The Importance of Sketchbook Keeping…

During my time at university so far studying art, the one thing that I have learned is that it is very important to me personally is that I keep sketchbooks. These sketchbooks aren’t that expensive (range from £1-5 depending on size) but they prove invaluable during my creative process. It is important to me that the covers of the sketchbooks are a plain colour (I choose black) because it makes me less self-conscious about what I explore within them. I once was given a sketchbook with a beautiful photograph of Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ on the front – consequently I felt pressured to make every drawing perfect in the sketchbook, therefore hindering my creative exploration. Last semester I produced a collection of 13 sketchbooks (two A3 size, five A4 size and six A5 size) as well as supporting development work. what I produce in my sketchbooks vary – it can be fully printed photographs or a collection of spare scraps from a failed painting. During a project I have learned that every piece of work has it’s place and may later spark ideas and further branches of creativity – never throw anything away – place it in a sketchbook instead.