How to Use Sketchbooks to Develop Ideas [111]
How do you feel about your sketchbooks? Inspired – or perhaps slightly guilty?
We recorded this episode in response to a listener question about the ways in which we both use sketchbooks. Louise uses many of her sketchbooks as judgement-free playgrounds, places in which to relax and explore while Alice does this kind of work on loose sheets of paper and keeps her sketchbook for a more thoughtful development of ideas, often amongst multiple books.
We both also have a practice of journalling about our art, although again in slightly different ways.
During the conversation, we:
• share how we’ve worked in the past
• debate our favourite sketchbooks and how much impact choosing the right format can have
• discuss the different ways that our sketchbook work feeds into our finished paintings
While sketchbooks are intensely personal – there is no right or wrong – we hope our ideas help to make sense of your own feelings about your sketchbooks (or lack thereof!)
Mentioned:
Seawhite sketchbooks (regular): https://www.amazon.co.uk/SEAWHITE-Hardback-Artists-Sketchbook-195X195/dp/B0067JPQR0
Seawhite concertina: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seawhite-A5-Concertina-Sketchbook-Case/dp/B00BUPIPMO
Moleskine sketchbooks: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=moleskin+art+sketchbook&adgrpid=54075308395
Stillman & Birn books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Stillman+%26+Birn&ref=bl_dp_s_web_3818381031
Hannemuehle sketchbooks: https://www.hahnemuehle.com/en/artist-papers/sketch-drawing/sketch-books.html
Handbook sketchbooks: https://www.jacksonsart.com/brands/hand-book-journal-company
Robert Motherwell Storming the Citadel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9V1ccTOBoQ
Artholes Podcast: https://artholespodcast.com/
If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us
If you are enjoying the podcast this is an easy and inexpensive way to help support it and ensure it continues. The demands of making it each week can be challenging. Your support is allowing us to hire some editing help. If you’d like to help out with a one-time or a monthly donation, you can “buy us a coffee” us at Ko-fi.com
Contribute to the podcast here:
Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art
Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
This was really interesting, you are both so passionate about your sketchbooks ! Loved listening to you both on this subject.
I couldn’t agree more Louise, the concertina sketch pads have gives a new lease of freedom!
. The small ones I find make great street scenes and fragments of buildings for small city breaks that i have visited, it is like telling a story and one image leads on to the next. As you mentioned being able to pull them out and work on large areas gives a lot more possibilities than a single page in a drawing pad.
To go a little more abstract I you have both touched on scale and I think I will treat myself to a bigger one.
Feeling a little excited to take a blank concertina into the gallery when I go back to work and make a steal like an artist book.
Thank you xx