Later on this week, I'll post a picture of the boxes and boxes of envelopes so you can see for yourself how big the pool is. As we go through submissions, we'll be sending out letters letting people know whether they made it. Please don't call or e-mail asking us if you are going to be in the feature or if we've reviewed your work yet. We kindly ask for your patience—we've got our work cut out for us!

Martha of Trumpetvine Travels has developed specific tastes in art materials, from a specific fountain pen to a style of sketchbook. She rebinds her Moleskine notebooks to replace the paper that comes in them with watercolor paper.

(You can also have a look at a step-by-step demonstration of how she sketches, with details on what paints she uses.)

I've never been a painter, but I do like to doodle and write lots of notes. For that, I built my own sketchbook, which you can see at right. Inside is a mix of lots of random sheets of paper. They are bound in a Coptic style, very similar to the way Martha does hers. Check out her detailed instructions on rebinding to give it a try yourself!

Via the Craft Zine blog: The coolest cake I have ever seen. This might be perfect if you've got a friend or family member who is still trying to solve the Rubik's Cube they bought in 1981.

Not knowing what to do with myself over the long Labor Day weekend, I made a trip to Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center for the first time on Monday.

An exhibit called "Open House: Cincinnati Collects" (running through October 14) takes up about two floors of the downtown museum at the moment. The CAC, which doesn't have a permanent collection, brought in pieces by more than 200 artists from more than 50 collectors.

A lot of contemporary art is hit-or-miss with me—I have an easier time understanding and appreciating traditional arts and crafts. But one piece—simply graphite on paper—had my undivided attention for close to a half hour.

My Future Based on Present Circumstances 4/01/04 by Beth Campbell is part of a series where she—as the title suggests—maps out the ways her life could go from one little decision she must make. I stood there tracing each branch up to read every possible outcome. (Yes, I was a fan of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books as a kid.)

In the 4/01/04 drawing, entrusted with the keys to a friend's apartment, Campbell might only pick up the mail and go, or she might start hanging out there regularly. Or she might get too comfortable and throw a party. And that might make the neighbors mad, or it might make her friend unknowingly the life of the building.

Campbell's quasi-calligraphy is beautiful to look at, and I can't help but feel the exercise could be adapted as a brainstorming too for people with a creative block. I think I'm going to try it later and see what my many futures might hold.

Image courtesy of the Contemporary Arts Center

Today I stumbled across this linocut tutorial with good instructions and very helpful pictures to illustrate the process! (It also includes a margarita recipe, I guess to get your creative juices flowing?)

If you want to try linoleum prints on for size, check out Dick Blick's printmaking supplies. All you need to get started is a linoleum block (I find mounted ones are easier to deal with), a linoleum cutter, some water-based ink, a brayer for rolling the ink and some paper. (There's a basic kit for sale for $15.99 here.)

Here's a two-color linocut of mine from a while back:

These are some of the streams I subscribe to:
Art News Blog
CRAFT Magazine
The Smithsonian's Eye Level
The New York Times' Art and Design section

Do you have any more suggestions for great art-related blogs to read religiously?

We get a fair amount of correspondence from incarcerated artists. So when I saw yesterday's New York Times article about Alfredo Santos, who painted six murals in San Quentin State Prison while an inmate there, my interest was piqued.

Santos was serving four years for heroin possession when he won a competition to paint the murals, each about 12x100 feet. He credits his time in the clink with his development as an artist. (He's owned a number of galleries since his parole in 1955.)

Five decades later, the murals are at risk. San Quentin, which isn't in the best shape, is one of the most dilapidated prisons in California. Although a study called for preserving the murals, no suggestions were made as to how that would be done.

Watch this sweet slide show to inspect the massive murals for yourself.