Life Needs Seasoning...Just Add Salt--and ART!

Here's my first page for the Sketchbook Challenge January theme of "highly prized." I was inspired to use salt as my highly prized thing because rather than a direct prize itself, it's a prize enhancer. There are many things in life that help us appreciate the other things we have all the more. I was listening to NPR and a fabulous show on salt and how it brings out the flavor in so many foods. Did you know that there are even books on salt? That's the librarian in me. Salt's a deep subject. I'm just sayin!

Some of us have mentioned that we keep a variety of sketchbooks with different purposes. I have an idea sketchbook, but for this challenge I've decided to work through a book of completed pieces. I admire how Laura and others begin with a small sketch and repeat it, adding ideas as they go and finishing by creating a more formal work. I am too impatient to work that way, so instead I create one piece and keep working through it until I'm satisfied. We all have completely different ways of working and yours is just as valid.
This sketchbook page began as a quick pencil sketch, followed by a good drubbing with permanent ink. I always work in waterproof ink because I know I want to add wet media later. I used my Rapidograph pen by Koh-I-Noor filled with india ink, and my new Lamy Safari pen filled with Noodlers Bulletproof Ink to create the sketch. Then I headed to the sewing machine to outline it with black thread. Yes, I DID put the entire sketchbook under the machine. It's what I do! I may decide to create separate watercolor pages in the future and stitch them into the sketchbook like a saner person.

I added ripped collage bits from old books and then pretty, saturated watercolors. I used both Dr. Ph. Martin's Radiant Liquid Watercolors and a set of Grumbacher Deluxe Opaque Watercolors which travel very nicely. Now back to my idea book to quick get down some sparks before they go out.