Build SKETCHBOOK SKOOL
24 Artists Magazine April 2020
disastrous attempts to “fix” them. I slather on watercolor
or go over a line using a heavier pen and get an even bigger
mess—but I always learn something along the way.
My sketchbooks are carefully chosen. They’re filled with
beautiful paper, often hand-bound and always numbered.
The idea of having a big disaster in the middle of one of
them used to be very depressing. Now I flip back and
remember how I went astray and am all the wiser for it.If you commit to leaving everything in your sketchbook,
you’ll find you do each drawing a little more carefully,
knowing you’ll be “stuck” with it. So what? It’s just
a sketchbook, right? Better to let it all hang out and be
yourself than masquerade as some impeccable genius who
always bats 1.000. That’s not you, is it? It sure ain’t me.PRACTICE AND STRETCH
So, back to finding and embracing your style. It’s like any
sport: You’ve got to practice and stretch. Try drawing like
other artists, going so far as to copy their drawings line by
line. You won’t actually end up with copies; instead, you’ll
have your drawings of their drawings. Then, make yourself
draw the same thing over, and again. Or, draw something
complicated, like your car’s engine or every hair on your
arm—really detailed, accurate drawings. Then do some-
thing wild: Draw using a fat brush dipped in ink, a Sharpie
marker on a paper towel—whatever loosens you up.
The same is true for the writing in your sketchbook.
Try writing in verse, without adjectives, incredibly tersely,
whatever. Observe how publications are designed and let
them inspire your approach. The New Yorker is dense and
then explodes with a large photo. The National Enquirer
shouts in display faces. USA Today uses fun infographics.
Try graphing what you eat for lunch or where you drive.Drawing the same thing over
and over again helps to define
your style.Don’t freak out over a bad
drawing. It’s just one page
in your sketchbook.Try drawing something really complex.