Carnet de gratitude: Octobre 2025

This month of October, I began my 10th Carnet de gratitude sketchbook and it felt like a party !
Imagine that I began this adventure in November 2021 and have been drawing daily ever since, so it adds up to 4 years and 9 sketchbooks completed...
It makes me happy, and I think I will celebrate by finding or making a nice long box just the right size for 10 sketchbooks, and I plan to get a few, don't think I plan to stop anytime soon.

In this issue, I'm sharing quite many pages that are still in the sketching stage. I have come to understand, thanks to Lapin's lessons, that this stage isn't really necessary, and it can hinders one's speed when drawing, specialy for Urban Sketching. Also, it is liberating to skip the sketching stage and you concentrate more on your line, so why keep it ? Well, I will try, but meanwhile, I'll show you these pages in their early stage.

Also, notice in this set of vignettes that I show you the wonderful cat house/konbini that my friend Deer Bartok made for her kitten, Diego. It's so wonderful ! See what can be made with cardboard and love <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 beginning in 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 (I'm growing very fond of these for their beautiful palette)
I also use Notes to scribble what I notice or want to remember ans share in the next pages.
See here my little drawing set-up with feline assistant Hinata, insisting on better line precision and skipping the sketching stage.

October 1st, I learned that 99% of kangaroos are left-handed, just like me. Also, these Spanish cakes are just too good for their own good.

October 2nd, I read from Nnedi Okorafor's novel, it is brilliant, and I kept my feet on the Revitive Medic despite the electro-stimulation sending jolts up my legs. And I saw this beautiful flowers that grew in a friends garden in Florida.

It was the day for Kangding Ray's Siat album and I listened to it a lot <3 I got new Snag Tights in the Bone China colour that I love so much and tried to find out more about the concept of bone ash porcelain. Our Potichat Kurumi felt very much at ease in the mess of the garage.

Another great new album to listen to : Watt by Bertrand Belin <3 I also asked AI Gemini to compose a haiku about the novel I'm reading, by Nnedi Okorafor, and another one about the embedded novel that sits at the heart of the main novel. Metafiction !
I got some news and photos of little Diego from my friend Deer Bartok.

Another interesting album of Kraftwerk covers by Rodolphe Burger isn't out yet, but you can already listen to some titles like Ätherwellen...
Diego got new plush toys that look just like the comics. I saw a publication with Pixel smiling !
And on TV there was a documentary about the association that helps rescue hedgehogs <3

Singing this song "J'adore le monde" by Bertrand Belin with The Limiñanas is heartwarming <3
Mu heartbeat was checked and the cardiologist was happy too !
So we celebrated by getting the best macarons in the world, namely Pierre Hermé's and that's in the Saira Hunjan collection box.

I'm happy to try these new Japanese ingredients for my dashi broth in which I cooked fish.
My Potichat Yuzu has sharp teeth and he love to sever the lines of their best-loved toys...

Kurumi looked at me with many messages in his eyes this morning <3 I received a photo from an online friend waving from Lake Michigan.
For the first time, I made Corean marinated eggs and that's so yummy ! And I got an important phone call with a nice lady that gave me lots of information.

I received Becky Chambers new book of short stories. The Potichats got to play with their delicacies tray in the catio. I began drawing expressive eyes thanks to a Domestika course (Watercolor Drawings: How to Paint Expressive Eyes by Carlos Rodríguez Casado).

Kurumi was asleep in this beautiful position when I woke up. Then I played an online live quiz and finished in the 3rd place ! In the evening, I watched Zaho de Sagazan wonderful symphonic concert, you can see it on Youtube or on Arte.tv.

Listened to Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe album "Liminal", then I vacuumed the walls and ceilings while wearing a super strong headlamp.
The book by friend Sabrina Calvo, "Après le matin" arrived. I drank my coffee with cardamom spice on it and a tasty little industrial cake called Napolitain.

Listened to the mirror album to Liminal, called Luminal ! Yuzu was comfortably settled on the stairs. I drank coffee with lots of almonds and an Almendera Rellena <3 Then saw photos from what my friend Nicolas is growing in his vegetable patch somewhere in the center of France.

First, I had an online appointment with dietetician and friend Cannelle Demeyer, then I listened to a remix of "I'm Deranged" by Bowie, this is soundtrack to one of my very favorite movies : Lost Highway. Then we had mango, and Potichat Kurumi slept through it all on the best chair that is "ze place to be".

