Do you do this?

[Pezz3D]

I have a problem in my sketchbook. What is it? Well if I don't like something I tear it out.... And well I end up wasting like my whole book this way. I know I'm pretty picky and was wondering, anyone have any suggestions?

[ZenGonzo]

Yes .. don't rip pages out of your sketchbook.

To be a little more sympathetic, however, I found that I did take my sketchbooks too seriously, ignoring the fact that it is a sketchbook.

It might help, psychologically, to keep a nice sketchbook and a cheap notebook for your actual sketches. You can rough out designs and waste pages in the cheap one, and when you finally get a design that hits you right, spend alot of time doing it in the nice book.

Sketch often.

[die_with_honor]

draw better then you wont kill trees
ps i am not a hippie

[Blue2]

im notorious for rippin bad pics outta my sketchbook, ive always done it, my sketch books are about 1/3 the orignal size once im done with it but i like everything in them, heh. :)

[shyst]

i dont buy sketch books anymore printer paper is cheaper and you get tons more...

but yeah i used to tear out sketch book pages- guess i suck-
may main dig though is that i usally throw mine out no whater what wuz in them...

also a sketch book can be clumsy- i like to sketch doodle and then trace and turn the page around and even upside down and backwards...

the thing wrong wit printer paper is that you cant organize it well it just seemes to pile up-
and it soaks up your markers..


alas i am buying recycled brown paper skjetch books however!

shyst
7

[Pezz3D]

I don't like to use printer paper. It I don't know just doesn't feel right.

[Marcatili]

Try not to tear stuff out of your sketchbook...and don't throw them away.
I've got a collection of sketchbooks now that I have filled...some of them began thicker than they are now because I tore a lot of pages out.
I find that having those sketchbooks there is really helpful to see how far I've progressed (if at all) and also to go back to old ideas and sometimes draw inspiration from them.

I think tearing the pages out is more a symptom of frustration with your drawings...maybe you're in a creative rut or you're not technically as good as you'd like to be...I'm sure we've all been there at different times.

My recommendations to try and get out of that is to not treat your sketchbook drawings as finished drawings. You should try to identify the areas that you need to improve in and then practice those things in your sketchbook and don't worry if they're not masterpieces. If you're looking for new techniques or ideas regularly you'll start to stretch yourself and slowly improve.

Also, I have tended to find that looking at some of the great works on here stifles my creativity rather than inspires it. Admire the great work on this board but don't compare yourself with it too much. You can learn a great deal from looking at other people's work but don't expect to reach professional level until you've done a lot of hardwork on the techniques that the professionals use...

Hope that's helpful

[OLSEN]

I dont like the "holy sketchbook" thing at all. To me, it´s only paper and i tear, cut and abuse it without guilt. I try not to waste any though, so if i rip a page out because i didn´t like it, i try to salvage as much of it that i can. I have a nice box of recycled sketchbookpaper that i use for doodling and such.

If im pleased with a sketch i usually rip it out so i can put it on one of my walls, so i usually end up with totally emptied sketchbooks.

[Shambacca]

I teach a middle school cartooning class, and my major rule is don't crumple anything up and throw it away. I have the same rule for myself and my sketchbooks. If something sucks, I tell myself. I 'll write a little note next to it so that the next time I see it, I'll remember what I did wrong and not do it again.

And if you throw away all your bad work, you'll have nothing to gauge yourself against in the future.

[Pezz3D]

Expat hit the nail on the head. I don't have any creativity. And I could be alot better if I practiced more. So I get frustated and through it away.

Http://pezz3d.com/book/ is a quick look at my sketch book without the thread clutter. You'll see what i mean.

[marc_taro]

lol - I do that all the time! People at the office bug me about it - but hey - ya gotta do whatever keeps ya going...I find I can never finish a book if I get too many dud pages in a row... I have a little set of half finished books on the shelf...lol

Lately I've been drawing on some paper stock I happend to have from an old print job. You can buy a ream of nice coated paper, like hammermill, and get a nice slick surface you don't mind lofting into the trash as you go...

I find a have more freedom to develop ideas when I don't need to 'perfrom' in a book...

[Shadowkiller]

I don't have the paper problem i just go through alot of erasers:D

[Phuzion]

suggestion: draw a lot more. I've had the same eraser for over a year, and my sketchbooks are usually only missing 2 or 3 pages. I only tear something out if it actually makes me angry looking at it ;p It's not about having a finished, polished piece, it's about conveying an idea, whether it's fleshed out or not.

[Form]

i hav the same problem hardcore style. I hav 6 sketchbook sin order from mostto least polished haha. Thats all ruinning simult. well im updating the way i work atm;

suggestions:

Wen 'sketching', , dont carry an eraser.
Work in biro sometimes
Set small time limits that dont allow for perfection.
Dont hesitate to draw on copy paper then stick into your sketchbook
To add to the keeping sketchbooks thing for inspiration-it also avoids the issue of stealing others ideas if u use your own.

good luck.

keep it up

[Pezz3D]

Ty, this should help. I can't get over how terrible I am in comparison toeveryone else here. Age is no excuse. Wish I could make all my sketches masterpieces like some of you do.

[OLSEN]

Dont be so hard on yourself, i just had a look in your sketchbook, and although you have a long way to go (most of us have..) you are getting there in a reasonable pace. And the fact that you are doing anatomy studies is a promising sign, you cant go wrong if you do those.

Dont forget to try out some different medias, markers are fun, crayons, acrylics or whatever, play around and experiment, dont limit yourself to just pencils.

Btw, what Phuzion wrote is absolute truth:
"It's not about having a finished, polished piece, it's about conveying an idea, whether it's fleshed out or not."

[DaemonMagus]

One problem I've had in terms of sketchbooks is I'd get annoyed about having nothing to draw. I used to only want to do people, whether it be portraits or full people, and people just won't stay still! Not to mention I haven't had enough practice doing people to be able to do it from my head. So now I've started branching out and drawing everything I see. That's allowed my sketchbook to become a lot larger. The only things I've gotten rid of were things that I didn't try on, but instead of ripping em out I painted over it.

[Shadowkiller]

Most of the time i use an eraser its to fix angle of something or to change the action of it

[Ian Mack]

Some good stuff in your sketchbook!

I've never torn paper out...never occurred to me really. I've always kept my old artwork and I go through it from time to time. Get a good laugh. ^_^

If you find one thing isn't working, change your focus! Hey, it works in chess.

[Pezz3D]

Thanks guys, I did it again today. ARGH. I really hate everything I do. I have a self depreciation problem not to mention a low self esteem. :/

[Kidchuckle]

heres something I do all the time...
If you can't get it right the first time.. do a few thumbnails of the same drawing.. in about 1 inch X inch or 2 or 3 inches.. whatevers comfortable... Once you got a fast thumbnail with proper proportion and foreshortening and composition. Blow it up with a photocopier or on your computer with a scanner. Print it out really light.. and work up the details...

Heck if you don't want to do that.. go get some tracing paper to fix it up.. if you don't analyse what you're doing wrong.. you'll never get better.
Keep your drawings.. and use it to work from.. and make it push you to improve... Heck I have drawings since grade school... it makes me push myself and see my progress.