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Does every single art journal page have to be important and meaningful? Do you need to tell a special story? Does the subject have to contain a certain memory or value?
My answer to all of these questions is: NO.
It would give so much pressure, to make each page full of value, starting out with a concept and working towards a certain, desired end result. No surprises, just sort of an assignment. While drawing is just playing - it's not an assignment or obligation.
There is nothing wrong with drawing mondaine things. They are there, they are part of your life. They are worth sketching. And therefore, I believe each drawing you make already IS meaningful, whether you intend it to be or not.
Sometimes you just need to draw to stay sane. To have fun. And that, in my humble opinion, is most important.
I love drawing bicycles.
Whenever I post a bicycle drawing here on my blog, on
Instagram or
Facebook - there’s always at least one person who comments by saying how hard bicycles are to draw.
Are they really?
They are just shapes. You start with a line, then add another line, next to it, and another, adding more lines as you go.With each line your drawing grows. Whether the lines are confident or not, bold or sketchy, soft or strong… that all depends on your style and even your mood. The line though, makes the drawing yours. Nobody else could have drawn it the way you did.
Of course it takes practice.
It took me a long time before I would draw bicycles (or any other subject, for that matter) without hesitating.
I don’t know how many bike handles and bicycle seats I sketched, I must have drawn hundreds of wonky wheels, and many, many spokes.
Illustrator
Miguel Herranz inspired me years ago, when he posted a drawing of a whole bunch of bicycles on his blog, and explained how he made use of the negative spaces. Those negative spaces (the spaces around the subject) are what you need to focus on. If you draw the shapes around the actual thing you are trying to draw, you will see the subject ‘appear’ between these shapes.
Avoiding drawing bicycles is just silly when you live in Amsterdam. There are bicycles everywhere, and they are kind of iconic for the city as well. So after reading that blogpost I realized: “I can totally do that’.
I expected to be challenged, but I also knew that a
ll new things take time, focus, and a little help from other artists - like Miguel.
This post isn’t about bicycles, you know that.
It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone and then experiencing that it wasn’t as scary as you thought. Actually -
it’s a lot of fun!
I love this quote by Alfred A. Montapert:
"Expect problems and eat them for breakfast."Bon apetit.
Last weekend I was in Wales. What a beautiful country! Not that I've been sightseeing but I did have a peek out of the window in the train and in the car. I stayed in Aberysthwyth - a town I know from the fictional detective show 'Hinterland' - but it'll stay a bit of a mystery to me because I saw most of it when it was dark.
So why did I go there? To hang out with the wonderful, creative and inspiring artist Michael Nobbs, who I am very happy to announce is a new member of our Sketchbook Skool Fakulty. Together with cameraman Brian, we filmed Michael's Sketchbook Skool klass, in and around his studio. Here's a little behind-the-scenes video:
Michael recorded a three-minute podcast on the day of filming - if you want to listen to it,
click here.
Find out more about Michael by
following this linkAnd
here's a link to Brian's website.
Looking at the subject of this blogpost, you may think I’ve lost my marbles.
This has nothing to do with early new year resolutions. I also don’t have the shortcut for losing weight. But I do think we can all use a diet of some sort.
Why?
You have just little time and in spite of all your good intensions, your creative habit suffers because life is just bloody busy.
Do you recognize this? Well, read on.I have some tips to keep you going on your sketch habit:
1. Your sketch kit needs serious weight loss.
It’d be great to be able to sit down and lay out all your tools before you, and think about a subject to draw, then pick a tool that fits the topic. But let’s be realistic: this just isn’t something you can do every day.
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| Sketching while communting with pen on paper. |
Instead, limit your tools and make sure to have them at arm’s length at any time.
Just a sketchbook and a pen will suffice. if you have just one drawing tool, you can dive into drawing right away without stalling. Take the sketchbook and pen with you and you will find little gaps of time to fill with drawing (at the bus stop, while waiting for the water to boil, during lunch break, while commuting, in line at Starbucks…) Sometimes it'll be a one-minute sketch, other times you're lucky and make a more elaborate drawing.
