While the world keeps reaching new levels of crazy, making drawings in my sketchbooks gives me joy.
If the Sketchbooks Have No Blank Pages Why Aren’t They Done?
I have three sketchbooks now that are nearly complete. This mixed media painting is from one of these sketchbooks and I am pleased with how it turned out. It began with an ink sketch, followed by watercolor, then I used gouache to add the final details. I could’ve continued to work on it, but I had to force myself to stop. Now that it is scanned, I can keep tweaking it without fear of wrecking it.
Framed Art – Print 30"X 23 1/16"
It would make me happy to make a sketchbook flip through for each one. Even though there are no blank pages left, I don’t consider them completed. I am aware that this last step is delaying progress, but so far the measuring stick I am using for completion is that I have to like all the pages. The pages I don’t like, I want to work on more.
While I am itching to be finished, and I am excited to share the filled books, I still need to go through and make improvements to the pages that aren’t quite there yet. It’s true that this could go on for decades.
Since I know that there are several ways to blot out an ugly drawing and make a new one, I am sure that every sketchbook page can reach a final good end. Because I am so sure of this, every unlovely page is a challenge.
Having Attachment Issues with My Sketchbooks
At the time when I decided to like every page, it seemed like a low bar. I don’t have to LOVE the page, just like it.
The road to liking the page is sometimes much too long. Now that the book is close to completion, it’s time to say goodbye. It’s like we need to break up and I am prolonging the inevitable end. Maybe I just don’t want to be finished? When will I ever be done if having all the pages filled is not done? How far do you let yourself continue to tweak old drawings? I admire people who declare their work finished with confidence.
Unfinished Sketchbooks Piled High
It seems that a deadline is needed here. I need to force myself to stop working on these, so I can move toward finishing the other five. It would help to count all the pages that still need work and make a quick decision about how to resolve it, and estimate how much time it would take to get them to a likable stage and then mark the calendar using the estimated time period.
Some artists have done flip throughs where the sketchbook was not finished and I don’t think I want to do that. Although that is one way to keep it moving. However I could see myself having a completely filled book, but making several flip through videos of only portions of the book. Like parts one two and three.
Next Time There Will Be New Requirements
It is exciting to share these sketchbooks that have taken far too long to fill. There is also excitement in starting the next sketchbook. The goal for the next ones will be speed. Bump that liking every page business. FAST is the main idea. Maybe I need some go to page fillers. Blind contour drawing is one good one.
This Process Is Taking Too Long
Part of the slow pace can be blamed on having a grip of active sketchbooks at once. I may give myself a smaller limit of maybe three at a time in the future. Right now I have EIGHT active sketchbooks. Even still I manage to find more sketchbooks to add to the collection.
Since liking every page is taking much too long, I am going to reduce the requirement of the current three to liking a certain percentage of the pages. In the interest of time, I am going to take the pages I hate and:
- make envelopes out of them. Then I can stick the envelopes in random places inside the sketchbook that I want to cover. This is another method of transforming awful drawings.
- cover parts of the offensive page with a sticky note and make a new drawing on top.
- make dutch doors or floating pages
- collage over parts I don’t like
Another big part of the problem is that although I never stopped drawing, I still don’t draw enough. Sporadic drawings across eight sketchbooks has taken YEARS to fill.
New Sketchbooks are Waiting On Me
I am eager knock these out and start on some new sketchbooks that are waiting. Since I am working on three at a time now, I hope to finish these first, then choose three more of the remaining five. After I have finished the second set of three, I will give myself permission to take a new one out of the cellophane and work on the remaining two plus one NEW sketchbook.
Having several sketchbooks going at once is convenient when you need a small one for drawing in tight spaces like the subway, or airplane and a different one for drawing at home, but it is not helping speed.
Are there any types of drawings that you would like to see me draw? Or do you have any sketchbooks that you would recommend? Let me know in the comments!
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