Fifth Page Spread from Roz's IFJM Journal

Above: Day five in the month and it's an image of a dead Downy Woodpecker. (Ziller acrylic ink with dip pen, Schmincke pan watercolors, in the Alvin Fieldbook.) Click on the image to view an enlargement.

As the caption says, this is my journal entry from day 5. I've been doing a page spread a day and as of today (April 10) have nine completed, with plans to sketch later today. If I keep the one-spread-a-day pace I will completely fill the book, which would be fun.

I will post a photo of the completed journal at the end of the month because you really need to see this thing, it is warped and bulging beyond belief and makes the most wonderful crinkly noise when I flip the pages. (OK, I'm easily amused.)

For people who are reading along the text reads as follows:

Top of the page spread, across both pages:

09.04.05 4:30 p.m. Brilliantly sunny but he breeze makes me feel the chill. I'm still wearing my fingerless gloves when I'm outside.

A day of rest for Chuck means practice at the shooting range. He was pretty snide when he reminded me safety officers always trump artists. What do I resent most—the time spent on target practice developing skills I don't want and don't need if I have Chuck? The exposure to loud noises? The exposure to Chuck's dried fruit farts—he lives on dried fruit! All of the above?

I do like the 38 he picked out for me. It's light enough. I'm accurate with it. "It's hand-eye coordination," he said, "I'd expect it. It's what you do all day long." But my hand was still shaking when I drew this woodpecker…but I had to get some drawing in today. Used my loupe.

Hope it stands up to freezing.

Additional side notes Verso page:

JD-MPLS-090405A
requested held in freezer
until released.

Dead Downy Woodpecker found on sidewalk at 635 Erie. (Male symbol.)
Yellow ochre bits with gray black flipside. Need my gouache to work on this properly…Downy white feathers lining lower lid and part of the upper lid. Eye socket all skin.

Additional side notes Recto page:

Need to lay in a gray base and then layer feather pattern in. Wisps of white some very dark shadow areas.

grayish.