2. Shrink that to-do list
I know how it feels to have too many things on your plate. My advice: take a deep breath. Get a coffee. Then look at all the items on your to do list and
prioritize. There’s often quite a few things that aren’t as urgent as they feel. Put them on your schedule for another day.
Don’t procrastinate on something you dread or are reluctant to do. Getting it done first will give a great feeling of accomplishment and the biggest check box will be checked!
3. Go on a sketchy diet
You've seen this on my blog already but I keep saying it: if you don’t know what you should draw - draw your food. You eat every day, so there’s always a new subject right in front of you. When you eat something really tasty, illustrate the recipe, so you won't forget about it!
Start a ‘what I ate today’ project for yourself; it will make you very aware of the things you eat, and you may even consider whether or not to eat that extra cupcake with your tea: Is it pretty enough to draw, will it fit on the page? This could change your eating habits along with your art habit!
4. Stay away from Facebook
...or Pinterest or Instagram, or whichever social media channel is your weak spot for addiction.
Stay away from it for a day or two, or if you’re courageous, for a week.
You will be amazed how much time you suddenly have to do other stuff!Such as making art!
It's up to you
I know all of the above isn't anything new. But like with many diets: you need to be reminded and then just take action. So whatever artful or sketchy diet you'll be on: you can make awesome art.
Don't you just wish that weeks would exist of 8 days, and days would have at least 4 extra hours? Even 1 extra hour a day would be fabulous, don't you agree?
But hey, we have to make do with the time there is. We also need to accept that life is very busy. It can get in the way of your time to make art.
It happens to me too. Then I end up making quick and simple 5-minute drawings each day. Doing these quick drawings is satisfying, but they may also start to bore you quite quickly.
So: what should you do if a busy life gets in the way of your art habit, and you feel kind of frustrated by the blank art journal pages staring at you?
Here are 3 tips that can get you going again:
1. Pick up a different journal or sketchbook. Having a different and fresh drawing surface and paper format can do wonders. Or use just loose sheets of paper. You can stick those in your art journal.
2. Pick up a tool you hardly ever use. A bamboo pen, crayons, charcoal. Play around with it. Mix and match. This is a great way to challenge yourself and to finally make use of those art tools collecting dust.
3. Give yourself a challenge. Find a theme to hold on to for the next week. My two 'go-tos' are selfies and food.
Or join a sketch challenge online.
Right now, 'Inktober' is in full blast and you can jump right in using just paper and a pen.
You
will get out of that rut - if you pull yourself from it. And you'll make awesome art.
Do you need a little push into kickstarting your creative habit?
Here's a free ebook provided by Sketchbook Skool that can help you!
In this ebook you will find 10 small assignments, designed by Sketchbook Skool Fakulty. The assignments will be fun to do and you might discover a new technique or get new ideas to use in your sketchbook.
It's free! So follow the link below and download your copy of this cool ebook now!
Yeah I know - I am quite shamelessly plugging Sketchbook Skool here:
Tomorrow, 'Storytelling' starts in Sketchbook Skool! To celebrate, you can grab a free copy of
this ebook, with 50 tips from the Fakulty about drawing people.
It's free! Get your copy here: http://bit.ly/1CzVQAA
If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that it's quite uncommon for me to write long blogposts. I just like to communicate visually. But today, I'm celebrating milestones and just want to share that sometimes, I need to pinch myself: is this really happening?
About one and a half year ago, something happened that caused a huge shift in my life. I had been blogging here on this blog, for quite a while, and I had become an online entrepreneur, developing and offering my online drawing courses and workshops. It was hard work, but worth every drop of sweat for sure! I was able to follow my passion of drawing and making art, and helping others to get inspired and make art too.
Teaching online, and finding out about the vivid online creative community gave me new ideas. I saw new options and new opportunities.
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| The coffees we drank and drew |
Then I met
Danny Gregory here in Amsterdam. We talked over coffee, then beers, then Indonesian rijsttafel, and picked each other’s brains about online teaching, art, writing, and many other things. We discussed a vague idea about getting a bunch of people together to inspire others. That idea quickly became a vision and a goal.
What happened?
