Sketchbook Discussion

Today some of my coursemates and I had a virtual discussion about how we used our sketchbooks, focused around five questions.

What subject matter do you prefer to draw?

When creating observational sketches, I tend to draw whats around me - as my home desk is by the patio doors into the garden, this often takes the form of plants and other natural objects.

I also have a tendency to draw animals, like cats or foxes. I enjoy drawing them as I can manipulate the image to be cute, or scary, or as anthropomorphised as I want.

What subject matter or style of drawing do you find challenging?

I find drawing people challenging. As I have always focused on animals, I haven’t had much practice drawing people, but I did try more during lockdown to rectify this.

Style-wise, I find it hard to create photorealistic images as I prefer to add imagination to my artwork, such as simplifying the form, or manipulating the colour scheme.

What is your preferred drawing material(s) and why?

Previously, I always sketched in HB pencil. However, I now prefer biro, as I draw faster with one, and the image becomes more bolder and lasts longer.

If adding colour to a sketch, I use watercolour paints, as I can apply them quickly and there’s limited mess to clear up afterwards.

Recently, I have experimented with using a range of drawing pencils (2B-6B) in more developed sketches to increase the tones. Additionally, I may use brush markers for loose sketches that I don’t plan to add colour to.

How does your sketchbook help to develop your ideas as an illustrator?

I find sketchbooks useful for creating thumbnails and trying out ideas before moving on to more developed drawings. As I have a tendency to work digitally, sketchbooks allow for free sketching without worry about making the image perfect, in a way I don’t get on a screen.

They also allow me to experiment more with materials and techniques without the need to create a full image.

How might you use your sketchbook more effectively?

From the discussion today and other activities on the course, I have new ideas about how to use my sketchbook.

In the future, I want to create more themed pages of sketches and ideas, rather than assorted ideas on one page, to make it easier to evaluate ideas.

I also want to start attaching sources of inspiration, like printing out inspirational images, and making the sketchbook more scrapbook-y.