Sketchbook and Journal

Often we hear artists talk about their use of sketchbooks, or journals, or both. Sometimes, at exhibitions, we are lucky enough to be able to see a particular artist's sketchbooks, and to note that these take diverse forms for different practitioners. Some may involve copious notes, either as thoughts and reflections, or the artist's feelings, or they may be about the particular experience and observations in relation to each sketch.

From my own viewpoint, I make a definite distinction between a sketchbook per se, and a reflective journal. In this post, I'll briefly attempt to define why I see these two things as intrinsically distinct from each other, albeit with some degree of overlap in practical application.

For me, a (studio) journal exists as a place and space for reflective dialogue - a 'conversation' - between practice and artist, 'self' and 'the work'. Questions which may exist around the nature of what we think we are trying to do, can be explored through this self-directed dialogue. We might come back to these questions and revisit them over time, or they may be pertinent only to a particular period of our practice, or even to a particular piece of work. They might involve notes on what we have done or are doing - technical pointers, that may become important to remember (how we did such and such, etc.) This last can be particularly useful when we have gone through a period of rapid technical change or development, and we can benefit from reading back over the things that we did and how we approached them - almost like an instruction manual of our own practice. I also like to use the journal as a kind of studio diary, and a place to record my thoughts and introspections, to make a note of ideas and possible future works, as well as a place to consider how my practice has developed or changed over time (it can be useful to look back at work from months, or even years, ago and evaluate it in the context of where the practice is currently.)

In terms of a sketchbook, you may find that there is some overlap with a number of the things that I have outlined above, depending upon how you choose to use it. Personally, I like to keep my journal and sketchbook for different things. I use my sketchbook as a place for practice - new ideas, working with different/new materials to try them out, and thinking through the act of drawing - a kind of meditation. It is also a place for remembering, and a space to study the technical aspects of drawing; a private and intimate space, in which to refine the practice itself (which is partly why it always feels like an extraordinary privilege to see any artist's sketchbooks.) A sketchbook can also be a place to record feelings, and/or responses to a particular location or subject, through the act of drawing/painting/sketching. I find that I have a freedom to play and use whatever materials I like, or whatever is to hand, in my sketchbook, in a way that I seldom have the luxury of in my 'finished work'. There is something in the essential nature of using a sketchbook that makes it open to experimentation, exploration, and playful abandon; if it works - great - if not, then it was fun!

Given that a sketchbook is such a personal space, there will be many approaches and ways of using it, depending upon the individual artist's preferences and working methodology. The aim is to make it unique to you and your practice, and to feel that it is a place where you can be entirely yourself. A Reflective Journal is a slightly different animal, but personal and unique to the individual practitioner, nevertheless. Neither need to be shared with anyone else, and it is in this spirit that I would like to encourage you to use both - regularly and often.

Exercise:

Try making a daily 'sketch', or piece of work, in a sketchbook of your choice. Either make yourself one, or buy one that feels 'special' to use. Select a good quality cartridge paper, or heavier/textured paper if you prefer (or a mixture of papers, for different approaches.) You could make yourself a unique sketchbook using old wallpaper samples, or wrapping/brown paper, or some other kind of surface which you think could be fun, or interesting, to work on. Perhaps you might experiment with ways of binding these homemade sketchbooks, to create something that feels really special to work on, and which will motivate you to want to visit it regularly.

Similarly, find or buy a notebook/journal that you can use for your refelctive writing. Don't use it for any other purpose, but keep it reserved for your reflections and conversations with yourself about your practice. Make your entries into a daily practice, alongside your sketchbook work.

Do the above for a continuous period of at least ten days, and ideally for a couple of weeks. Make this practice an addition to any other work/projects/artwork that you might currently have on the go. How do you feel that this has impacted upon your practice, and in what ways, over this period? Is it 'a practice' in itself? Is it something that you feel you would like to continue, going forward? Record your responses.