Keeping a sketchbook

[soverynight]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering how you go about your sketchbooking. I have 2 sketchbooks right now. One small one that I carry around and can draw in when on the go and another that is at home that is larger. I try to sketch everyday, and pick a different theme every day... something like that.

Is it something you do pretty random? Or is there method to the madness :)

[Pezz]

I like to think of my small sketchbook as a thought dump. If something hits me or inspires me, I get an idea - I like to have it around to sketch down that idea. Or if I just feel like drawing something, I have a portable medium on which to do so (better than bar napkins).

There's little method to my madness. Sometimes I do prelim. studies in there and sketch thumbnails for later projcts too. Sometimes I just draw the monsters that come to me, sometimes I draw what I see. It's kind of my thought process journal.

[soverynight]

Neeat! thanks!

[FranciscoShreds]

Man... I have a few sketchbooks running right meow... I suppose my main two sketchbooks are my earthbound sketchbook and my moleskine. I always carry the two around. The earthbound is my study sketchbook (anatomy, comp, enviro) and my moleskine is my fun sketchbook (life, chicks, buildings, chicks, imagination, chicks, etc.)

then I have like 3 sketchbooks that were my primary sketchbook at one time but now I'm finishing them up by filling them up with gestures.

So there is madness, dictated by work.

[ask maurice]

You should always keep a your sketch books in a clean and organized matter. Keeping these sketches in a leather bound book will also turn out to become a convenient portfolio.

Your drawings are done on every other page. The blank page in between is used to preserve the drawings. If you are using any liquid on these pages place a blank sheet of masking acetate behind it to prevent bleed through until it dries thoroughly.

For future reference, mark each book by time line before placing them on a shelf. Then go back a few decades to observe how much you've progressed with your talent.



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[Elwell]

You should always

Or not.

[bcarman]

I'm with Tristan on this one. Sketchbook is a personal thing. In fact one of my favorite things to do is go to artists' sites and look at sketches. I have several books compiling sketchbooks. Have a look around and enjoy the variety. The more you draw the easier it will be to find a sketchbook voice for yourself.

[soverynight]

Thanks so much everyone. This is helpful, it is nice to know how people go about their stuff.

I'm happier when organized, when I don't have to think about it, so that is why I'm asking but thanks for the comment about figuring out with practice - that makes a lot of sense.

It is interesting because recently I did a sketch of myself for anatomy study. So there's a few me-naked pictures in one of my sketchbooks that has a couple of drawings that I'm proud of in there - and later on I realized that now I cannot show this sketchbook to anyone. :P

[Katfayheirti]

Of course, everyone has a different way of going about working in their sketchbook, but I really like the sketchbook advice one of my favourite illustrators, Jillian Tamaki, posted on her blog (http://www.jilliantamaki.com/sketchbook/sketchbook.html) a few days ago:


"- Your personal work (sketchbook) and jobs (projects) are not separate. Your sketchbook work should be experimental and free and represent what truly interests YOU. Discoveries made in your sketchbook can and should find their way into your paid work.

- Make errors. Try new media. Cheesy and obvious-sounding, but true.

-Set out on a page having no clue where you're going or what you're doing.

- Try adopting a stream-of-consciousness approach to your sketchbook. The work need not be "finished" or comprehensive. If you find you are stuck, simply draw what is in front of you, faces, or start with random marks on a page and see where they lead.

-I am constantly amazed at the timidness of students. As if screwing something up a drawing is the worst thing in the world. Who cares? Better some crappy drawings thrown in once in a while versus you drawing the same thing, the same way, every time. Actually, if you DON'T have an occasional dog in there, you're probably doing it wrong.

-"But that's the way I DRAW/SEE THINGS!"... there is an intangible difference between a drawing that is "true" and a drawing that is "affected" or "put on". I try to explain this to students and I feel like I'm a New Age hippie or something. I think it (I've mentioned this before) comes down to paying attention, being analytical and "conscious" while you're crafting an image. Or never getting too comfortable with a way of doing things. Or not being lazy/scared to screw up. See point above.

-There is a cult of sketchbooks or sketchbook fetishism that I understand but also suspect can be limiting. Some people are lucky and talented enough to create sketchbooks that are works of art unto themselves. A lot of people aspire to that, but in my opinion, that can devolve into more of an aesthetic exercise, a "look", rather than a true extension of creativity. It just isn't the point. If crafting such work is important to you, perhaps keep two sketchbooks: one for that purpose and one for more rigorous exercises.

-If it helps, work on loose paper. 'Helps get away from the "object-ness" of the sketchbook itself.

- A good sketchbook page need not necessarily take a long time to complete.

-Don't work with a "viewer" in mind. It's unhelpful.

- I, personally, rarely make breakthroughs on actual "projects" (paid work). One of the best things I've done for my professional self was take a silkscreen class with David Sandlin, on my own time.

- Start drawings as if looking through new eyes, or with a new brain.

- Start drawings simply by asking yourself "what if...?" "

[Elwell]

-There is a cult of sketchbooks or sketchbook fetishism that I understand but also suspect can be limiting. Some people are lucky and talented enough to create sketchbooks that are works of art unto themselves. A lot of people aspire to that, but in my opinion, that can devolve into more of an aesthetic exercise, a "look", rather than a true extension of creativity.

Quoted for emphasis.

[CCThrom]

I'm with Pezzle on this one... my book is an idea dump and a place to work out character ideas, thumbnails, etc. It never has been and never will be well organized or a work of art in of itself. But it's always with me...

[Puck]

I have at least a dozen sketchbooks going at any one time - I just keep buying new ones - I can't help it. So I tend to keep my nudes in one, and my brain farts in another, pen in a different one and pencil in another - although it all overlaps as I get carried away when I'm drawing and can't be bothered finding where my "sketchbook of portraits" is etc. Looking back over sketchbooks from years ago is a really enjoyable experience - not just seeing how much (or little) I've improved, but it ends up being a diary of your life - the drawings link up with memories of what was happening at the time.

It's really true what Katfayheirti says about "don't draw with a viewer in mind" and definitely don't be precious (you will seriously hamper your progress if you don't allow yourself to make lots of bad drawings and often rework the good ones to make them better) - just have fun and keep drawing drawing drawing.

I remember when I first bought a moleskine sketchbook - I was so scared of starting to draw in it because I thought my drawings had to be really amazing to be worthy of the expensive sketchbook - so I left it blank for OVER A YEAR... what a stupid thing to do. It's like waiting to practice the piano until every practice sounds like Mozart - it's just not how it works. I personally don't think you should worry about being "organised" - you'll get less drawing done that way.

[soverynight]

Thanks Puck! I really liked your sketchbook btw :)