Carnet de gratitude : June 2025 sketchbook

How do you feel when you get a new sketchbook ? Once upon a time, I felt the joy of holding a new Carnet, but it was mixed with some dread because I didn't know if I would find inspiration to fill it, if I would make time for it...
But with Domestika, I got the right incentives, and met the best teachers to give me little processes that helped me start on this path.
Gratitude sketchbooks are powerful tools, I wish you to connect with this practice.
I'm super glad that drawing a page everyday in mine has become second-nature and a nice relief each evening <3

If you want to know more about my Gratitude sketchbook practice, I answered an interview for Domestika's blog at the end of 2024. https://www.domestika.org/en/blog/13539-stig-legrand-s-journey-turning-daily-gratitude-into-illustrated-masterpieces

This project is published monthly and you can access the archives since November 2021 from the Projects section on my Profile.

Sketchbook : Talens, Art Creation, 9x14cm, colour Fresh Mint
Fineliners : UniPin in Dark Grey, Light Grey, Black, size range from 0.03 to 0.5 - Colour Fineliners : Sakura Pigment
Brush Pens : Water-based Tombows AB1, Kuretake Art & Graphic Twin, Koi by Sakura, Pentel Brush Sign Pens, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist

What is this terrible picture that I share in the supplies section ? It is the sheets where I test my colours before using a pen in the sketchbook illustration !
I recommend playing with colours prior deciding on your actual palette, it's an interesting and useful step.

On the first of June, I listened to two of my favorite Pixies albums, linked together in a new Live pressing <3 I can still sing the entire setlist of Bossanova and Trompe le Monde <3 While I did, sitting on the bath edge, a tiny bright yellow leaf from the acacia landed beside me through the window !
I also tried to make caramelised almonds in the AirFryer for the first time, they turned out yummy !
And I began an important artistic project : a Leporello sketchbook about empathy, that would later be filled with testimony from my friends...

On June 2nd, I began the day with Happy Pilates and my new little dumbells, then another online writing workshop.
Then I talked with my dad on the phone while he was stuck in traffic, it was very nice to reminisce about childhood...
And later, an episode from season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers <3
And to top it all, drawing and painting in the Empathy Leporello.

On June 3rd, I drew an hommage to my friend Coralie Trinh Thi's cat : Izis, her beautiful companion that she still misses a lot; even though she got a black kitten yesterday, on July 8th. Izis will always be remembered and loved.
In the Leporello, I drew a page about the Voigt-Kampff test from Blade Runner, an apt exemple for defining empathy.
And for dinner, a Pinsa Romana garnished with artichoke cream, wild asparagus, parma ham, mozzarella balls, wild herbs and shoots, shred burrata and black olives <3

On June 4th, I began with an online yoga session, followed by Papote & Popote, an online conference about alimentation to help people with cardiac diseases. Then I made a Croque-Madame, with everything : ham, cheese, egg and bechamel sauce <3
In the afternoon, I shared the concept of my Leporello sketchbook with my Theater Therapy online group, it was interesting to them too.
And see my little Kurumi asleep on an armchair.

I love Big Thief and Adrianne Lenker's voice, so I'm happy with their now song "Incomprehensible" and am waiting for their new album next september.
Then I received all these great books, they are now on my PAL (books to read pile), except the orange one that I began, very interesting and difficult to grasp.

On June 6th, I finished audiobook "Under the breaking sky" and dived once more into the pages of Haruki Murakami's "The City and its Uncertain Walls".
We had melon that I carved into nice little balls <3
My daughter showed pictures of her new company "Les Frères du Mystère", with which they make Magician of Oz performances, and she plays a wonderful scarecrow <3

Husband brought back delicious burgers by chef Paul Pairet, I was so happy to taste them !
Then I shared the month of May of my Gratitude Sketchbook on Domestika, while our Potichats waited patiently.

June 8th was a day spent in the garden, we tried to save an ailing bumblebee because it was a little cold, then husband did most of the work to plant our new blackcurrant and caseille bushes. We harvested its first little berries, black and fragrant.

DJ Shadow as June 9th soundtrack <3
I made a scrumptious cake with almond flour, sugar, butter and rum, it was incredibly yummy.
Domestika featured the month of May from my Gratitude Sketchbook, thank you <3
The Potichats enjoyed the catio, and I watched a Pacific Rim movie in the evening

When I went downstaris on June 10th, I saw Wabisabi's little head peering at me from a huge pile of cardboards boxes where she had slept.
I drank iced Coconut-Vanilla flavoured coffee, saw beautiful flowers photographed by a friend in Japan, ate a traditionnal biscuit and began a new audiobook for the month : Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness" that dates back to 1969 but still carries many powerful thoughts.

On June 11th, I did Happy Yoga and we learned a breathing technic that can freshen oneself inside out. Useful in this weather.
Hinata, the mother and Tanuki, the daughter slept and were cuddled.
I enjoyed more flowers from my friend's Japanese trip and even a poppy looks real good.

