happy new year and all that

well hello there, its new years eve and its time to cekebrate! hope you all had a good christmas and santa got you some nice gifts,

as for the molie? well it is somewhere between japan and argentina, as its travelling over the christmas period i dont really expect it to get there fast, i am just hoping it has not got lost in the midst of all the xmas cards and presents travvelling round the world.

have fun, AlwaysSecondBest

fall out boy - yule shoot your eye out

Hello Again!!!

I am finally finished and the book is ready to hit the road. The next stop will be Argentina---so exciting!!! Here are some photos of my contribution---hope you enjoy. 

1) The first shot I added to give you an idea of where the book is...this is a few minutes from my apartment. Peace Park :)

2) The next shot: First Encounter of the Two

Those are the only two that need explanation I guess...have a great time with the book! I am looking forward to seeing it evolve.

Meena

xo  

just a quick one then,

hi y'all its been some time since i posted, so......

i really like what tom has done with his pages, i love the internet guide as, i must admit, i have no idea what helf the people i talk to on the internet are saying! what with the wtf?, lol's and lmao's and all the other stupid 'netspeak' they use. why cant people just use plain english? there i go again having a rant!

anyway the book is now in hiroshima, japan! ultra-global project now. it ended up in there due to me giving tom a list of destinations where to send it next and he picked japan. i have a feeling i may do this with the book alot, especially whilst i still have lots of destinations left to send them.

cant wait to see the next entry and find out where it goes next.

AlwaysSecondBest

frank turner - long live the queen (its about his friend lex who died of cancer, a very very good song)

Arrival: Hiroshima!!!

Yay! The lovely red moleskine has arrived and Tom's drawings are going great with my morning coffee :) I especially like the "afterpaste". What to put in it? Suddenly I feel nervous!

Finished

Here are my completed 8 pages, I just went for the sort of thing I draw in my personal sketchbooks. I usually only draw on one side of the page as the black ink shows through, so I glued some paper onto every other page.

Here's a breakdown of each of the pages:

Page 1 - The stamp from the envelope the book arrived in, mounted in a gallery and being viewed by critics.

Page 2 - A drunk naked man ruining a carpet at a party.

Page 3 - A group of chavs.

Page 4 - An advert for 'Afterpaste' toothpaste. I love drawing adverts for disgusting and/or useless products I invent.

Page 5 - A pile of random characters. I used to doodle pictures like this all the time at school.

Page 6 and 7 - A translated guide to 'The Idiots of the Internet'. Mostly inspired by the stupid comments often seen on YouTube videos.

Page 8 - The Joker. Loosely based on Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Batman villain. Thought I'd go for a change and use some colour on this one.

I had a lot of fun finishing my pages, and ended up finishing a fair few in my own Moleskine too. Hope you all enjoy your turn, and fingers crossed this one doesn't get lost.

Toms entry, News, Song

The red book is now in its final hours of toms possession and soon he will reveal what delights he has given us,

In other news... The red books next stop is japan! Wahay were going global! I am also going to put some more links in the sidebars over the next week so if anyone has any great website's they think we should all know about just stick a comment on this post and i'll see what i can do.

I have noticed that some people place things like songs they are liking or books they are reading at the end of blog posts SO...

one for the old ravers of the 90's
Matt Helders (drummer from arctic monkeys) - Dreamer (feat. Nesreen Shah).

First (again)

The new red book arrived yesterday morning. I've been noting down ideas of what to put in it, and I'm looking forward to making my mark. I had originally planned on doing the first page the day it arrived, but much to my frustration a client is currently forcing me to rework a load of character designs (back to my originally proposed designs, why do they always do that?). But anyway, the project is back on track.

Ps. Where's my chocolate then? :D

just to clarify things

hello all, the RED book is now on its way to tom sambles. the BLACK book is currently lost.
as the black book only had 1 entry into it i am going to send out another if it does not appear by january.
so all you people who wish to sign up but think its too late, dont despair we still got room for more.

the reason for there bieng 2 books is this, i had an applicant who teaches advanced photography, she thought it would be a good idea to let her class contribute in the 8 pages, i decided to make it a bit bigger than 8 pages though, so her class will be split in two and given a page each and one for her in each book, this takes up 12 pages in each book. although this leaves a number not divisible by eight leaving blank pages?!? no worries i am also going to split my entry acrross the 2 books aswell! i think this will give the books something to link them together.it will make the RED and BLACK moleskines become an inseparable pair.

ps.
if anyone else wishes to split there entry across the 2 books let me know.

chow for now.

new book! new color!

hi y'all. round 2 here we come.

so i went to order the new book from mojo london today as i have been unable to get my ass to my local waterstones and low and behold what did i find there! ill tell you what, red yes RED moleskines! so i ordered one and its on its way. i figured new start so we may as well have a new color? what do you all think? i know it's not the traditional 'black book' we all know and love but hey this is not a traditional project! 

so, Mr Tom Sambles, are you ready for the challenge of being the second 'first contributor' in the all new red travelling moleskine?

www.mojolondon.co.uk/stationery/moleskine/large/moleskine_red_plain_notebook_large.htm

What Now?