Sketchbook Skool happened.
Inspite of the huge online community of sketchers, drawers and art makers out there, there wasn't a community driven online art course the way we would like to see it. Yes, you can take online courses, to learn techniques and yes, you'll be able to connect with others in such a course. However, we would have loved to take a course in which we would learn from many artists rather than just one person, and get inspired by their points of view. We were, and still are curious to learn from the artists we admire, and then share experiences with peers online. Since a course like that didn't exist, we created it.
That's what happened.
Founding Sketchbook Skool with Danny has been a step into a fabulous adventure. Sketchbook Skool Kourses bundle together knowledge and inspiration of amazing sketchbook artists from around the world. It's an absolute dream come true (yep, pinching myself!). Not just for us, but for a lot of people who enrolled in one of the Sketchbook Skool Kourses. I feel so fortunate and proud when I meet Sketchbook Skool students in person and they tell me how much making art means to them, and how they enjoy being part of the online community.
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| Drawing of my desk when editing videos |
We started Sketchbook Skool as a fun creative project, and it still is, but pretty soon I didn’t need any side jobs, I didn’t even have time if I wanted to. Without intending to, Danny and I created a full-time jobs for ourselves in Sketchbook Skool. Jobs in an innovative start-up, in which we need to learn like an apprentice, and make decisions like a CEO. Whew!
We are working with such inspiring artists, creating their lessons for skool, and the community of students is warm, supportive, inspiring, beyond what we ever expected. Then there’s also the corporate side of things: for example, just this morning I found myself tangled up between my book keeper and two accountants, trying to explain things I don’t even fully understand myself!
It's an adventure to enjoy this start-up business and the passion I feel for Sketchbook Skool, but the downside is that work keeps piling up onto our virtual desks. Now don't get me wrong - I am not complaining! I feel blessed with everything that has happened since we founded Sketchbook Skool and I wouldn’t want it any other way. There's just a lot to learn for me: how to plan well and be smart with my time.
Sleep deprivation is not uncommon to me - not because I’m a workaholic, but I also need time to spend on my biggest passion, what started all of this: drawing! I am making less drawings than I did when I had a dull dayjob in a cubicle, but when I do, I truly enjoy the moment and the process. Sometimes I draw in bed just before I go to sleep, and I'll admit that more than once I actually fell asleep while crosshatching the last bits of a drawing! But hey, I drew that day, and it relaxed me - obviously!
Maybe you started a business of your own, or another major life event that influences your creative life. I’m curious: How do you deal with it?
Oh and here's a link for you:
Sketchbook Skool's Blog
Hi there Koosje!
Don't you just love surrounding yourself with fabulous art tools, beautiful sketchbooks and watercolor paper, and maybe even books about art and drawing to inspire you?
A lot of people do. And then... they don't draw!
Does that sound familiar?
Getting started can feel like a big step.Even though you know how good it will make you feel once you're in the process of doing what you love, it can be kind of scary. You never know what's going to happen once you start, do you? Well here's the two choices you have:
1. Keep feeling uncomfortable about it, don't start, and feel frustrated with yourself.
2. Embrace the fact that you can't control a drawing, jump in and enjoy the process and let the drawing unfold. Let go. |
Needless to ask which one of the above you prefer.
When I hear myself think 'I can't do this', I just know that when I push through, I will find that most of those limits are inside my head, and I can exceed them. Not just when drawing. The quote here on the right applies to many situations in life. So THAT is where the sweet stuff is:
Right there, when you step outside of your comfort zone, is where the magic happens. |
Some people claim you should do something that scares you every day. I don't know about that, but I sure do know that you can accomplish a lot by sinking your teeth into those large or small challenges.
So what are you doing today to challenge yourself?
Whatever you do, have a great day, and make awesome art.
Koosje.
Sometimes Setchbook keeping, or art journaling, is so much more than keeping a drawing habit. Yes, I do make a habit of making a daily drawing, but often it's not even about the outcome of the drawing itself. Wether the result is good or bad doesn't matter. The drawing is a memory, or the drawing and its process ignites all sorts of thoughts and emotions. A drawing can carry deep emotions, but they can also be random thoughts, like the ones I jotted down when I drew this apple core. Actually, I do know the answer to the question I wrote there. No, I'm not the only one; my mom also nibbles endlessly around the apple core like I do.
