I am always inspired by artists working in sketchbooks, so it was a treat to attend a talk by a master of the form. At the Ridgefield, CT Library, the artist James Lancel McElhinney spoke on “Painted Books: From the Age of Exploration to the Digital Era.” McElhinney traced the history of art created on … Continue reading James Lancel McElhinney on Painted Books
I saw Alan Reed’s sketchbooks on Twitter and had to stop and gaze for a while… a lovely collection. You can see more of Alan’s work at his website, AlanReed.com. He posts some great painting videos too!
Here’s a notebook with a layout I haven’t seen before: dot grid on one side and ruled on the other. They make a few different versions, each of which comes in various colors. Wide spaced with 100 GSM paper Narrow spaced with 100 GSM paper Fountain pen edition with 120 GSM paper (available with blank, … Continue reading PAIPURÂ Notebooks
This one’s for Star Wars fans: sketchbooks from the 1970s belonging to the costumer designer for the original movie. A treasure trove of items owned by Star Wars costume designer John Mollo are being sold at London auctioneers Bonhams including notes and his sketchbook. If you don’t have the estimated £300,000 it will take to … Continue reading Star Wars Costume Designer’s Sketchbooks
Unfortunately this exhibition of artists’ sketchbooks is long over, but it ran earlier this year at the Western Wyoming Community College Art Gallery in Rock Springs. It looks like it was a lovely display! The pages below are by Leah Hardy: Below are sketches by Florence Alfano McEwin, who was also the curator of the … Continue reading Wyoming Artists’ Sketchbooks
Zoot goes by bulletjournaljoy on Instagram, where she displays an impressive dedication to journaling! I like her colorful variety of notebooks, while maintaining a consistent format and tidy labeling. You can also follow her journaling journey on her website: BulletJournalJoy
A beautiful and colorful page from a notebook by artist Phillip March Jones. I love the idea of taking old pages of scribbly notes and turning them into vibrant works of abstract art. The artist, writer and curator Phillip March Jones almost always carries a notebook — a small Moleskine affair, just the right size to … Continue reading Phillip March Jones’s “Workbooks”
Sometimes the simplest little sketches just grab me. This one featured on the Urban Sketchers site is gorgeous. by Javier de Blas in La Rioja, Spain] Logroño, 11.05.2018. I watch the evening with no thought in my mind. Green is still alive, but autumn is already in the sky. Source: In a few strokes: autum … Continue reading An Autumn Sketch
You’ve probably seen Wendy MacNaughton’s artwork, even if you aren’t familiar with her name. She has illustrated some really cool books, including these: , and I just discovered this amusing blank notebook she created, the Punk Rock Writers Journal: Now she’s doing a regular feature in the business section of the New York Times, and … Continue reading Wendy MacNaughton in The New York Times
The interesting sketchbooks below were featured in an article with tips for how to get started with a daily sketchbook habit. These seem to be from the 1980s but Daler Rowney still sells Langton Watercolor books. A sketchbook can be much more than just a notebook for drawing. “It can be thought of as a … Continue reading Keeping a Daily Sketchbook