Love at first sight? Not for sketchbooks

My love/hate relationship with sketchbooks over the years.

I was first introduced to sketchbooks when I started University, back in 2010, and – being honest - it was not love at first sight. They were an annoying addition to an already very full work schedule and were introduced to us as part of our ongoing drawing practice.

When I started University, I was a good 6-hour drive away from home, in a year of 80 other people I didn’t know, being bombarded with work I had to complete with looming deadlines, and desperately wanting to prove myself in an already very competitive course. Adding a sketchbook into that… far too much for me to handle at the time!

It took me at least the first term to adjust and find my rhythm with everything that University life had to offer, and I did get there, but I still didn’t really enjoy using a sketchbook. I just saw it as an inconvenience.

When you’re at university, you are surrounded by so many amazing creators, and you bounce off everyone else's creative vibes. It is an amazing atmosphere to be a part of - you feel fizzy and excited by the possibilities that are in your head.

The downside, however, is that comparison (otherwise known as ‘the thief of joy’) can often get to you. This happened to me, and I got muddled very quickly. My sketchbooks became very formulaic, and I did what I needed to do to pass that particular part of my course, and that was about it. I threw myself into every other aspect of my course, which I was thoroughly enjoying (even my dissertation) but sketchbooks stayed as nothing more than a tick-box exercise. To the point that, when I left University three years later, I didn’t touch a sketchbook.

It wasn’t until 2017 that I picked one up again.

I bought a Moleskin one day in my local Waterstones, and initially used it to make lists in. I had just left my part-time job to give full-time self-employment a good go, and I started to sketch more without really thinking. I was making lists of all sorts of things, and the sketching came about as I was mocking up some ideas on my head. Nothing grand – mainly ideas for a logo, website, project planning, and my own branding.

I didn’t share it anywhere. I didn’t tell anyone. I just quietly, and in my own time, found a way I enjoyed using a sketchbook.

I discovered my love for materials again and experimenting freely, like I used to at University. I stuck things in that I had collected, saving and cutting out fragments of magazines – and, slowly, my sketchbook evolved into something I enjoyed opening and using. I kept drawing anything and everything that came to mind, and this progressed to me making notes about my own drawings, experimenting with media, and using them to make discoveries and inform my media choices when creating illustrations for my portfolio and clients.

For the first time, I was having fun in a sketchbook, and the outcomes were fuelling not only my work, but also the way I was thinking about creating illustrations. It was an exciting time, and I felt like everything had clicked into place.

Fast forward to today, and sketchbooks are an integral part of my creative practice. They are my bread and butter when I am feeling unsure; they give me confidence and always spark ideas and joy.

I went on to create a hashtag dedicated to showing all the different types of sketchbooks people use and create, and I wanted to use that hashtag to show that with a sketchbook - anything goes! There are no rules, you can use them in whatever way you want to.

You can read that here, and if you want to follow it over on Instagram, just search for:

#showyoursketchbook

Over the coming weeks and months, I want to share each of my current sketchbooks with you, what I use them for and why. I work in a few constantly and each has their own use. I shared this photo on notes a few weeks ago, and it really resonated with people.

Whether you’re unsure if sketchbooks are for you; or you’ve wanted to start one but don’t know how to; or you’re having a bit of a mental block and are unsure how to get started again; or maybe you're a seasoned sketchbook-er and you want a new way to use them - then I can help make sketchbooks work for you!

With each of my sketchbooks I will be sharing, I will explain how and why I use them in the way I do, and give you some starting points and ideas on how you can use yours too.

I am going to start with my black and white sketchbook, and I have nearly finished writing about it, so if that is something that you want to read about, keep an eye on my Substack!

In the meantime, I would love to know your favourite sketchbooks to work in if you do use them! I am always on the lookout for a new one to try!

Until next time,