That's what art journaling is about: while each time you enjoy the process of drawing, you fill the pages with little stories of your life. Looking back at the pages brings back vivid memories.
Every artist has his or her own way of doing that, and learning how other people do it, is so inspiring.
That's why I am so happy
Danny and I partnered up and created
Sketchbook Skool.
Never heard of it?
click here and read about the courses. The kourse themed
'Beginnings' has just started and you can still join! Also the kourses
'Seeing', and '
Storytelling' are starting in a couple of weeks, plus we have created a free training for everyone who took all three kourses to deepen their art skills and habits.
Meanwhile, we're working on new outlines with a new team of fantastic artists to teach in our new kourse that will start in April. I can't wait to get inspired by both the teachers and all students!
You know I love drawing food and illustrating recipes. I was thrilled to see the hundreds (yes, really!) of fantastic recipes that Sketchbook Skool students shared in the 'Storytelling' kourse, when they were doing the homework I gave them.
This kind of art just has to be shared, so we collected and bundled 18 of those recipes from our Storytelling students around the world.
And made an Ebook. It's free!
Get your copy of this free ebook by clicking the button below.
How many hats do you get to wear?I know I need more shelves to fit all the hats on, that I get to wear throughout the day. On the first page of my brand new sketchbook, I drew just a selection of all the hats that fit me. If I could have fit more on the page, I could've gone on for quite a while.
You probably have many roles in life too; you're an artist, someone's child, maybe you are a caretaker, a friend, a colleague, you may be a parent... and since we're all still learning in life, you're a student too. Sometimes life is overwhelming, at least that's how I feel.
Life can get so crazy and busy, that there's hardly any time to live it. |
Still, we need to stay focused on what's really important in life, and on doing what we love. That's how I managed to illustrate the recipe below, by just making use of small pockets of time throughout the week. 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there, and by the end of the week I was happy with the result. And what a treat to test the recipe, to make sure the measurements were right! So here you go, the recipe for a sweet and comforting choc-o-holic treat. (No sugar added, so it's good for you too!) If you have time to try it: enjoy. |
 | | The recipe is published on www.theydrawandcook.com |
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Even with the busy holiday season coming up, whatever you do, you can always find time to Make Awesome Art. |
Finally I planned and scheduled the new classes for 2015. So if you have any new year's resolutions for a year full of creativity; I'll be happy to help you to get you going and to keep you going!
Before we had all these beautiful coloured inks and watercolors, the old masters used Bister, or Bistre. It was made out of ground shells of walnuts.
'Bistre' is French for brown, hazelnut color, or chocolate brown.
I had never heard of this until my mother-in-law talked about it. She uses it in the art group she attends weekly. I got curious and bought a few bottles, that looked like medicine bottles from long, long ago. Then Of course, I tried it. By taking some of the grains out, and dilluting them with water, you can paint with it. Just like with watercolor you can use it wit a lot of water, or just a little. Pretty cool! So that's the drawing on the right hand side of this journal spread.
On the left, with my ususal watercolours, I made a selfie the day before. Just because.
Do you ever make up excuses?
Sure you do. And that's fine. We all do. The traffic has been crazy, the weather conditions awful, the dog ate our homework... |
What about Making Art? Yes, I use capitals for the two words, just to make it worse. There is this invisible threshold to start, even though you know how good it makes you feel, when you're creating something. And it's not even about the result, just the process of Making Art itself is satisfying enough.
Yes, we have busy lives. And yes, some days can be super hectic. But really, is it an excuse to not do what you love? |
Easier said than done, huh? Because maybe you feel like your art isn't as awesome as it should be. You try drawing things that you see and then the drawing turns out to be all wonky, the perspective is off, or you're bored with drawing the same stuff over and over again, because you only draw inside your home. Because heading outside to draw feels way too intimidating and scary. Or you'd like to be able to draw people, but mess up their faces and hands every time you try.