I read "Ne Jamais Couler" a graphic novel about fat shaming that was both touching and funny, by awesome Marie de Brauer, and illustrator Lucymacaroni.
Then watched the movie "The Peanut-butter Falcon", with Shia Leboeuf, Dakota Johnson and Zack Gottsagen. It was great, I even watched it again the next day with husband.
And I began the friends pages in my Leporello about Empathy.

On June 13th, I continued filling the Empathy Leporello with friends feedback, one of these friends sent me pictures of nature in Auvergne where she was learning herbs lore, and husband brought back groceries and fresh ripe cherries !
We also enjoyed ice-cream as it was much too hot for the season.

On June 14th, I felt so proud of my friends in the USA who thought up clever signs and costumes for the No Kings! day of action.
The situation is very serious worldwide, so it's important to make a stand.
Here, we sang The Kiffness song "Hold onto my fur", we are silly cat people.

On June 15th, I woke up from vivid dreams, I dreamt about Tanuki.
Hinata asked for cuddles and Miruku asked for play.
I read Ruwen Ogien's philosophical experiments book.

On June 16th, I first listened to Nicolas Jaar remix of Grizzly Bear and of Brian Eno.
Then I read more from Haruki Murakami's book.
Wabisabi perched on the fish tank.

On June 17th, I woke up with horrible cramps in the legs, as often happens, so I went to the chemist to get more pills that help a little.
Later in the day, my sister-in-law called to tell us that my mother-in-law had passed at 91 on that day.

On June 18th, I learned a way to make the Yoga Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) with the help of a chair. It was very clever and gratifying.
I followed an online conference about hydratation, then my Theater Therapy session.
It was a very feline day, with our Potichats but also meeting Nnedi Okorafor two wonderful cats : Periwinkle Chukwu and Neptune Onyedike.

Another hot day was June 19th, Miruku felt the same even laying on our bed...
So the best cure was mint ice-cream in front of an electric fan.
For diner, we had carpaccio, green salad and french fries.

On June 20th, it was so hot the Potichats slept it through. Kurumi elected a grocery crate in the catio as the best bedding option for a cool cat.
I went to the podiatrist, then had a strawberry ice-cream.
In the mailbox, there was a nice surprise : an unexpected card from a friend <3

June 21st was the solstice and also national Music Day ! But we stayed at home and luckily I could enjoy photos from friends celebrations.
I drew the page of my friend Estelle Monsterlune in the Empathy Leporello.
And of course, I ate a pistachio ice-cream <3

On June 22nd, I re-read Boris Vian's poetry.
This poem "Je voudrais pas crever", it stuck in my heart from a young age, when I was in my teens and never left me.
I also saw a beaufitul photo of a cicada, and the new ex-libris stamp my friend Deer Bartok designed for her books.

On June 23rd, I heard news from my daughter who had weathered hailstorms in her garden. Lots of shredded leaves and vegetable damage, but nobody hurt and the house stayed safe. And she harvested a lot of blackcurrants from the ground !
While husband was working on our outside wall and cutting the old roses close to the roof, I unpacked old boxes and found favourite figures that had been put away a long time ago.
Also, I received books from a great manga series by Yuri Sonoda, "Cat Companions : Maruru and Hachi".

On June 24th, I cut radishes straight through the middle, saw lovely old roses, wild and rumpled, Kurumi slept and woke up with the setting sun in his eyes, and we had a nice dinner of homemade burgers and french fries while watching the final episode of reality show Koh Lanta.

One again, June 25th was very hot, so I drank iced anise water, and settled in the catio for the evening to monitor the thunderstorms.
It was a bit frightening but we were lucky and nothing bad happened at our place. But in Paris, just a few kilometers away, trees were torn in half, thrown to the ground, it was quite terrible !
I already finished book 2 of "Cat Companions".

On June 26th, I drew flowers that looked like the sun, saw the lovely redcurrants that talented friend Nicolas grew in his large gardens, I unpacked and wore a lovely top that was sewn for me from an Etsy shop many years ago, and husband made a good job of cleaning the outside walls of our house with chlorine bleach.

June 27th, another hot day...! So I made pasta salad, first of the season, and had pistachio ice-cream.
Our Hinata took a long time to come back from her usual afternoon stroll so we worried a lot and were so happy when she turned up in the evening.

On saturday June 28th, she shared small brown shrimps with our Potichats, and enjoyed dark nordic bread and cucumber cream salad.
I saw another lovely orange hibiscus had opened in the Florida garden of my friend Gwendolyn.
Kurumi made funny faces while laying upside down on top of a cupboard, and I made a video call with some friends that shared new books with me.

June 29th was the hottest day of these hot days ! I dressed as light as possible, listened to a science podcast about free will, watched beautiful videos made by my friend Christel touring Japan, began "Smoke" a new series on AppleTV with the title song by Thom Yorke, and husband brought back pizzas.
The two last books from manga "Cat Companions" arrived <3

And last day of the month was mellower, and began with Happy Pilates, using my Elastiband.
Then I listened to a song by Aurora and Jacob Collier, brushed and cuddled Tanuki and Hinata, and for diner made a trout filet topped with slivered almonds, in the oven.

30 pages filled in my 9th Carnet de Gratitude sketchbook : I wouldn't have it any other way <3