Artists & Illustrators - UK (2019-12)

Decem

TIPS • ADVICE • IDEAS

sketchbook

RUTHWALLACEonthe importanceofkeeping asketchbook

A workingsketchbookis theplacewhere

youcanexperimentwithideasandtakerisks.

It won’tstayinpristineconditionandbefullof

“masterpieces”,butratherit shouldbe

battered,messywithuse,andcrammedwith

diverseimagesfrommark-makingexperiments

todevelopeddrawings.Filledsketchbookscan

provideyouwitha wealthofmaterialtoinspire

newworkandyourdrawingswilltransportyou

backtothesights,smells,soundsandemotions

atthetimeandplacewhereyoufirst

experiencedthem.

1

DEVELOP A HABIT

Use your sketchbook as often as you can – daily if possible,

if only for a fi ve-minute sketch – so that the habit of drawing

becomes part of your everyday life.

2

BE EXPERIMENTAL

Explore a wide range of materials, make quick, loose

sketches and longer, more considered drawings, draw from

observation, imagination and memory.

3

VARY YOUR

SURFACE

Don’t be confi ned or

intimidated by the white paper.

Paint pages with a background

layer of colour, stick in pieces

of newspaper, pages from old

books, bits of out-of-date maps,

scraps of discarded paintings

or prints, or make rubbings

from textured surfaces; any

different grounds will add

another dimension to your

drawing and suggest new

ways of working.

4

CAPTURE IT ALL

Draw anything and

everything. Don’t search for

the perfect scene or a

beautiful object; draw your

mug of coffee, a sleeping cat,

the corner of a room,

shadows, textures... Anything

that catches your eye.

Ruth’s next workshop, Keeping a

Sketchbook, runs 9-10 November

at the Royal West of England

Academy’s Drawing School,

Bristol. http://www.ruthwallace.co.uk

SKETCH DAILY!