Sounds familiar? |
In fitness, there's this saying: "Excuses don't burn calories". The 'Just Do It' approach is straight forward, and makes you move forward. Because after all, even if you fall flat on your face, you're still moving forward!
What's the deal with this Procrastination thing?
Perhaps you absolutely love to make art, but the threshold you need to get over, to actually start doing it, seems sky high.
Your laundry gets folded oh so neatly, all windows are cleaned, your art tools are stored and archived in alphabetical order, your books now color-coded on the shelves... but still, you didn't put one single pen or brush stroke on your paper.
Why? A friend of mine told me about her new resolution. She decided on it, after a very relaxing holiday. She said: "you know what? I am always cleaning my house in the weekends, but I want to enjoy my weekends and be free to do whatever I feel like, just like the feeling you have on vacation every day." She came to realize that a clean house is important, but downtime is so much more important. Just sitting down and read, taking an afternoon nap, or going for a ride on her motorcycle. That's what it's about. It's okay to let the laundry basket overflow every once in a while. Or to leave the dishes in the sink when it's one of those beatiful sunny fall days. It's not gonna kill you. As long as you, instead, do what you love. |
Procrastinate on your chores. Make Procrastination work with you, not against you. Stop self-sabotaging your limited art time!
And in fact, it's likely that the mess you are making, could even be a great excuse to sketch!
What do you procrastinate on, and how? How could you turn it around?
Wahoo, Sketchbook Skool is on a roll! In "Storytelling" and "Beginnings", students are happily chatting about, uploading their work, and getting inspired by each other and the Fakulty. And today, "Seeing" is starting, so all around the world, people are working in their sketchbooks, sharing their art and growing an awesome community.
Speaking of the Sketchbook Skool Community:
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| Portrait of me, made by Lynn Cohen |
A lot of online friendships are made in Skool, and in September, one of the students, Lynn Cohen, was travelling to Europe with her husband Fred, and also visiting Amsterdam.
Lynn is one of the biggest fans of Sketchbook Skool, right from the beginning, and she is a very active person in the online community, by making a lot of art and encouraging others. For example: To fill the 'Gap' after the first kourse 'Beginnings' had ended, and before 'Seeing' started, she started portraying her klass mates and shared her drawings on Facebook. She made over a 100 portraits!
So, when Lynn announced her visit to Amsterdam, a bunch of Dutch Sketchbook Skool Students got very excited and wanted to meet her. To make that happen, they organized a sketchcrawl. Starting at 'Het Blauwe Theehuis', in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. The building is the subject in one of my video demos in my klass in 'Beginnings' of Sketchbook Skool, and it's also the place where
Danny and I first met, before we founded Sketchbook Skool together.
There was a lot of sketching involved, and a lot of sketching each other too. We had dinner, and I was mostly chatting with everyone, but managed to throw some watercolors onto the paper, inspired by the pretty colors of the salad I ordered.
Lynn asked me how Danny and I met, and how Sketchbook Skool got started. So I told her the story of how Danny was in Amsterdam to speak at an event and how, on his blog, he said he wanted to meet Dutch sketchers. So, we arranged a meeting and had coffee. He wanted to pick my brain about my online art classes, and about teaching online.
And of course I wanted to know everything about his plans after he made the leap to leave the corporate advertisement business.
Then, I shared an idea that had been in the back of my mind for over a year. While I was teaching my own classes, I realized they were limited to my own drawing skills, but there's so much more out there! Online, I found so many inspiring artists. I want to learn from them, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. So
I wanted to bring those artists together, so they could spread their knowledge and show their skills. Should it be a seminar, a webinar, a book, an e-book, a course, a workshop…? I just couldn’t quite wrap my head around it, what it could look like, or even where to start.
So I asked Danny if he would like to collaborate and think about this idea with me. What followed was a fabulous brainstorm on email back and forth, and many Skype calls, and before we knew it, we were signing contracts and bringing this project to life.Lynn then asked: "so that must have changed your life?" And I said: "Yes, it totally did. And Danny's too"Lynn: "And ours too", gesturing at the group of people gathered around, sketching frantically in their sketchbooks. "And mine too" said Fred, Lynn's husband, who is not in Sketchbook Skool, but enjoys seeing his wife developing such a wonderful art habit.
