I thought I’d give you all a change of pace– a post without a single notebook in it! Instead, I’ll talk a little bit about the pens I use with my notebooks, for the tests I do in reviews, and for day to day use. My most frequently used pens tend to be Uniball Signo … Continue reading My Pen Collection
Some lovely urban sketching, in NYC’s Tribeca neighborhood and beyond. I will have to keep an eye out for this guy, as I’ve sketched from some of his spots myself! Gavin Snider loves to draw, as you can see from the work he posts on Instagram and Twitter. Of local note: A series of drawings … Continue reading Gavin Snider’s Sketchbooks
I’d love to check out this sketchbook, either the real thing or the facsimile! Known as an abstract painter for his bold use of gridded color swatches, Stanley Whitney crowds his drawings with an abundance of line, as seen in his September-October exhibition of drawings at Lisson Gallery in Chelsea. The exhibition began with a … Continue reading Stanley Whitney’s Sketchbook
I have mentioned the Pen & Ink Sketchbooks from Art Alternatives many times on this blog. Their pocket size sketchbook with the heavyweight paper is the closest alternative I’ve found to a Moleskine Sketchbook, for those who prefer creamy smooth paper, as opposed to the brighter white, toothier paper found in many other competitors’ pocket … Continue reading Art Alternatives Pen & Ink Sketchbooks: They’ve Changed!
I came across some wonderful sketchbook images, plus an interview with Anne Davies, the artist who created them, at the website of Sue Bulmer, a UK artist. How do you feel about the prospect of starting a new sketchbook? I love it, maybe that’s why I have so many on the go at once! I’m … Continue reading Sue Bulmer Interviews Anne Davies About Her Sketchbooks
I was trying to find online images of Van Gogh’s small sketchbooks (the supposed “moleskines”) when I found the images below. The notebook pictured did not belong to Van Gogh, but was rather a sort of logbook kept at a cafe in Arles that Van Gogh visited. The notebook has been cited as evidence for … Continue reading A Notebook with a Link to Van Gogh?
This photo of artist Gary Panter caught my eye– I wish I could get a better look at that little sketchbook! Panter creates art in various media, but the New York Times article this photo accompanies focuses on his new graphic novel, Songy of Paradise. The article notes that he does not use digital tools … Continue reading Gary Panter’s Sketchbook
This book looks great– an entire graphic novel in facsimile notebook form: My Favorite Thing is Monsters “Set in the same 1960s Chicago where Ferris spent her youth, the book’s main character is Karen Reyes, a 10-year-old obsessed with movie monsters…. The central gimmick of the comic is that Karen is the cartoonist behind its … Continue reading “My Favorite Thing is Monsters,” a Graphic Novel by Emil Ferris
I was really excited when I heard that Stillman & Birn were expanding their product line to include softcover sketchbooks, especially when I saw that a pocket sized version was available. There are so many options out there for hardcover sketchbooks, and so many pocket notebooks, but these really fill a niche in terms of … Continue reading Review and Giveaway: Stillman & Birn Softcover Sketchbooks
Thoughts on sketchbook keeping from various artists: Allen Shaw, Berlin I SPEAK through my watercolour sketches. I often tell people, “I am the sketchbook and you are my song.” It started off with a course at NID called Environmental Perception, which required us to go into villages and sketch. I have done a permanent repeat … Continue reading Artists and Their Sketchbooks