Category Archives: Art

Hahnemühle Sketchbooks Review and Giveaway

When I posted my first Hahnemühle sketchbooks review several years ago, the brand wasn’t that easy to find in the US, except for their artist papers. Fortunately, this has changed and Hahnemühle sketchbooks are now more widely available at Amazon, Blick and other retailers. The company contacted me to offer some samples of their various … Continue reading Hahnemühle Sketchbooks Review and Giveaway

Adam Hackländer’s Travel Journals

My Modern Met interviews a talented artist whose notebooks are a constant companion as he travels the world. Adam Hackländer’s travel journals have a style very similar to (and probably inspired by) José Naranja’s notebooks: In the age of everything digital, Hackländer’s handcrafted keepsakes offer a more deliberate and thoughtful form of remembering his journeys. … Continue reading Adam Hackländer’s Travel Journals

Writing Exhibition at the British Library

I came across an article from The Economist about a new exhibition at the British Library, which sounds great: it’s all about the history of writing and note-taking. The article is behind a paywall, unfortunately, but here’s a taste: NEATLY HANDWRITTEN, with a simple diagram below a numbered list, the sheet looks like any fussy … Continue reading Writing Exhibition at the British Library

Erik Gauger’s Travel Journals

If you love looking at other people’s travel journals, check out Notes from the Road. Erik Gauger has traveled to some amazing places, and filled lots of travel journals with sketches and notes. Instead of carrying around dozens of heavy guidebooks when I travel, I condense my useful information into a small size Moleskine travel … Continue reading Erik Gauger’s Travel Journals

Notebook Addict of the Week: Mara

This week’s addict displays this lovely scattered pile of completed notebooks on Instagram: I love all those raggedy edges and stuffed covers! And I want to see the pile of blank notebooks too! Check out Mara’s Instagram feed for even more, including sketchbooks she has handbound and the beautiful art she creates inside them: @mararhum

Carl Titolo’s Sketchbook

I found this image on the School of Visual Arts website, as part of a feature on artists’ journals. Carl Titolo teaches at SVA and has been keeping sketchbooks for over 50 years. I love the dense pages full of patterns and details. It’s also interesting to see that at least in this case, he … Continue reading Carl Titolo’s Sketchbook

Macha Selbach’s Travel Sketches

I don’t remember how I came across the website of Macha Selbach. She has posted lots of images from her travel sketchbooks, as well as other artworks. Some are bright and colorful, and others are simple monochromatic ink sketches that nevertheless capture beautiful light. Lots of different styles, and all beautiful! See more at: books … Continue reading Macha Selbach’s Travel Sketches

Ibrahim El-Salahi’s Sketchbook from a Sudanese Prison

An amazing image from the notebook of a Sudanese political prisoner in the 1970s: Trained as an artist and photographer in Khartoum, London and New York, El-Salahi began documenting the experience he and other prisoners — including university professors, labor union heads, lawyers, scientists and media figures— underwent, drawing on shreds of cement bags. Fearing … Continue reading Ibrahim El-Salahi’s Sketchbook from a Sudanese Prison

Robert Rauschenberg’s Notebook

I found this photo on my computer– I saved it over 3 years ago and never got around to writing about it! A notebook belonging to the artist Robert Rauschenberg: I managed to track down the source– I had photographed a page in the New York Times Magazine, from this article: Robert Rauschenberg’s Endless Combinations. … Continue reading Robert Rauschenberg’s Notebook