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| That's him, my dad |
Like Fred, my mom feels the same Joy. Because my dad (who is my number 1 fan, and who can't stop drawing ever since he took my first online class '
Just Draw It', when it ran for the first time 2 years ago) has developed such a happy habit! He meets new people online, goes on sketch crawls with class mates, and makes awesome art.
It's amazing, and I feel shivers down my spine (in a positive way), just thinking about how Sketchbook Skool is touching so many lives, and helping so many people develop their creative lives!
Wow, like a celebrity, I got interviewed for
The People Project.
You can read the interview
by clicking here.
Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!
Let's do some hand lettering today. Pick a quote or a phrase and make it look pretty!
You can make awesome art!
And if you like my videos. you may also like one of my online classes: check them out on
www.koosjekoene.nl
Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!
Let's make a fall-themed page. Everyone can do this.
I think it’s about time to spend more time doing what you love. You can make drawing a life habit!
In Sketchbook Skool, a growing community of artists from around the world gather in the virtual klassrooms to learn, get inspired, make and share awesome art, and to encourage each other. You get to hang out with the world's best sketchbook artists: In their inspiring video lessons, they teach about their techniques, approaches, and you will look over their shoulder as they fill their sketchbook pages in front of the camera.
I am so excited about the new semester coming up in October!
So to share my excitement, here's a video I made, in which I talk about Sketchbook Skool and why the three kourses we offer starting October: 'Beginnings', 'Seeing', and 'Storytelling', are so inkredibly kool.
Art for All. Let's go to Skool!
Don't miss out - go
to www.sketchbookskool.com and sign up today!
Do you ever feel that feeling of resistance to start something new or difficult? Do you ever fear failure? And more importantly: do you let the fear stop you doing it anyway? |
Here's something I learned in the past years: if you're not failing every once in a while, you're not trying hard enough. This works on many levels. But I'm not here to give you life lessons, and I certainly don't feel experienced enough to do so. But I do know this: You like drawing and sketching? But maybe you feel intimidated by other people's art, or even by a blank page on which you don't know how to start. You feel fear. Fear that the drawing you make will come out wonky. Fear that you will be unhappy with the result of your efforts. Fear of disappointing yourself. Do you let the fear hold you back from doing it anyway?
What is worse: 1)feeling frustrated because you're not trying, or 2)making a drawing that doesn't turn out as quite the masterpiece you want it to be? |
Here's one of my favorite quotes, by Victor Kiam: "Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward".
I think that hits the nail right on its head. |
If I would have followed my fears instead of following my heart, I would never have started my first online drawing course, ' Just Draw It.' or any of the online classes that followed. Yes, I encountered quite some failures along the way, but I learned from my mistakes and moved on. And then, the stumbling forward became a confident walk. Or at least, I feel proud every time when participants tell me about their aha-moments and when I see their progress during the 5 weeks of the course. |
This is what Christel says about Just Draw It: "These five last weeks, I have tried several techniques that I would not have tried on my own. I like the way you approach each new subject, building up our skills step by step. You make complicated subjects simple and fun! And I loved the atmosphere in the class. " |
 Barbara's exercise page during the lesson 'Colours' in Just Draw It. |
This is what Barbara says: "I expected to gain some fundamental drawing techniques. I did, but I gained so much more! Your lessons were clear and well-structured, and included just enough difficulty to stretch my drawing "muscles". But your greatest strength is in the conscientious way you followed up with every posting and every question, guiding each student to develop his/her understanding, and individual style. In addition, you facilitated the camaraderie of a lovely, supportive group of classmates which made the experience even more rewarding. This combination of teacher and classmates has enabled confidence in my abilities, a confidence that had previously eluded me. I am now finally using those art materials I'd stockpiled, and I'm no longer afraid to practice, practice, practice (with patience and perseverance, of course)" |
When you're developing a (new) skill, you make mistakes. Or, as Bob Ross used to call them: 'Happy accidents'. Then you look at them, and learn from them. Next time, instead of fearing that failure, you tackle it and go forward. You make it a failure-feast and in the end, you gained lots of new skills and experience. Not to mention, the whole adventure you went through. So, here's a question for you: Are you ready to go and fail at something? |
Check out my online course 'Just Draw It' by clicking here. It starts August 4 and runs for five weeks. You can join and I'll be guiding you through those weeks for just $99. I hope to see you in class!
