Prompts for Beginning and Maintaining a Sketchbook Practice
Why should I keep a sketchbook?
A fundamental aspect of many artists’ creative process is maintaining a strong sketchbook practice. The sketchbook is a place where artists work out their ideas and explore concepts and techniques, without necessarily committing to making a more complete or resolved version of it. Sketchbooks are places for experimentation, note-taking, and generally should act as a glimpse into your creative brain.
In your sketchbook, you can explore concepts you are interested in. It is a place where you can study something, or study everything. Have you been fascinated with drawing flowers lately? Your sketchbook could be a place where you make observational drawings of flowers you’ve found. You could dry out the flowers and paste them into your sketchbook alongside photos you’ve found or taken of other flowers. Page by page, you can study the differences and similarities between the many flowers you are interested in. What makes each one special? What is similar about them? Extract interesting observations about each concept you’re studying and see what new ideas it can give you.
The finished artwork might not happen in the sketchbook — oftentimes we want to use a stronger paper, canvas, or another material to make finished versions of our art pieces. But the idea can start in the sketchbook, and develop there. The strongest artworks in student portfolios are generally ones that have been developed in multiple stages, beginning with the visual research that comes along with having a strong sketchbook practice.
Your sketchbook is your best friend. Tell it everything about all of the things you love and are excited about at the moment. Explore your ideas from many possible angles. Exhaust your idea. To use the flower example again, maybe the concept develops to the point where you are studying flowers native to all of the areas of the world where you have visited, lived, or can trace your ancestry. Imagine how quickly this could develop into a much stronger concept for a prolonged series of explorations. Challenge yourself to try and uncover what is it about the thing you’re excited about that you love so much. What makes you so interested in it? What is the impetus of your fascination with the things you spend the most time thinking about?
Be prepared for surprises! The core reasons for why you like the things you like might not reveal themselves to you in obvious ways. For example, if you love anime, maybe it’s not exactly anime drawings that will make it into your sketchbook . Maybe you realize you love anime because you love studying the emotions of the characters, and the way they interact with one another. In response to this realization, you could do a series of drawings where you sketch people in your family while they are having an animated conversation, noticing the quirks in their body language and the way the muscles in their faces move while they talk and express themselves (maybe ask them to discuss a topic that is exciting to them).
(Left) Codex Forster II (folio 10 verso) and (Right) Codex Forster II (folio 75 recto), Leonardo da Vinci, late 15th century, Italy. Museum no. MSL/1876/Forster/141/II. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Leonardo Da Vinci is a great example of someone who keenly observed their surroundings. Look at some of his paintings depicting humans in groups or pairs, and see how animated they are. He isn’t just noticing general details about them. He is making note, in paint, of their facial expressions, the way their hands and arms move, the positioning of their shoulders, and most importantly, how each person interacts with the others surrounding them in the composition. You could try this in your sketchbook.
Where do I begin?
Sketchbook Ideas for Observational Studies:
Draw a pair of shoes exactly as they are when someone takes them off for the day (not staged)
Draw the view from your window
Draw the kitchen counter after someone has prepared a meal, and before they clean up
Draw your reflection in a metal spoon
Draw a piece of citrus fruit, cut in half
Make something three-dimensional out of paper, then light it and draw it from observation
Use a flashlight to illuminate your face from one side, in an otherwise dark room. Photograph it and draw it
Draw a portrait of a friend, using only objects that make you think of that friend
Draw your pet asleep
Make a series of quick observational sketches of your pet in action
Draw a crumpled piece of paper with writing on it
Draw a two walnuts — one in the shell, and one outside of the shell
Draw a group of construction tools (drills, wrenches, nails)
Draw a set of keys
Draw a crumpled ball of aluminum foil
Draw a roll of paper towels
Draw a pile of marbles
Draw a corner in your home
Draw a wall with a window
Draw a composite view of two spaces in your home
Draw a hallway in your home
Draw the view of an entire street
Draw a shelf in your home
Draw a couch
Draw a self portrait from your perspective (can’t see the head and neck, only the rest of the body)
Draw a purse, backpack or tote bag
Draw a pile of styrofoam packing peanuts
Draw an injected reflected in another object made of glass
Take a walk on the beach and collect seashells, or walk around outside and find some rocks, then draw them
Draw a hat on a table
Draw a sweater draped over a chair
Draw an umbrella indoors
Draw a cup with condensation on it
Place a straw into a cup of water and draw it, noticing the way the straw bends due to refraction
Draw a pencil on top of a pillow
Draw a key on top of something soft
Find a piece of fabric with a pattern on it (maybe at shirt, or a tablecloth). Set it up in a way where the original pattern is not perfectly visible. There are folds and wrinkles and bunches. Draw that. Notice how the pattern takes the shape the fabric has been placed in.
Draw a piece of jewelry
Draw a handful of coins whose value adds up to a number that is significant to you
Draw sunglasses or eyeglasses
Draw a pair of boots with long, untied shoelaces
Draw a jacket
Draw a sink and faucet
Draw a shelf inside of your refrigerator
Draw the view inside of a kitchen cabinet
Draw a bicycle
Set up a Still life of toys that makes it look like the toys are real
Draw an old telephone with a cord
Draw an avocado sliced in half
Draw a stack of books that are special to you
Look around for things that are, or appear to be, handmade, and draw them
Find something very old, and something very new, and draw them side by side
Set up a mirror and draw yourself
Make a copy of your favorite artwork
Make a copy of your favorite album cover
Draw something that reminds you of your favorite holiday
Draw something that you wouldn’t expect to see a drawing of
Draw a chair, with nothing else around it
Draw dried fruit like a prune or a raisin
Draw a stack of boxes
Draw headphones
Draw a transistor radio
Draw the contents of your purse or backpack
Draw a notebook
Draw the tools and materials used in your favorite hobby or activity outside of art.
Draw a sentimental object
Draw an object you think a character from your favorite book or movie would like
Draw your hands
Draw a friend doing something they love
Sketchbook ideas that incorporate ideas from imagination (not necessarily all drawn from observation):
Design a book cover for your favorite story
Design a poster for your favorite movie
Design a flag for a utopian society
Make a map outlining your path from home to school or work. The map could include a combination of images and text to show your ideas
Draw something inspired by Times Square or a similarly bustling hub
Draw something inspired by your favorite place you’ve visited, or a place you would like to visit
Draw a scene from your favorite movie
Recommended sketchbooks:
Canson Hardcover Sketchbook, 8.3 x 11.7” Recommended as a primary sketchbook for teens and adults. Glue bind, no spiral.
Strathmore Mixed Media Pad, 11 x 14” This is a great secondary sketchbook for teens and adults. It is slightly larger, and can handle wet media, which may be appealing to intermediate to advanced students. Spiral-bound.
What questions do you have about maintaining an active sketchbook practice? Comment below!