Tag Archives: travel journal

R.I.P. Chandler O’Leary

I just saw the incredibly sad and shocking news that Chandler O’Leary died suddenly a few days ago. I did not know her personally but she has been one of my favorite notebook/sketchbook artists for years. I thought for sure I had done a post about her, but I guess I never did. I know … Continue reading R.I.P. Chandler O’Leary

Colorful Travel Sketchbooks

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

Notebook Addict of the Week: Gary Varner

What notebooks would you pack for a year-long road trip? Gary is back home now, I think, but he spent a year traveling around the USA in a camper van and the photos below show the notebooks he brought with him: What does a stationery fanatic and writer do to haul the necessary tools and … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Gary Varner

Letts Notebook Review

It’s been more than 8 years since I reviewed a notebook from Letts! This classic English brand has been around even longer than that, though… since 1812, in fact! Letts claims to be the first publisher of “commercial diaries,” meaning a mass-produced calendar book combined with space to write and usually some business-related promotional info … Continue reading Letts Notebook Review

Delacroix’s Notebooks, Now in English

Some of my favorite images from artists’ sketchbooks are from Eugene Delacroix’s travel notebooks. A new book now translates his notes into English for the first time. In 1832 the 34-year-old Eugène Delacroix, already well known for his Orientalist works, accompanied a French diplomatic mission to Morocco and travelled through Algeria and Andalusia. His exposure … Continue reading Delacroix’s Notebooks, Now in English

Ian McTaggart Cowan’s Travel Journal

This lovely notebook belonged to Ian McTaggart Cowan, a Scottish-Canadian zoologist and conservationist. The image is from the archives of the University of Victoria, where you can flip through the rest of its pages. (The text is also transcribed next to the images, in case you can’t read the small handwriting!) The journal covers 1957-1958, … Continue reading Ian McTaggart Cowan’s Travel Journal

Seafarers’ Sketchbooks

This book looks really cool: The Sea Journal: Seafarers’ Sketchbooks From the description: In this remarkable gathering of private journals, log books, letters and diaries, we follow the voyages of intrepid sailors, from the frozen polar wastes to South Seas paradise islands, as they set down their immediate impressions of all they saw. They capture … Continue reading Seafarers’ Sketchbooks

Lost and Found Sketchbook

Great story about a sketchbook that went astray for 36 years! In 1983, Thomas Thospecken set off on a cross-country journey, intending to document his travels in sketchbooks and journals. He lost one of them along the way, but decades later, the person who found it managed to return it to him! Artist Thomas Thorspecken, … Continue reading Lost and Found Sketchbook

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

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