SKETCHBOOKS
SKETCHBOOK TIPS1. Make It YoursA sketchbook doesn’t need to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be purchased in an art store. There are no rules about whether it needs to be hardbound, wire bound or softcover, or about what kind of paper is inside. The important thing is to use the sketchbook you like, and to make sure the paper will support your favourite art materials, whether they’re pencils, pens, paints or something else.
2. Keep It PortableDecide what size sketchbook is easiest to carry around with you. Many people prefer pocket-sized sketchbooks, while others like them a little larger. Whatever your preference, make sure it’s easy for you to transport so you’ll have the opportunity to sketch anywhere you go. You can always find a spare minute standing in line, in a waiting room, or on a break to sketch something, provided you take your sketchbook with you when you leave the house. If you like, you can keep larger sketchbooks in your home and simply leave your on-the-go sketchbook in your bag or car to make sure you never forget it.
3. Relax and Accept Imperfection
Not every page in your sketchbook will come out exactly the way you plan, and that’s okay. Don’t be afraid to play around, capture ideas, or quickly draw what you see. Allow yourself to simply enjoy the act of sketching and the process of creating rather than worrying about the result. After all, if you decide you don’t like where the page is going, you can always turn to the next one. But don’t get into the habit of tearing out pages. Even the things you don’t like today might later become fodder for a new idea.
4. Draw Every DayUse your sketchbook every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Consistent practice will improve your artistic abilities dramatically. Your accuracy, speed and visual vocabulary will improve, and with it your confidence.
5. ExperimentYour sketchbook is a place to experiment and play around. Try new and unexpected materials and various styles. Make marks and messes. Add colour, paper or other ephemera to your pages. Use your sketchbook to discover what you like and what you don’t. There are no rules except the ones you impose on yourself.
6. Divide the PageIf having an entire blank page to work on feels too expansive, try breaking down the page into smaller shapes you can draw within. Post-it Notes are handy to use as templates. Just draw around them to get a smaller frame you can use to focus your sketch. Try filling an entire sketchbook spread with frames and capture quick moments or details of objects instead of trying to reproduce the entire thing.
7. Jumpstart Your PagesSometimes we just don’t know what we want to draw or how we should go about tackling that dreaded white page. If this causes you to avoid your sketchbook, try marking up the pages in advance to take the pressure off. Paint a few pages for a pop of colour, make random lines to surprise yourself with later, or let someone else doodle or draw things for you to work around. Once the pages are no longer pristine, you’ll worry less about making mistakes or playing around yourself.
8. Use It for EverythingTurn your sketchbook into a constant companion and use it for everything. You can doodle or sketch from observation. You can create patterns or practice hand lettering. Sketch out concepts for larger art pieces you want to create, or test art materials. Collect and attach things you like or don’t want to lose, like tickets, business cards, leaves or flowers. Paste in pictures or decorate your pages with washi tape. You can do anything–everything–you want to make your sketchbook personal and useful to you. And don’t leave your life out of your sketchbook. Make grocery lists into art. Draw out your favourite saying. Make an artful flowchart to plan your next vacation. There is art in your everyday, so put it in your sketchbook.
9. Write in Your SketchbookNot everything in your sketchbook has to be an image. You can make notes about drawings, or just keep notes in general, including grocery lists, to-do lists or calendars (wouldn’t they be fun to illustrate later?).
10. Date Every PageBe sure you date each page in your sketchbook. This will help you see your progression over time, and it will create a visual record of each year. Going back to look at the places you went, the materials you tried, and the drawings or paintings you liked (or didn’t) will be a rewarding experience and may even spark new creative ideas. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to sign your pages, too!
Ultimately, how you use your sketchbook is up to you, but the most important thing to remember is that your sketchbook should be personal and useful. It should be exciting to take out and play in your sketchbook, so loosen up, do what you enjoy and let yourself be inspired by the things you create.
https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/10-easy-sketchbook-tips/
2. Keep It PortableDecide what size sketchbook is easiest to carry around with you. Many people prefer pocket-sized sketchbooks, while others like them a little larger. Whatever your preference, make sure it’s easy for you to transport so you’ll have the opportunity to sketch anywhere you go. You can always find a spare minute standing in line, in a waiting room, or on a break to sketch something, provided you take your sketchbook with you when you leave the house. If you like, you can keep larger sketchbooks in your home and simply leave your on-the-go sketchbook in your bag or car to make sure you never forget it.