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Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!
Here's a quick way to do Handlettering
Do you like my Draw Tip Tuesday Videos? You may be interested in more then: Head on over to my website,
koosjekoene.nl to find out about the classes that I teach!
Are you keeping a sketchbook or an art journal?
Ever wondered if there are any rules for doing that? Well, there aren't any. Unless you create them for yourself. |
Everyone finds their own way of journaling, sketchbook keeping, drawing, sketching, painting....making art.
To me, it doesn't really matter where or how - for some styles I need different kinds of paper than for others. Then again, a few years ago, I have committed myself to make a drawing daily, and I keep a 'daily drawing journal' for it. The entries differ and change in theme and subjects, which to me is interesting so I can see what was going on in my life at the time, when I look back at the pages.
But of course you can also create a journal by gathering favorite drawings that you did on separate pieces of paper, and bind those. This has been a discussion in the previous run of my Awesome Art Journaling Class, and the only advice I can give is this: It may take some time to figure out what works best for you. And don't be surprised to see yourself change sketchbook habits either. It's an evolving thing. You may find different ways of sketchbook keeping and art journaling, different goals and purposes. It's all part of your artist's journey. Scary to fill a sketchbook page, because it might not result in the drawing you've imagined it to be? So what if that happens? You made a drawing and you can simply go on to the next page. A whole new canvas for more creativity! |
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An art journal, a sketchbook, a creative journal, a sketch journal... Whatever you call it, when you start a creative habit by drawing, sketching, and journaling about your life, you're creating a wonderful way of documenting your life and keep vivid memories on your pages. Speaking of sketchbooks...I am so proud that the new semester of Sketchbook Skool started yesterday, and students are sketchbooking like crazy! There's a lot of energy going on in the klassrooms, and it's not too late to join! You'll be right in time for my klass, which starts on Friday. You can join for $99, and will get 6 weeks of fun, with lessons from six diffrent sketchbook artists froim around the world. Click here to learn more. |
Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!
Let's do a little bit of classic contour drawing.... doing a selfie!
Okay so these are not from my actual art journal, but they are done during my vacation in Thailand and Cambodia.
I like my art journals to be not too small, so I have a bit of space, but certainly not too large eiter. I need to be able to chuck my journal into my bag and walk around with it, without it being to large or heavy. So 15x21 cm, something along those lines, will be suitable. To challenge myself though, I also brought a larger sized sketchbook with me. To see how I would feel about larger sized drawings. These are pages I did in a 21x30 cm sketchbook. Not THAT large, but a fair step larger than what I'm used to.
This is the first page i did, and after finishing, I felt rather proud:
Then, on a different day, i sat down with the book again and started drawing without thinking too much, ending up with very small sketches! Huh, interesting.
Interesting how much chaos can be created in just a couple of days. As my husband was packing his bags (mine were done, I brought less than he did), I drew a quick sketch of my view from the bed.
I also tried a bit more detailed pencil drawing:
During a lazy afternoon in a cafe, I made these drawings. Which I like a lot. By looking at these, I can remember exactly where I was sitting, how the people moved that I was drawing, the colours, the atmosphere, and even what I drank: An iced coffee.
And one more bed-view sketch, this time in another room. The night before leaving to fly back home.
Since that last drawing, I haven't touched the sketchbook. Okay, first of all because I've been very busy and hardly had time for my daily art journal entries. But also, could it be that the book is too large? It does take me a little bit out of my comfort zone. Which makes me not really want to grab it yet, when I want to draw. But maybe, now that the weather in Amsterdam is getting better, I may take it outside to try some urban sketching and make sure I won't come back with just a couple of thumbnail sketches of the coffee I drank.
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