I dont really want to say what I am about to but I must.

It seems the book is lost, I have not heard from gemma for over 3 weeks and my overactive imagination has got me thinking that something really bad has happened. I am going to write her a letter in hope of finding out whats going on. I really hope she is ok and the book has got lost, I think the contributors are more important than the book itself.

Now then, there is a decision to be made! should I send out another book and start again? my current opinion is that I will send out another book asap and then randomly pick the contributors one by one and see where it takes us, although it probably wont be that random as I already have certain plans in my head that I really wish to follow.

please leave comments on what to do next. all opinions welcome.

ps. 

If we start again then our first contributor (Jen) will get to have another go in the new book, its only fair.

where is it?

I have no idea, our little book has lost it's way but so has our 2n'd contributor! they have both dissapeared from the radar. I really hope nothing bad has happened to the book and our contributor. let's all hope that gemma is ok and the book is on its travels.

hello y'all I'm back

firstly I would like to say that the uk is bloody freezing! oh how I wish for my sunny menorcan villa, secondly i shall be tracking down our beloved moleskine A.S.A.P! and i shall also be definately starting the 'travelling moleskine' vol.2 around christmas so all you who wish to join in can do so in the 2nd book!

ps. the book is supposedly in surrey by now but I have not heard from the new contributor yet, maybe it has not arrived yet but i do know it has spent the last 2 weeks in watford

the next contributor is tom sambles though, check him out at  Tom Sambles Illustration

where oh where is our little moleskine?! where is its current residence & what delights does it contain?

how's it going

well people its been a busy week for me, i have been away training for my new job so i haven't had time to even check up on things. nice work there from jenuine i am really liking the apple tree page and what she did with the tacky royal mail packet stamp. the book has now been in the hands of gemma for a week, i wonder what adorns it's pages now? i hope she is having fun with it. i would also like to congratulate gemma on her recent good fortune in getting engaged. any how this will be my last post for over a week as i am off to sunny menorca for some R&R so the next post will be from gemma herself and possibly the next contributor.

have fun while i am away.

finished

  
   

finished! apologies for taking a couple of days extra to post, i had work. but here they are , my eight pages. i tried to cover a number of things i like to do, such as drawing, printing, photography, & cut-outs.

 

01: an introduction, plus the parcel stamp

02: a gocco print i did recently, cut out & stuck onto black paper

03: a collage of sorts of various film photos taken in new york, gibraltar, monaco, spain, edinburgh, & at home

04: paper cut-out

05: letters & pattern in pen & posca

06: a drawing of a true story, also a sort of homage to illustrator david galletly, he has a fine taste in colour & layout

07: tree in pen, with added paper blossoms, as autumn is here

08: last & indeed least, as it is my least favourite page, a drawing of a clock from the city where i live. i was sad that my last offering wasn't to my personal standard, but i lost a couple of days of my two weeks when i went to visit my boyfriend & had to finish it before i left so i could take a photo. too rushed.

there we have it. i wasn't expecting to be making this post so soon! so lovely to have contributed to this project, i hope you all have fun when your turn comes around. (:

the 2nd contributor

hello people! the book has reached its second destination, Watford uk, the contributor is Gemma Sands you can check her stuff at http://littletinypieces.blogspot.com 

But what you all really want to know is what is in the book from our first contributor? well i have no idea either! C'mon jen we want to see what you created.

progress

hello chaps! don't despair, our little moleskine is naked no more. there are still some pages from my allowance to fill, & whilst i thought i'd keep you updated as i went along, i find that i don't want to give away just one page at a time. it's been harder than i expected; i'm quite precious with drawing, & also found it hard to decide whether my part of the book would contain of sketches, or more finished pieces. since my tutors have always gone on at me for having pieces that were too "finished" or worked into in sketchbook, i've decided to stick with my ways & do pages that i class as "finished" rather than as sketches. also i've tried to include all the ways in which i enjoy making & creating, with each page being quite different. i've decided (perhaps to the blogs disappointment) to not post any of the pages until the book reaches it's next destination, in order for it's content to be a little surprise for the next contributer, as well as giving you guys a fat little post at the end of my moleskine time.

