Why I Love Sketchbooks and How I Use Them in My Art Practice
This week I finished filling up my 16th sketchbook.
There’s something so satisfying about filling up a book, whether it’s a sketchbook or a journal.
For a long time although I easily scribbled away filling journal after journal with words, sketchbooks were much harder for me.
As a child I happily filled books with play “writing” and fanciful drawings. My mom gave me my first blank book before I even knew how to write my name.
some of my childhood sketchbooks — I didn’t date the pages, but I liked numbering them
As I got older I developed what has been a life-long journalling habit, but I abandoned drawing, sketching and painting.
I took on the belief that I was bad at art. Deep down I remembered how art had once brought me joy and a secret yearning waited for me to be brave enough to try again.
Every once in a while I’d take out a sketchbook and some colored pencils. But over about 15 years I only managed to complete a few pages.
One of the biggest challenges for me was knowing what to put on the pages of my sketchbooks.
I lacked confidence. I wasn’t comfortable with art-making and drawing didn’t come easily to me. I was afraid of “ruining” my pages or “messing up”. Somehow an ugly page in my sketchbook seemed much more permanent than a failed experiment done on a separate piece of paper.
The 2x2 Sketchbook collaboration I did with Dana Barbieri was a turning point for my relationship with sketchbooks. But it’s only part of the story. Around that time I also challenged myself to a personal daily sketchbook project and I joined a daily painting challenge.
Nothing can improve your art-making and jolt your inspiration like a daily art-making habit.
Avoiding drawing for so many years meant I couldn’t improve, but showing up regularly changed everything. The more art I made, the more art I wanted to make and the more the ideas flowed.
Getting started is probably the hardest part. Showing up, day after day, especially in the beginning, isn’t easy. Overcoming all that was holding me back took time.
Today my sketchbooks are dear to me, even the failed pages. Through my sketchbook practice I grew my skills as an artist and I developed and strengthened my voice.
I number my sketchbooks as I finish them and frequently date each page. Like my written journals my sketchbooks tell a story of my life and a story of my development as an artist.
Sketchbooks are deeply personal. There are probably as many ways to use a sketchbook as there are artists. I think one of the things that held me back in the beginning was thinking my sketchbook had to look a certain way. Seeing perfect looking pages online I felt pressure to create perfect looking pages in my own books.
Sketchbook pages needn’t be finished pieces of art. And they don’t need to be shared. Giving myself the freedom to be messy or silly, to experiment or play, and do so privately between the pages of my sketchbooks, opened up a world of possibilities.
Over time I was able to create a sketchbook practice that complements my art-making, brings me joy and is fun. I no longer stare at the blank page with no idea what to do.
Here are some of the ways I like to use my sketchbooks:
to plan out paintings or other projects
to study a flower or plant
to practice drawing
to try new media
to write and sketch joy lists
to play with color
to draw and paint things things I don’t normally draw and paint
to cheer myself up
to play with ideas
to experiment
Building confidence around art-making and sketchbooks also means that I’ve discovered my own preferences — from the books themselves to the materials I use to how and when I turn to them. I don’t usually like to paint outside but I love bringing my sketchbooks out to my garden. Watercolors are my main way of creating art and although I love them I don’t often use them in my sketchbooks. Being able to explore other media is one of the things I love most about my sketchbook practice.
My favorite media for using in my sketchbooks:
mechanical pencils
micron pens — I usually use black ones but a student recently recommended sepia microns and I love them
brush pens
markers
paint pens (including Posca pens and metallic leafing pens)
Neocolor II crayons (usually without water)
Prismacolor colored pencils
gouache
acrylic craft paint
collage
When I started teaching online my very first class was about sketchbooks. Since then I’ve loved sharing my enthusiasm about working in sketchbooks with thousands of students. It means so much to me to be able to share my story and in doing so help others reclaim their creativity and love of art-making.
Do you keep a sketchbook? If you do, how do you use it? What sorts of art do you make? What materials do you like to use?
We can learn so much from each other.