3. Relax and Accept Imperfection
Not every page in your sketchbook will come out exactly the way you plan, and that’s okay. Don’t be afraid to play around, capture ideas, or quickly draw what you see. Allow yourself to simply enjoy the act of sketching and the process of creating rather than worrying about the result. After all, if you decide you don’t like where the page is going, you can always turn to the next one. But don’t get into the habit of tearing out pages. Even the things you don’t like today might later become fodder for a new idea.
4. Draw Every DayUse your sketchbook every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Consistent practice will improve your artistic abilities dramatically. Your accuracy, speed and visual vocabulary will improve, and with it your confidence.
5. ExperimentYour sketchbook is a place to experiment and play around. Try new and unexpected materials and various styles. Make marks and messes. Add colour, paper or other ephemera to your pages. Use your sketchbook to discover what you like and what you don’t. There are no rules except the ones you impose on yourself.
6. Divide the PageIf having an entire blank page to work on feels too expansive, try breaking down the page into smaller shapes you can draw within. Post-it Notes are handy to use as templates. Just draw around them to get a smaller frame you can use to focus your sketch. Try filling an entire sketchbook spread with frames and capture quick moments or details of objects instead of trying to reproduce the entire thing.
7. Jumpstart Your PagesSometimes we just don’t know what we want to draw or how we should go about tackling that dreaded white page. If this causes you to avoid your sketchbook, try marking up the pages in advance to take the pressure off. Paint a few pages for a pop of colour, make random lines to surprise yourself with later, or let someone else doodle or draw things for you to work around. Once the pages are no longer pristine, you’ll worry less about making mistakes or playing around yourself.
8. Use It for EverythingTurn your sketchbook into a constant companion and use it for everything. You can doodle or sketch from observation. You can create patterns or practice hand lettering. Sketch out concepts for larger art pieces you want to create, or test art materials. Collect and attach things you like or don’t want to lose, like tickets, business cards, leaves or flowers. Paste in pictures or decorate your pages with washi tape. You can do anything–everything–you want to make your sketchbook personal and useful to you. And don’t leave your life out of your sketchbook. Make grocery lists into art. Draw out your favourite saying. Make an artful flowchart to plan your next vacation. There is art in your everyday, so put it in your sketchbook.
9. Write in Your SketchbookNot everything in your sketchbook has to be an image. You can make notes about drawings, or just keep notes in general, including grocery lists, to-do lists or calendars (wouldn’t they be fun to illustrate later?).
10. Date Every PageBe sure you date each page in your sketchbook. This will help you see your progression over time, and it will create a visual record of each year. Going back to look at the places you went, the materials you tried, and the drawings or paintings you liked (or didn’t) will be a rewarding experience and may even spark new creative ideas. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to sign your pages, too!
Ultimately, how you use your sketchbook is up to you, but the most important thing to remember is that your sketchbook should be personal and useful. It should be exciting to take out and play in your sketchbook, so loosen up, do what you enjoy and let yourself be inspired by the things you create.
https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/10-easy-sketchbook-tips/
PICASSO
Picasso filled one hundred and seventy-five sketchbooks with drawings between 1894 and 1967
https://www.guggenheim.org/blogs/findings/picassos-bright-enticing-sketchbook
PICASSO
Picasso filled one hundred and seventy-five sketchbooks with drawings between 1894 and 1967
https://www.guggenheim.org/blogs/findings/picassos-bright-enticing-sketchbook
Van Gogh
The sketches include preparatory studies for famous paintings, as well as drawings that are miniature works of art in their own right. They are perhaps his most intimate creations and provide valuable insight into Van Gogh’s artistic development. He also used the sketchbooks to jot down everyday matters such as addresses and prescriptions, to copy out poems and to make schematic drawings of perspective frames.
https://library.clevelandart.org/blog/van-goghs-sketchbooks