hope you're all well! all will be revealed on tuesday!

its been a week!

hi, its been a week since the book landed at its first destination, I wonder what has happened to it? what lies beneath that oilskin? well we will just have to wait and see, we all know jenuine wont disappoint us don't we (no pressure there at all jen), its took me a week to post due to a busy week all around, I have had more applicants e-mail me so it looks like there could be a 2nd 'traveling moleskine' sometime although it may be after xmas before I send it out. also in this weeks news I got promoted! wahay! and the little village i live in had it's annual scarecrow festival! well i cant wait for next Tuesday when the book goes traveling once more.

first

i won't lie: when i heard the thud of a package through my letterbox this morning, i spent about five minutes (whilst making a cup of tea) trying to remember what on earth i'd bought, or whether someone had mentioned sending me something. & in all honesty (it makes me sound a bit dense) upon opening i thought "oh, someone's sent me a moleskine!" then, i finally remembered the project. i was just out of bed, i promise, so forgive me.

upon this realisation i was excited, of course, but i confess to being a little worried about being the first. the first! how daunting! i have enough trouble starting my own sketchbooks, let alone one that is to have so many contributors! & i'm sad that i won't get to see anyone else's work in the flesh. but at the same time it's a blank easel, so i get to set the standard, haha.

the little moleskine is now nestled on my desk, still as naked as when it arrived through my door. i've decided not to rush into it, i have two splendid weeks of its company. but i thought i'd let you all know how it's doing, now that the projects begun. watch this space for more...

ps. thank you for the chocolate andrew! i've never actually had green & blacks before, & trust me, i will be getting more of the white! it's AMAZING!

Volume one is full

woo 2 posts in 1 day! ok bad news for anyone wanting to join in with the project, i am afriad we are all full up. 240 pages in a book 8 pages each gives me 30 contributors! and yes i have 30 contributors! 

but dont despair we could always start up volume two! so if you wish to join in with the project and if there is enough interest i will send out another 'traveling moleskine' and see where it goes.

you never knoe i could have started a bit of a collection here.

so who has got the book first? well i cant tell you.

Well it's gone, its away, we are up and running, the moleskine has departed. 

It was actually harder than i thought to make the decision of choosing who was going to get the book first, which is why Dylan made the decision for me, I sat down on Friday night worked out where everyone was and what direction the book should go but I couldn't actually decide who should have it first. should it be an illustrator? a writer? a photographer? I couldn't even decide on whether it should start with a male or female. every time I thought I had made the decision I stopped myself and found a reason to send it to someone else. so the mind of an 8yr old intervened and made the decision for me. and it was a good decision.

the posting of the book took some time too, i seemed to put it off for as long as possible every time i looked at it sat there on the passenger seat of the car i got all excited i refused to buy an envelope for it when i was in town this morning just so i could put it off till later. i eventually got the envelope put the moleskine in it and then an idea took over me, i have put a little present inside the package for the contributor who its going to, just a little thank you for joining in and being the person who has to take the first page.

I must also say that I am rather anxious about all this for some reason, it may seem to those around me that I live in chaos but it's my chaos and I understand it, yet I have just posted off something that is mine, a product of my choosing for a project of my creation and I am setting it out on a journey that is completely out of my control. you see my chaos is controlled by me and I always know what is happening around me, with this project I have given that control away all I get to decide is where it goes, what actually happens within the pages of the book is all your choice and in your control. I feel kind of lost (damn it i just lost the game) but not alone, at least i have the knowledge that you all have been accepted because I believe you have the skills, talent and honesty to see this through to its finale.

good luck to whoever it goes and what ever you do with it have fun. 

ps.

enjoy the present.

addresses!

hi everyone, i am currently in the process of collecting addresses, if you have not already sent me your postal address could you please do so as soon as possible, thanks.

AlwaysSecondBest...

D-Day is announced!

well well, i did not expect the amount of interest at all, i have seen many projects like this start up and never finish or gain enough interest to keep going but not us. there is initially only room for 3 more people! this does depend on you all using the full 8 pages, if not there will be room for more.

I never thought an idea from a 30 something years old nobody from a little insignificant village in lancashire uk would ever have its own little corner of the web! I am extremely chuffed and unbelievably exited, i hope you all are too? 

Well i have the initial path of the moleskine planned. I have also decided to post it off on the 1st of september, thats monday! too keep you all in suspense I am not going to reveal the location it will got to first, it will be a suprise to whoever gets it! I think I may even keep this up throughout so the only people who will know where it goes will be me and the person who sent it off!

