I love it when I come across textile sketchbooks, such as the ones below by mixed media artist Shelley Rhodes. She works in textiles and collage so her pages have lots of color and texture that go beyond just drawing and painting. If you are inspired by Shelley’s work, you might want to check out … Continue reading Textile Sketchbooks By Shelley Rhodes
These are so simple and beautiful! From My Modern Met: No matter the weather, Azerbaijan-based artist Fidan Zaman takes to the shores of the Caspian Sea to paint the seawater and the sky. From dark, murky waters and gray clouds to turquoise waves and sunlit horizons, Zaman captures the beauty of the beach during all four seasons. … Continue reading Seascape Sketchbooks
I’ve seen various stories about people documenting their time under coronavirus lockdowns, using sketchbooks or journals. Here’s one example, a visual diary kept by a Scottish architect: Prof Alan Dunlop has filled six A4-size sketchbooks since the start of restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. He has sketched scenes inside and outside the … Continue reading Lockdown Diaries
I came across the photo below a couple of months ago, as part of an article about the coronavirus lockdowns and how they are causing people to do more writing by hand on paper. But what got me all excited was that it appeared to show a Smythson notebook with unlined pages. The photo caption … Continue reading Handwriting, Lockdown and Unlined Smythson Notebooks
From My Modern Met: In 2017, Spanish artist Alicia Aradilla decided to embrace a nomadic lifestyle and travel the world. Instead of keeping a diary of her journeys, however, Aradilla began documenting the architecture, nature, and other memorable sites she saw—and continues to experience—in sketchbooks. So vibrant and beautiful! Read more: Nomadic Artist Shares Her Travels Through … Continue reading Colorful Travel Sketchbooks
Extraordinary notebooks from the Terra Nova Antarctic expedition of 1911 are available for study and research for the first time. They are an important record of the natural history of Antarctica, an area now facing grave threats. However, they are best known for their infamous passages describing the penguin sexual behaviours. The Natural History Museum … Continue reading Penguin Sex Diaries!
While writing my recent posts about my collection of wirebound notebooks (see Part 1 and Part 2), I was looking for more information about the JoRedCo notebook brand. I have two in my collection, but hadn’t really heard much about the brand, other than a commenter having mentioned finding old stock for sale. Google provided … Continue reading JoRedCo Notebooks
It’s always fun to see chefs’ notebooks… fun and mouth-watering! From Honolulu Magazine: Some chefs sketch out their ideas for new dishes; most don’t. At Chef Mavro, chef/owner Jeremy Shigekane’s intricate presentations—each of which will end up as a course on one of his tasting menus—begin with a vegetable or fruit. He checks farmlinkhawaii.com, a site that … Continue reading A Honolulu Chef’s Notebook
I’ve heard from a couple of readers on how they’re notebooking their way through the COVID-19 shutdown. Here are their stories: Tina Koyama A little more than 3 weeks ago, I was so freaked out about the pandemic that I needed something to do to calm my mind so that I could move on with … Continue reading Notebooking Through the Coronavirus
From Wallpaper.com: Hair artist Julien D’ys is one person never low on artistic output. Over the years, he has amassed hundreds of notebooks all bursting with sketches, paintings and photographs that have formed the basis of his work with Comme des Garçons, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld and Marni, to name a few. ‘My notebook is like my brain,’ D’ys says. … Continue reading Julien D’ys’ Notebooks