How to Make Your Sketchbook a Playground

To make your sketchbook into a playground, rearrange your attitude about it.

Use your sketchbook to express your creativity, to make notes, to jot down recipes, to record overheard conversations and quotes, to doodle and to sketch.  This drawing is from an old sketchbook before I knew that a sketchbook is not a place to collect perfect drawings.  My aim was to make the best drawings possible so that I could share my sketchbook filled with impressive drawings.  Now I know better.

Your Sketchbook is a Playground!

The sketchbook is the perfect playground for your ideas and imagination. Here are some tips for making your sketchbook a place where you can have fun and experiment with different techniques:

1. Experiment with different tools. Your sketchbook is the perfect place to try out different drawing tools, such as pens, pencils, markers, and paint. Try different types of paper too, such as drawing paper, watercolor paper, or mixed media paper.
2. Take risks. It’s important to remember that your sketchbook is not a finished product, but a place to experiment and take risks. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or try new things. The more you experiment, the more you will learn and grow as an artist.
3. Have fun! The most important thing is to have fun with your sketchbook. It’s a place to explore and play with different ideas. Don’t take it too seriously and remember to enjoy the process.  Think of it as a playground for your supplies and your imagination.
4. Share your work. Sketching is not only about creating something, but also about sharing it with others. Take pictures of your work and share it on social media or with your friends and family. Not only will it inspire others but also help you to notice your progress.

Share with others the work that pleases you and ignore those that disappoint.  Your sketchbook can be private. Or you could totally embrace that the sketchbook is not a portfolio.  That the sketchbook is like a math problem where you show your work.  Show your sketchbook to others mistakes and all.  If you try the same drawing over and over, it can become a spread.

All this to say that your sketchbook is a place to enjoy yourself. Keep the pressure low, making mistakes is the GOAL, and having fun is priority one.  Experiment with different tools and techniques, different combinations of mediums, take risks, have fun and don’t forget to share your work with others.

Share your sketches with us on social media using the hashtag #sketchbookplayground.

Supplies Used to Make These Drawings

These drawings were made with God given gifts of seeing things that others don’t.

• A gift of an intense love of colors, combinations of colors, and patterns.
• A gift of hypersensitivity to sounds, textures, and light levels.
• A gift of seeing clearly slight differences in color and tone and also feeling vibrations and tones in others.

The house portrait was done with a rapidograph pen in a .05 tip.  The bottom was done in mostly posca pens and uni-ball vision elite.