Sketch Book for the Artist

INTRODUCTION

Drawing Books and Papers

DRAWING BOOKS

Select drawing books to suit your aims. For evening classes, choose larger formats

to give you scope for experiment. For traveling, choose smaller hard-bound books

that fit in your pocket or bag; their jackets will act like drawing boards and protect

your work. Many artists invent ways of binding their own books. Dissecting a

discarded hard-bound book will soon show you how it is made; this is how I learned.

To BEGIN YOUR EXPLORATION of drawing, you need a

drawing book. There are dozens to choose from. Gleaming

store purchases vary greatly in format, binding, color,

texture, thickness, quality, and cost. Homemade books can

be assembled easily from found materials or selections of

loose sheet papers, which are also sold in an enormous

range. Art students often make use of printed books picked

up from secondhand stores into

which they draw, cut, and

collage their ideas. It is also

useful to own a portfolio. A

high-quality one will last a

lifetime; cheap corrugated plastic ones fall apart in days.

Alternatively, study the structure of a good portfolio and

make your own. You simply need two strong boards hinged

together well, ties on either side to keep your papers in

place, and handles to lift the weight of your artworks.

Drawing boards are invaluable. They can be very expensive

in art stores; it is better to have them made at a lumber

yard or home improvement store. Calculate a range of

useful dimensions and have several cut at once. Smooth

plywood, thick enough not to flex, is perfect. Sand the

edges to avoid splinters. If you intend to carry your boards

for a distance, be sure they fit comfortably under your arm.

1. CANVAS-COVERED HARD-
   BOUND: Ideal for carrying
   around; a length of black elastic
   tied around the middle will hold
   the contents together when you
   fold in collected items. Note the
   widely differing choice of papers
   with which these are made.


2. BLACK POCKET BOOKS:
   Hand-sized with ready-made elastic
   binder and a marker ribbon. Most
   contain thin paper and are perfect
   for use with disposable pens.


3. COLORED PAPERS: Large
   art supply stores often sell thick
   books full of colored papers.
   These are perfect for working in

color If planning to use pencils,

pastels, and crayons, be aware

that paper texture effects and

changes their marks.

4. RING-BOUND PADS:
   These are the least expensive
   and useful for opening flat.
   However ring bindings often
   break. Purchase a high-quality
   ring-bound pad if you wish to
   keep your drawings together
   long-term.


5. FOUND BOOKS: Old printed
   novels, catalogs, and reference
   books found in second-hand
   stores make unique subjects
   for experiments and collage.


6. HOMEMADE: I made this
   book from drawing paper that
   I folded, stitched, and glued to
   a strip of bias binding. The hard-
   board jacket is stretched with
   canvas beneath the paper sleeve.

Tantalus or The Future of Man

2002

81 / 2 x 61 / 4 in (215 x 158 mm)

ROSE MILLER