For the love of Sketchbooks
What I've discovered from a mini sketchbook-retrospective
Sketchbooks. I love them. I realised that my posts here so far have been focused on my sketchbook work, so I thought I’d lean into that and dive into some old sketchbooks I have sitting on my studio bookshelves. Some of them even go way back to my art school days.
In my final year of art school I remember filling about 14 full sketchbooks, but not always with much drawing. I mostly used them to write copious notes and ramblings of ideas, that probably made no sense to anyone but me. After I graduated I didn’t use them nearly as much, and I did go through a phase of not liking sketchbooks at all and didn’t work in one for a few years. I think I got too hung up on worrying about making rubbish drawings and ‘spoiling’ the sketchbook.
I’m glad I let go of this eventually and fell in love with them all over again - fast forward to 2020 and online drawing classes were everywhere, and I also did a wonderful course with The Good Ship Illustration. Both of these things really helped re-ignite my love for sketching and creative play, and I’ve been frequently filling up sketchbooks ever since!
Sketchbooks are such a valuable tool and provide a space to really let loose - and this can be so important when you’re working on a lot of commission work, to take the time to do something different and stretch your creative muscles. My sketchbook work doesn’t look like my ‘finished’ work. It’s very rough and full of energy. I find it difficult not to draw like this in a sketchbook, and by the same token I find it difficult to then draw like this outside of a sketchbook, if that makes sense! There’s just something about that format that brings out that side of my work; maybe it’s simply the lack of pressure to be doing an important proper finished piece of artwork.
That’s not to say I don’t enjoy making more finished pieces - for example I absolutely love painting pet portraits and making them beautiful and detailed. I like having a balance between the two ways of working in my practice at the moment. It definitely helps me to feel creatively fulfilled.
As I was flipping through my old sketchbooks I really noticed how much similarity there was between older drawings and more recent ones. I seem to be drawn to very similar subjects and compositions. Looking at the pages side by side, I can really see my confidence growing in my drawing now - I think my mark-making feels more free and more bold. More experienced, I suppose.
Some of my favourite drawings are hidden inside old sketchbooks.
In particular, I’m very fond of some pieces I did at online life drawing classes a few years back. I’m often so sure I’m terrible at drawing people, but looking at these proves that I’m actually not… it’s maybe just clothes I’m not so good at? Anyway I do really love these drawings, and it’s got me thinking about seeking out some life drawing classes again.
I have many sketchbooks filled with drawings from animal life drawing classes too - this post would be far too long if I included all of them so I’ll share just a few favourites… These are all drawn from moving footage and photographs, carefully curated by the lovely Holly Surplice. I highly recommend her animal life drawing sessions if you wanted to give it a go yourself!
The one thing that really stood out to me whilst looking back through all of these sketchbooks is that when I look at the drawings I am immediately transported back to the place I was drawing. I can remember it so clearly. These pages are going waaaay back to 2007 or 2008 I think, on an art school drawing trip out to the countryside. I remember sitting painting these sheep for a whole day, cross legged in the long grass opposite their field. It was hot and sunny and my neck got sunburnt. There was a little frog leaping in the grass too. I remember carefully studying the sheep and looking for their shapes and where the darkest areas were. I’m not sure if these blobby paintings look like sheep but I really love them, because I can vividly remember being so engrossed in making them, even all these years later.
Drawing something definitely helps me to remember it, both the place and the time in my life. Just like if I write something down I’m more likely to remember it. Sometimes when I’m walking in a place I’ve drawn it’ll feel very familiar; I recognise a tree I’ve drawn like I’d recognise an old friend’s face. There’s also been a few times when I’ve recognised dogs I’ve painted portraits of, before knowing it was actually them. The way their ears fall or the curve of their nose looks so familiar.
All that is to say, drawing can be so powerful and can make us feel more connected to the world; to the environment, to people, to dogs. That’s one of the many reasons I love it. I had intended to write a more lighthearted post today but here we are getting all deep and meaningful again! I just can’t help it…
Finally, here are my recommendations for sketchbooks, whether you’re a fellow artist and looking for something new to try (if you’re like me then that is always the case), or if you’re new to it all and are feeling inspired to start drawing. I use two brands of sketchbook and I love them both;
Pith Supply. Beautiful hand-made sketchbooks and notebooks, produced by a small team in Northumberland. Absolutely love these; gorgeous paper that can take a decent amount of materials & scribbling. They lay flat when open too, which is ideal for left-handers like me, and those who like to draw right across the pages. Lovely colours to choose from - the blue is my favourite.
Royal Talens Art Creation. These are great value for money, with really lovely smooth paper which will also take a fair amount of materials, and takes inky washes and splodges particularly well. Comes in lots of different sizes and colours too. (I usually order from Jackson’s Art but the link above shows more of the colour range available!).
Come and tell me in the comments, do you use sketchbooks too? What’s your favourite thing about them?