A Life In Hand: Creating the Illuminated Journal [Paperback]

Hannah Hinchman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999

**Popular Journal Illustrating Book < Redesigned With An Attractive New Cover < & Illustration and Is Now Available In < See Through Shrink Wrap. < **Postponed Till Spring 99"**

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hannah Hinchman is a freelance artist, writer, and calligrapher. Her work has been published in numerous magazies, and her most recent book os A Trail Through Leaves: The Journal as a Path Through Place. She lives in Montana.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Most of us, sorting through childhood memories, have remarked that it isn't always the significant event or the important day we remember. It is more likely to be an apparently random detail, like the pattern on a dress our mother wore, or the smell of dust on a hot street when the first drops of rain hit it. Even though we don't remember who came to our fourth birthday party, we probably have a vivid recollection from childhood of how the seasons felt; exactly how cool the air was in the summer shade as we drank a glass of cold lemonade. The apparently random details cohere. They form memories that are distinct, unique and eternally fresh.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith, Publisher (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087905882X
• ISBN-13: 978-0879058821
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #786,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Self-Help > Journal Writing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blending drawing and writing in journals, March 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Life In Hand: Creating the Illuminated Journal (Paperback)

When I bought the first edition of this book several years ago, I went back and bought 6 more copies which I gave to my closest friends. Each felt as I did, that this was a profound book that stimulated creative journal keeping for inner and outer experiences to sharpen every day. I'd long looked for someone who could guide my urges to write and to draw, to stimulate me to put my observations out where I could really grasp them. Hinchman showed me the way with writing and memory exercises which I actually did and enjoyed, basic art technique, encouragement, and the idea that my scribbles and jottings could become a treasured personal record.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for anyone who keeps a journal., January 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Life in Hand (Paperback)

This book has created a nationwide interest in illustrated journal-keeping. It's a friendly, exquisitely illustrated volume from someone who is obviously nature-connected and literate to boot. If you like maps, natural history illustration, or if you are one of those who have always wanted to draw, but don't believe you can....this is the book for you

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Books to Encourage Creativity, July 31, 2004

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Life In Hand: Creating the Illuminated Journal (Paperback)

Sky a relaxed blue. Snow shadows have more violet than sky does. At the unfocussed edge of the shadow, an orange penumbra. ~February 1989

A Life in Hand is a book set designed to encourage your creativity. Both books have beautiful covers and the second book is filled with blank pages.

Hannah Hinchman lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she works as a freelance artist, illustrator, graphic designer, calligrapher, writer and teacher. Her work has appeared in Sisters of the Earth and in Sierra magazine. She now teaches field journal workshops for the Yellowstone Institute. All the drawings in the instruction booklet were taken from Hannah's journals. The last section of this book is filled with Watercolor art and Hannah's calligraphy.

Hannah encourages everyone to begin a journal, no matter what your age or life experience. She explores the magic of journal keeping and brings a new perspective to letter writing. She enjoys word play and stream-of-consciousness writing.

If you want to start a journal, this book set may inspire you and give you ideas for illustrating your observations about life.

~The Rebecca Review