I attended an AOI Zoom conversation with Martin Salisbury about sketchbook practice on Monday. It was really good (he has a new book coming out this month all about sketchbook practice with examples from lots of different illustrators) and reminded me how important sketchbook practice of varying kinds is.
I used to mostly keep separate sketchbooks for different things - a self-portrait sketchbook, a pattern sketchbook, a symmetry sketchbook (see below) - and then I would have some really cheap (£1) sketchbooks picked up from The Works to do general sketching in - that was where I would practice drawing specific things or animals, where I would thumbnail ideas and compositions and plan out typography and so on.
More recently, though, I bought a pack of A5 Seawhite sketchbooks and I use them for pretty much everything. I do still occasionally dip into and add to the symmetry, pattern and self-portrait ones, but I also put all of those kinds of things in these lovely little black-cover sketchbooks. They’re where I thumbnail, sketch ideas, where I do out-and-about sketching from life, but also where I’ll just grab the paints, paint markers or pencils and draw something ‘proper’.
They fit in both my handbags - the smaller one and the bigger one - and my rucksack. I have one on my desk to grab at any point, one on the shelves downstairs and I think I also have one under the coffee table. I always have a fountain pen and a Blackwing pencil in my bag, plus I have a couple of pencil cases with a nice variety of markers, pencils and paints, which I’ll throw in the bag if I’m going out for a longer time or away on a short break.
I am not at all precious about these sketchbooks, and that makes them really easy to use. I don’t mind if a page is a mess, has awful drawings on or if I’ve ended up using it to write a shopping list even (though I do try to keep a notebook in my bag too for that kind of thing). And I’m also very happy to spend a decent chunk of time on a piece in one of these sketchbooks.
Do you have a favourite type of sketchbook? Do you have different ones for different purposes? Is there one you carry around with you all the time?
So, this daily thing is HARD! I did the drawing last night, because I thought that would help and maybe an evening drawing practice would fit better into my routines (I do still think it will, to be honest, so will stick with it for a few days if I can). But then my plan to record the sketchbook flip throughs and write this and upload it BEFORE the rest of the household woke up did not work. Because CATS. I had to herd the cats and try to ensure they did not meet and get angry with each other (there was a brief meeowrl from old lady cat; young cat managed to creep quite close while old lady cat was eating, but then went back out rather than attempt to get closer - sensible decision, I feel). Also I couldn’t find a video editor on my phone and had to do that on my computer and it took me quite a while, even though all I was doing was speeding it up and adding some free music. And then writing…. and now it’s 9.30am again. I appreciate the benefits of a daily practice, but it really really needs to take less time! Perhaps next week I will try setting a timer.