Keeping a Sketchbook

When I was at university keeping a sketchbook was of utmost importance. We had a sketchbook for each project we worked on and a personal sketchbook. We spent a huge amount of time drawing from life on location, in London and on class trips around the world. When I asked my tutors if I could take a week off school to go to Paris on my own and sketch they said yes. At the time I didn’t quite get the true importance of regular sketching, and sketches seemed like a means to an end, a way of progressing through a project. But when you sketch regularly you build up a personal reference library for yourself, that you can use it for years to come. When I’m starting a project and need reference images or inspiration the first place I go is to my sketchbooks. Whether I need an image of some roof tops, some spring flowers, or a couple walking, I know that I will have a sketch of that somewhere. Of course I could find reference photos online for all of those things, but it’s just so lovely to be able to use my own sketches as reference, to turn the pages of my sketchbook and have all the memories of that time and that project come flooding back.

I fell out of love with sketchbooks for a few years, I think because I’ve always struggled with pencil sketches. I think in terms of colour, texture and shape, not line, so pencil was always a bit limiting for me. When I realised I could just paint straight into my sketchbooks instead of worrying about pencils it reinvigorated my sketchbook practice.

A sketchbook should be whatever you need it to be, it can be full of pencil sketches, notes, doodles, paint swatches, paintings both finished and half completed. Sketchbook is a place to record experiences and ideas.