Good Luck people and I hope you all have fun with this project!

just through the door

just through the door, originally uploaded by AlwaysSecondBest.

it has arrived

it has arrived, originally uploaded by AlwaysSecondBest.

the book has taken its first journey, from mojolondons stock rooms to my door! where next?

just over a week to go!

just a quickie to let everyone now we now have 22 people signed up to contribute to what is no longer 'my' little project but 'our' little project. 

also i am adding a links section to the sidebar linking to contributors blogs and stuff. only another week or so and it will have started! who will be the first contributor? how long will it take to finish it's journey? 

i have gone with the idea of  pasting the postage stamp at the start of everyones entries with their name and location. it will give the book more of a 'traveling' feel to it.

hope your all as exited as me.

group mailout

Hello to all the travelling moleskine contributors,

                First off, thank you all for joining in with my little project I was not expecting it to take off this quickly or get so many people from different places. Most of the interest I have drummed up has been through flickr and its various moleskine related groups. Again thank you all.

                Ok now to the nitty gritty, the moleskine will be sent off sometime in the first week of September, basically when I get off my fat arse and get to the post office! I am estimating the project will take approximately 18 months to complete dependent upon the time the book is in the postage system. I will also try to co-ordinate the journey of the moleskine to reduce postage costs as much as I possibly can.

                I will e-mail each of you when the book is headed your way, all I ask is a return e-mail when you receive the book, then you will receive another e-mail with the address that you must forward the book to, again I would like you to e-mail me when you post the book, the main reason for these e-mails is so I can track where the book is and I will also know if it disappears in the postal system. Also every time the book moves location I will update the blog so we all know where it is.

                What to post to the group photo pool? Anything as long as it is directly linked to the moleskine itself, i know your all going to post the pages you have contributed to as thats the whole point of it! But you can also post things like the envelope it came in (block out the address though) maybe take a picture of the postie who delivers it? Anything you like as long as you link it to the moleskine. Once you have posted to the group you will also become a moderator of the group just to make you feel even more special.

                Now for the contents.... anything you want as long as it family friendly material, simple rules. You must also put your location, the date you received the book and your name or pseudonym that you use on flickr.

                I have a few other things to discuss which I wish your opinions on, what should I do with the book once it returns home? Also how do you all feel about writing a small entry for the blog when you have the book in your possession? And lastly what does the collective think about keeping the postage stamps from each envelope? I could post a pocket cahier to go with the book on its travel we could stick the stamps in there with a small note about its travels and what it did while it was with you? Sort of like a little travel journal for the notebook! There are discussion threads on the flickr group for you to leave your ideas on these.

                And now for something which I must bring to your attention, the privacy of your information, as you all know somebody has to have all your names and addresses, which would be me. What I intend to do is that you all e-mail me with the name and address you wish the moleskine to be posted to, I then will record the details in a mini Volant (all the pages are perforated) and delete the e-mail.  Once I have received an e-mail to say you have received the book I will then tear out the page with your address and shred it. This is the most secure way I can think of to hold the information.

 

Lastly, good luck with you input and remember to keep spreading the word of the travelling moleskine project! I shall be in touch in time to let you know when your turn will come.

 

AlwaysSecondBest...

Ps if you have changed your mind and no longer wish to join in please let me know.

privacy statement and deaparture date

okay than september it is. the departure date for the traveling moleskine that is. i will contact all the contributors in the next two weeks to let you know an approximate where and when to expect the book. i would also like to stress the attention i am going to give towards the privacy of any details i will have of yours. they will only be seen by me and the person who sends you the moleskine, meaning that only 1 other person will be given your name and address, hopefully we are all trustworthy people and will also treat other deatails with respect and privacy.

speak to you all soon.

drumming up some interest.

i have been leaving notes all over the web to drum up some interest for this project, with the way things are going i think that the moleskines departure date will be in September as i don't want the poor thing hanging around for too long so i need to have enough people signed up to keep a continuous chain of people to keep it going.

a flickr group just for the moleskine

we have a flickr group

http://www.flickr.com/groups/moleskineproject/

nothing on it yet but once the moleskine is on it's travels it will be full of stuff!

how do i get the word out there?

okay people, i need your help. 

suggestions on how to get this blog out there and how to drum up more interest. 

i am staring a flickr group for 'the traveling moleskine' and possibly a myspace and facebook page, 

is there anywhere else i should be going to? let me know. 

we need to get this thing underway and in the scope of more people.

any good links?

this is the post you should leave suggestions for what websites to place links to in the box on the right. please though no self advertising here! just stick your suggestions in a commment.