Physical therapist led me through a session of leg exercises that wore me out ! But not enough to stop me from playing with the new toys that arrived for the Potichats <3

First thing in the morning, the old pomegranate that was aging on the counter without anybody taking the pain to peel it just rolled and crashed on my foot ! So I decided the time had come and opened it. It is so wonderful to paint bleeding pomegranates !
Then I had my online Theater Therapy session, we laughed a lot with the improvisations.
And for dinner, I lacked the crispy nori seaweeds but I made ramen anyway and it was yummy.

Listened to this album by Zaho de Sagazan, I love the symphonic versions <3 Then played with the Potichats.
In the evening, I joined a Youtube Live Event held by a former colleague from a time before the year 2000 when we worked for SEGA. It was sweet to rememorate with live audience.

On this day, I began noticing clever billboards and signs for the upcoming No Kings protests in the USA.
I also listened to Mohini Dey play on her bass guitar, she is so amazing <3
And I made roasted scallops with flaky sea salt, then a lovely pear tart with almond cream and that was so yummy and perfect.

It was my daughter and my father's birthdays.
And it was also the huge No Kings protests all over the USA. Many of my friends went and stood for their values, all this with great patience, admirable signs and hilarious costumes <3

Listened to William Sheller covers by younger musicans, his songs are very close to my feelings <3
These Handmaids Tales characters were spectacular and full of sense in the No Kings protests, so I felt there should be one in my sketchbook. I chosed this one with the "Replacing science with ideology" message but they were all so very true, sadly.
Then here, for diner, we ordered a delicious Sushi Shop box.

I'm happy that Wabisabi has elected to spend a lot of time with me on the couch where I draw.. She came close to my phone and I got a funny picture of her chin. I read this by Gene Roddenberry, and it's true that I often think of Star Trek when I ponder where whe stand as society and where we could have been...

This morning, I nibbled on a Näkd fruit and nut bar, then listened to Of Monsters and Men's new album "All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade". I saw a strange trilobite beetle online. Miruku played some with me. And I received a present from HappyVisio that I had won at the quiz.

I would have got this 2026 calendar if it were larger, but it was nice drawing the cover anyway. Tanuki splooted on the scratch pad in the catio <3

I began the day with Philip Glass Piano, and freed a little butterfly that was trapped under the window.
In the afternoon, I watched the long movie "The Brutalist", I love stories about architecture.

More marinated eggs for brunch, what a treat ! It's weel worth shelling them very carefully :-)
Kurumi and Miruku huddled and played together.
In the evening, I drew while singing with Talking Heads, mostly my favourite songs "Heaven" and "Memories can't wait".

I listened to Pixies, to Interpol, and watched the leaves change colour through the bathroom window.
Tanuki got to lick some Churu, that's very addictive for cats and Potichats <3

Leaves from our maple tree kept on cycling throught autumn colours <3
I cooked apples in the Airfryer.
My friend Deer Bartok got a lovely book for Diego and read for him.

I put on a long puffy blue dress with a sharp yellow garnment under it.
For diner, I put some feta cheese drizzled with olive oil mixed with honey in the Airfryer it was very good.
And I watched a concert by Thylacine at the Gaîté Lyrique, a wonderful mix with saxophone and lots of spirit.

Got ready listening to acoustic "10.15 Saturday Night" by The Cure, it reminds me of being a young punk in Paris in the 80s...
Played with the Potichats and Nori made a show of how terrible he is when hunting ;-)
Then I got my flue and Covid shots.

I finished watching again the musical "Annette", then listened to Rose Betts "White Orchids" album.
Kurumi was installed on his duvet cover with a favorite toy mouse.
As we were short of desserts, I tried making baked vanilla creams in the Airfryer and it worked nicely.

On this day, I finished Carnet de gratitude n°9 and began n°10 <3
I listened to Aurora's album for the video game Sky : Children of Light... it's my go to album for quietness and relief.
I went in the garden to take a look at our small maple tree that was so red.

The Carnet de gratitude adventure continues !

For Halloween, I sat a long time in my red Snags with skulls filling little satchels with candy. The bell started ringing (it mimics a knock knock sound that's much better for our Potichats). I saw photos of my daughter with an hypnotic lense on one of her eyes !
My friend Deer Bartok wanted to send me a present full of Halloween goodies but the post office didn't pick it up so... she gave it to a friend who delivered it at my door !
We saw lots of frightening monsters of a very young age, and some parents with great costumes lnocking at our door and they were rewarded with the candy <3

That's enough for me to start the acutal fineliners lines at this stage. And I ate the candy ;-)