I love sketchbooks and watching other people flip through theirs on social media, but I’ve never really felt tempted to share mine on Instagram.
For starters, they’re not exactly the prettiest sketchbooks to share on Instagram. That’s okay. Not everything needs an audience. Because I don’t make them for an audience, they really are a playground for me. I experiment with style, colour and materials. They make me slow down and really look. When I’m drawing in my sketchbook, I’m much less concerned about the result than when I’m working on an illustration.
But for this Letter I’ll happily open them up for you.
I once read that there is no such thing as a failed drawing. Believe me, I have plenty that feel like failures. And sometimes I really can’t bear to look at them anymore. So instead of tearing them out, I simply glue the pages together.
My sketchbooks are filled with messy comics. Like this scene in an Italian supermarket.
I noticed several tiny elderly ladies “tasting” cherries and grapes. One lady complained that the salad looked sad. Seconds later a shop assistant rushed over with a fresh one. Everyone seemed satisfied. When le signore tried to leave, the automatic doors wouldn’t open. The ladies complained again and, once more, the shop assistant came to the rescue with a solution.
Every time I flip through my sketchbook, I remember the days, places and food so well.
Sketchbook practice is like many other things I know are good for me (or even make me happy), like running: it’s surprisingly easy to skip. The moment life gets busy, I haven’t slept well, or whatever, sketchbook practice is usually one of the first things to slip.
Summer holidays are a wonderful time to pick it up again, so after this holiday I made a promise to myself: every day I walk into my studio, I start by drawing in my sketchbook. Ten minutes is enough. Longer is welcome.
1. Don’t Break the Chain
Sketchbook practice is one of those things that makes me happy, but is also very easy to skip. The ‘don’t break the chain technique’ helps me show up every day. I don’t use crosses, though. Instead I draw dots using one of the colours I worked with that day. Slowly they grow into long colourful (broken) chains.
2. Jesús Cisneros’ Domestika course
I loved this course, not only because of the inspiring exercises, but also because he introduced me to the soft-cover Moleskine Cahiers. They’re lightweight, less expensive than the classic Moleskine sketchbooks and easy to carry everywhere.
2b. Talens Art Creation sketchbooks
My personal favourite. Good paper, a nice format and affordable.
3. Some good-looking sketchbooks on Instagram