The Lure of a Brand New Sketchbook

This January I noticed that a lot of artists were sharing their completed sketchbooks from the previous year, looking back on their own artistic journey and reflecting on their creative development.  Some artists even showed their excitement at the prospect of filling a new one by meticulously illustrating the covers of their new ones in preparation for the year ahead.

This newsletter, I want to talk about keeping a sketchbook. I’m ashamed to say I have quite a few sketchbooks (probably over 30) all of which have just a few pages of sketches and then they have been abandoned on a shelf.

I have often asked myself why I do this but I have no idea.  So I’ve made a rule…

No new sketchbooks until I have used the ones that I have.

My intention is to use my sketchbooks to gather inspiration for future projects and to capture the process of a character’s development.  So I have begun 2023 with two sketchbooks (neither of which are new) and I intend to cover their pages in creativity until they are finished - leaving no empty pages.

It is almost February and I am already getting a lot of pleasure looking back on the work I have done so far.  I must admit there is something very satisfying about looking back on a physical piece of my artwork rather than scrolling through the digital files on my computer.

I hope that this is a resolution that I can keep.  It will be good for the planet, good for my pocket and a good record of my creative journey.

Do you have a favourite sketchbook?