Sketchbook addicted

The last few years I've really begun to appreciate the value of a sketchbook practice but somewhere along the line I became more and more engrossed in creating pages and less involved in doing the ´serious stuff´. I'm laughing at myself at this because having fun in a sketchbook can be the very inspiration to create a unique well thought out piece of art. It can also help to develop a unique style.

The advantages of working in sketchbooks are becoming apparent to others as their popularity has increased. There are many ways to create a sketchbook and it is very personal how it will develop and end up looking. Even though there are many who share their sketchbook work it can be a place of privacy, a place of healing, or a place where it is open only to a select few. I personally don't mind sharing some of my sketchbook pages but not all of them are shown.

Are all my sides ´perfect´? No! For me a sketchbook is a place for experimentation, for creating new ideas, for trying out new mediums or techniques, for writing down instructions and a lot more.

I stick inspiring photos in my sketchbooks plus drawings and paintings done on loose paper. I've made my own sketchbooks like the one below as well as using bought books.

I have an agreement with myself that anything is allowed as long as it doesn't damage the book. I collage, draw, paint, print, write and use a diversity of mediums. I even sometimes ruin the pages first with splatters of paint or lines of ink and work on top of this.

I have smaller folded sketch booklets that fit in my outdoor travel kit that I take around in my bag. These are really nice to sketch wide landscape scenes on them and easy to work with because they're a handy size.

Some people use a sketchbook as a tool and they don't particularly use much time and effort on their pages, for others it is a piece of art in itself. I use time on my pages because I enjoy it and love to browse through the pages for inspiration. It helps to keep a flow and motivates me to work often. How do you use your sketchbook?

This is the first in my posts about sketchbook work, I intend to go more into depth around this subject so look in again :-)

#Painting #Drawing #Sketchbook