What is a sketchbook
by definition a sketchbook is a pad for drawing or sketching on. However, as an artist I believe there is far more to a sketchbook than this. A sketchbook holds the visualisation of thoughts and processes, exploration of approaches and the artists visual creative dialogue. Its a treasure chest, full of interesting trains of imagination.
sketchbook exhibit
Examples of quotes regarding sketchbooks, from artists
“My sketchbook is the opposite of my job. It’s like a pocket-sized vacation. … No one knows I keep these books; it’s a dirty secret. When I draw, I wander off alone. When people are around, I always put the book away”
– Bill Brown
“I do it for fun; it makes me happy. I do it because I need it.”
– Simonetta Capecchi
“I want to transform those blank pages into a book filled with rich visual or literary information.”
– Robert Crumb
“I can feel freer and not be concerned that every drawing has to be perfect. I like the unpretentiousness of it.”
– Mattias Adolfsson
“My sketchbook serve me as a place to draw anytime, anywhere. They help me stay free and, at the same time, help me get connected to the world around me in a deeper way.”
– Rick Beerhorst
“Having people watch while I [draw] would be a bit of a buzz kill. Don’t tread on my Zen, man.”
– Butch Belair
“I started keeping a journal when I was eight years old. It started off as a “dear diary,” and I even recorded what the weather was like that day and what I ate. It morphed over the years to paint blobs and a gathering of thoughts – less conventional and more free.”
– Penelope Dullaghan
“I don’t think of sketchbooks as sacred…. They are rought materials. And in that is where I find beauty.”
“My notebook is with me always, always always. It is an extension of my mind. … I let my mind wander and pay attention to where it goes. This is, in art, how I practice creativity.”
– Paul Madonna
"My journals give me a pressure-free place to play around."
– Amanda Kavanagh
"I love the way I see the world differently since I started drawing. I like seeing how everything relates to everything else.
– Gay Kraeger
"Sketchbooks should be the one place without rules."
– Marilyn Patrizio
"...taken as a whole, you have a sequential gestalt of your drawing experiences over a given period of time that you don't really get when doing individual pieces."
– Everett Peck
– Bill Brown
“I do it for fun; it makes me happy. I do it because I need it.”
– Simonetta Capecchi
“I want to transform those blank pages into a book filled with rich visual or literary information.”
– Robert Crumb
“I can feel freer and not be concerned that every drawing has to be perfect. I like the unpretentiousness of it.”
– Mattias Adolfsson
“My sketchbook serve me as a place to draw anytime, anywhere. They help me stay free and, at the same time, help me get connected to the world around me in a deeper way.”
– Rick Beerhorst
“Having people watch while I [draw] would be a bit of a buzz kill. Don’t tread on my Zen, man.”
– Butch Belair
“I started keeping a journal when I was eight years old. It started off as a “dear diary,” and I even recorded what the weather was like that day and what I ate. It morphed over the years to paint blobs and a gathering of thoughts – less conventional and more free.”
– Penelope Dullaghan
“I don’t think of sketchbooks as sacred…. They are rought materials. And in that is where I find beauty.”
“My notebook is with me always, always always. It is an extension of my mind. … I let my mind wander and pay attention to where it goes. This is, in art, how I practice creativity.”
– Paul Madonna
"My journals give me a pressure-free place to play around."
– Amanda Kavanagh
"I love the way I see the world differently since I started drawing. I like seeing how everything relates to everything else.
– Gay Kraeger
"Sketchbooks should be the one place without rules."
– Marilyn Patrizio
"...taken as a whole, you have a sequential gestalt of your drawing experiences over a given period of time that you don't really get when doing individual pieces."
– Everett Peck
Examples of artist sketchbooks
James jean Sketchbook
James Jean's surreal ink drawings and sketches flow throughout his sketchbooks, distorting and stretching the edges and boundaries of the pages, which further adds to the surreal nature of his work. They have a fluid feel, that challenges traditional expectations of ink and line drawings. Anatomically they remain somewhat measured and accurate, whilst using perspective and depth to create interesting new scales and viewpoints, in addition overlapping images and figures appear within outlines and edges of full body images which make the work more intriguing and satisfying for the eye or viewer. Colour blocks are used to express light and shade or areas of negative space. This use of abstract colour intrigues me as the choices reflect appropriate tones while being unexpected and vibrant.
James Jeans sketchbook encourages me to think freely in terms of line and express myself irrespective of expected boundaries and edges. I enjoy seeing this sketchbook in a metaphorical manner, i.e.: ideas flowing from the mind freely, expressed by untamed line that continues past the expected limit. Bright tones light up elements that otherwise could be overlooked, adding new ways of looking.
Vincent van gogh
Small scale drawings in corners of the book encourages me to reflect on Van goghs supposed mental state and mind. The individual drawings are expressive yet contained within a perimeter which convey a frustration. In hindsight his sketchbook is a view into his thinking that can not be argued. The sketchbooks reveal elements of his persona that would otherwise perhaps be overlooked.
Fridha Kahlo
Frida seems to use her pages in this manner, where by she separates a more complex drawn area with line from the otherwise negative space of the page. It is something that I find irritates me, as overall the page then lacks balance in composition. This is most likely the last thing on the mind of an artist using a sketchbook, as usually it is a place for free thinking and creativity, however viewing the pages of her sketchbooks from an outside perspective, I understand makes me "see" them differently. I view them as a piece of work, or a resolved thing.
Orlando Rebeiro
I thoroughly enjoy the pages of Rebeiros sketchbooks. In most cases, every inch of the page is used, filled with observational drawings and notes. There is a sense of balance and fullness, and I am pulled into the pages wanting to read and see all elements in more detail.
I may be biased as my own sketchbooks are done in a similar manner, with a range pf textures and tones alongside a variety of notes and doodles. However, the books are successful in that they clearly have allowed a creative pathway.
Tim burton
As expected, there is unique and recognizable quality in Tim burtons sketchbooks that as a viewer, make the pages instantly familiar yet grossly intriguing. Even in this little pink and white "love heart" print dress, and set upon a mostly blank page, there is a darkness about the drawing and the stylised hand writing that essentially couldn't have been achieved by anyone else.
How these examples may influence my use of a sketchbook.
after looking at some other artists sketchbooks in more detail I have approached my own in a slightly different manner. I enjoy texture and tonal variation, and have always used a multitude of materials. My notes have always been littered around the page. These things are part of my own creative thinking and style, reflecting the way that I think and process visual information. I now see that a unique approach and style is something that all successful sketchbooks appear to embody, so I will possible try and engage further in what I am doing, thus developing my approach further.
Making a sketchbook
Firstly, I set about choosing around 50 mixed sheets of colored and textured papers, I then positioned them together neatly and began binding them with a needle and thread. This created a unique sketchbook that has an organic appeal.
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