Category Archives: Links

Notebooks Made of Cloth

Cloth covers aren’t that unusual for notebooks, but how about a notebook made entirely of cloth and needlework– even the writing in it!?! [Candace Hicks’s] primary art practice includes recreating classic composition notebooks in cloth form, embroidering text into their fabric pages. The text is mostly composed of collected snippets that she finds recurring in … Continue reading Notebooks Made of Cloth

Ellsworth Kelly Sketchbooks

I’ve posted before about Ellsworth Kelly’s Sketchbooks: see A Wonderfully Messy Sketchbook. I had to return to the topic after seeing a wonderful reel of sketchbook images on the Instagram page of EK100.org, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ellsworth Kelly’s birth. A couple of screen grabs below: Apparently he kept lots of sketchbooks, … Continue reading Ellsworth Kelly Sketchbooks

Diane Arbus Notebooks

I usually think of artists who draw and paint as having the most beautiful notebooks and sketchbooks, but photographers keep some intriguing notebooks too: my latest “other people’s notebooks” fascination is with Diane Arbus. I’ve always found her quite interesting, since discovering her photographs when I was in high school, to more recently reading Patricia … Continue reading Diane Arbus Notebooks

A Thames Mudlarker’s Notebook

If you’re not familiar with the term “mudlark,” it means someone who digs around in a riverbed at low tide to see what sorts of treasures they might find. I felt like I’d found some treasure when I discovered Johnny Mudlark’s diary! I first saw some of these images on Pinterest, and was led to … Continue reading A Thames Mudlarker’s Notebook

Joan Didion’s Notebooks

It looks like Joan Didion would qualify as a Notebook Addict of the Week— she left behind at least 38 blank notebooks when she died. Joan Didion’s notebooks are being sold as part of an auction of many of her belongings, including books, artwork, furniture, sunglasses and more. I’ve written about Joan Didion before– her … Continue reading Joan Didion’s Notebooks

Nicolas V. Sanchez Sketchbooks

Nicolas V. Sanchez does amazing drawings in sketchbooks, using ballpoint pens with stunning skill and delicacy. I love the section of his website where he presents a series of notebooks he’s filled with his incredibly vibrant drawings: See more at Nicolas V. Sanchez– Books and on Instagram at @nicolasvsanchez .

Notebook Addict of the Week: John Rogers

I found this week’s notebook addict via a blog post by our previous addict, Warren Ellis. He linked to this Twitter thread , where screenwriter John Rogers talks about methods for notebook-keeping, and shared the photo below: It accompanies his first principle of notebook-keeping: First, a dedicated notebook for every project. This notenbook is creative … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: John Rogers

Marlon Brando’s Notebook

You’d think a headline like “Marlon Brando’s Little Black Book” would have caught my eye, but I missed this article on Slate when it was published in 2013. Marlon Brando dropped this battered address book on the stage of New York’s Barrymore Theatre while appearing in A Streetcar Named Desire in 1949. The loss of … Continue reading Marlon Brando’s Notebook

Rick Barton’s Sketchbooks

An interesting piece in the New York Times: Unearthing Rick Barton, a Boho Bard of North Beach, about a Beat-era artist whose work is now on view at the Morgan Library in NYC. Rick Barton was a somewhat obscure artist who lived in San Francisco in the late 1950s and early 1960s, often sketching in … Continue reading Rick Barton’s Sketchbooks

Notebook Addict of the Week: Warren Ellis

This week’s addict is a writer of graphic novels and creator of the Netflix series Castlevania, among other creative ventures. On his website, he talks about his shift away from digital tools to capturing all this thoughts in notebooks like these: I almost exclusively think on paper these days. The first page of each notebook … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Warren Ellis