Sketchbooks and Visual Journals

The Artist's Sketchbook "You can't do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh." - John Singer SargentThe artist's sketchbook is a time honored tradition from the days of DaVinci to the painters, illustrators and designers of today. It can be a personal journal, a notebook on current or upcoming projects or a random collection of drawings, inspiration and ideas. Fill it with studies for paintings or drawings from observation, imagination or memory. Collect photos, scraps and tidbits from newspapers or magazines or found objects that inspire you. Use it to gather your thoughts or improve your techniques. A tool of observation or invention, the sketchbook can be the jumping off point for a project or a finished work of art (or anywhere in between). Regardless of its final goal, the sketchbook is something every artist should keep close at hand in the studio or on the road.

Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci kept sketchbooks with studies of the human body and inventions.

Even artists of today who use high tech equipment such as computers, digital cameras, and scanners use sketchbooks to work out their ideas. Animators, web and game designers, and illustrators rely on their sketchbooks to plan and experiment .

One important use of your sketchbook is for observational drawing.

Another great way to use your sketchbook is for journaling – a visual journal combines sketching and collaging with writing about feelings, dreams, ideas and observations.