. It is the container/holder of ideas. It can be your nemesis (as it is mine when I "dive right in"), or it can be your ally. I am hoping for the latter.

My subject, I am thrilled to report, is Dirigibles and Submersibles. A world rich with imagery, history, and wonder.  Of course, the very first thing I did, when I received my sketchbook, was to look up the definitions of dirigible and submersible. (Those who know me, know that this is just what I do.) Whether or not I may think I already know the definition, I always find some nugget of wisdom (usually hearkening back to an archaic version of the word).

From Merriam Webster's mouth to my ears:

¹di·ri·gi·ble adj \ˈdir-ə-jə-bəl, də-ˈri-jə-\ : capable of being steered

Origin of DIRIGIBLE: Latin dirigere; (First Known Use: 1581)

²di·ri·gi·ble noun : airship

Origin of DIRIGIBLE: 

dirigible (balloon); (

First Known Use: 1885)

¹sub·mers·ible adj \səb-ˈmər-sə-bəl\ : capable of being submerged

First Known Use of SUBMERSIBLE: 1866

²sub·mers·ible noun: something that is submersible; especially : a usually small underwater craft used especially for deep-sea research

First Known Use of SUBMERSIBLE: 1900

And so, it begins... As I finish the sketches, I will post the drawings here.


Best to all,
.n