Sketchbook Tour

My sketchbooks aren’t pretty. They travel in my backpack, are used in cars and while I sit on the floor, and are often what I work in when I want to make something when I don’t have a lot of energy. I use only glue sticks to adhere the papers and get lots of wrinkles. I close them when the paint is still wet, work on both sides of the paper, and generally don’t get attached to anything I make in them. I’m surprised when I look at a sketchbook collage and realize that I’ve made a decent piece worth sharing on Instagram.

I use sketchbooks for a quick art fix when I want to play with paper, but they end up being a useful place to explore an idea. When I flip back through an older sketchbook, I can see where I’m playing with the ideas that make their way into my larger works.

For this sketchbook, I worked in a Canson mixed media hardbound sketchbook. I prefer the smaller size, 5x8 inches because it doesn’t take up much space in my bag.

These collages haven’t been edited to make them look more polished, but instead, show all the edges and grimy bits.

I used lots of gelli prints on this one, and they all blur together, but I do like the colors.

Some letterpress scraps and player piano roll.

All from a vintage magazine. Great lines and colors.

I couldn’t resist these fish and had a grand time mixing them into new species.

I made this one as I sat in the car waiting for my son to finish his day at school. I’ve found it helpful to carry collage papers that have a similar palette because they are easier to work with when you have limited time and space.

I still like this composition, made of letterpress printed, rust dyed papers.

A mess, but playing with lines and the shapes they create.

More player piano papers and a lovely bit of graph paper.

I carry a box of Derwent Inktense paints with me and sometimes do these tiny compositions.

While I paint on one side, my son will sometimes paint on the other page.