Learning to FINALLY Use a Sketchbook

Over the past few months, I have shared several posts about sketching (or lack thereof), traveling while sketching, and the tools and setup I have been building to improve my sketching efforts. I have been a complete disaster at drawing in a sketchbook my entire life. Bear with me while I try to break this down, as this is likely for my benefit more than anyone else's, but hopefully some of this will ring true and give insight for others who struggle to 'get' sketching.

I will start by saying that after more than fifty years on this planet, spending most of that time making art in one fashion or another, with over twenty-six of those years spent as a professional artist, I have FINALLY figured out how to use a sketchbook and to sketch in it.

My sketchbook

I have done more in this one sketchbook this year than I have ever done in all the books I have had throughout my life. Likely not really, but it certainly feels that way.

I am very much aware that my greatest flaw when it comes to drawing is my quest for the perfect line and the completion of a beautiful finished drawing, every time I pick up a pencil. I have been this way since I was a small child. If the pads of paper I used to draw on still existed, it would be page after page of nearly empty pages with the small start of something that I quickly deemed flawed, and I would abandon the entire sheet of paper and move to the next. Page after page and sketch pad after sketch pad. So much waste and so much frustration for me. I would see others' sketchbooks and would be amazed and frustrated because I simply didn't understand how they made it work.

The left page was done last week, while the right page was done in May while visiting Avingon, France.

The left is from my head, and I had no plan, it just happened. The right is based on the outdoor light fixtures all over the town. I thought they were interesting and wanted to use that as a starting point.

In many ways, I have always felt like I was running out of time. I didn't, don't, and will never have the time I need to do all of the work I want to do. I wanted and needed to make a finished piece every time I picked up a pencil, and spending time not working towards that goal was time wasted. I realize the jumbled logic there - that I felt like I was wasting time that should be spent drawing ... by drawing. But at the end of the day, I needed to be making finished work all the time, or at least that is what it felt like in my soul. And in time, I figured out a method of working that allowed that. I mean, there were some pieces abandoned along the way, but for much of my professional career, when I was just making art for myself, nearly every time I would make something that was the first and only iteration of the idea and image. No thumbnails, no prelims, and certainly no sketching. I sat down and would make a finished drawing.

Again, the left is more recent and the right is from May.

While the image on the right was considered finished, I spent some additional time on it recently before working on the left page. I have been enjoying clustering forms so that I have to use the available space to influence the shapes and forms I might not naturally make.

I have found that I don't need to work things out on paper before I start working. While I do spend a lot of time doing that, it is actually taking place in my head. Nearly all of my concept work, thumbnailing, and planning happens in my head. I would work the piece out, move stuff around, and envision the final before making the first mark. I have the plan and the course, and then I make it. This method has its merits for me, and it has hurdles. But I have made it work for a long time. And because of this, I have had trouble validating the time to spend sketching when I could do it all in my head and then make the final piece. Client work was the place where I would do all the pre-production work. I would make the client's thumbnails and concept designs. I would do the work for them that I really should be doing for myself.

There was a drawing on the right that I was not happy with.

My solution was to ink it out entirely and go in with a white pencil for a different experience. It is my sketchbook and I can do what I want.

When I started on the Grand Bazaar, I did incorporate some of those steps that I provide to my clients in my own work, but again, it was to facilitate a complex end piece that had a purpose and place. I was, and am, always working toward a larger goal. Most of these days, it is bringing my next illustrated novel to life. But I knew I was missing out. I knew I was not taking the time to fully use my skill sets. Sure, I could artistically run that marathon each and every day, but I couldn't even stretch or practice. I simply expected myself to complete massive feats of artistic prowess without any of the play, exploration, and exercise.

In many ways, this is finally a place I feel comfortable playing.

While I am sharing these images with you now, the reality is that this is something I am doing and making for myself. A running visual journal of moments in my life. Some I add notes so that I know where I was when the drawing happened, but others stand alone without context.

For many years, I always had supplies on me - pencils, pens, paper, erasers, and sharpeners. But if I was sitting around drawing, it was for a finished drawing or a smaller part for a larger project (at one time, it might have even been client work). Never to simply sit and see where things take me. I love to draw. I can draw anytime and anywhere... but not without purpose. And after fifty years, it finally clicked. I finally just started playing in a sketchbook. In my previous posts, I talked about the steps I have taken this year to reach this point. I found the sketchbook that really suits me. And the toned paper, the size, and the binding that are perfect for me. I have finally figured out my preferred styluses and drawing aids. I figured out how to ensure I have it with me as much as possible. But most of all, I finally figured out how to make it feel like it was a part of me and an integral part of my day.

But I am still me, and the long-term goals and plans still exist in my life.

So there is a fair amount in the sketchbook that will likely find itself in the Grand Bazaar. And I am realizing that in the long run, this will really help me out. I will no longer need to design everything when I am working on the next piece. I have pages of monsters ready for a place to live.

Sure, some of this comes from feeling ashamed of my sketches while looking enviously at others' gorgeous sketchbooks. And that is sometimes a hard one to shake. It has affected me throughout my life, and I know many artists deal with it to some degree in their lives. But I finally figured out how I best work in the context of the sketchbook. I had to figure out the pens, markers, and pencils. I had to figure out the best workflow for myself. Basically, I had to teach myself and learn how to use a sketchbook. I had to stick to it, get through the ugly stages that once would stop me in my tracks, and I had to learn to not care and to give up my ego once I started to make marks. In the sketchbook, there is no right or wrong, and there certainly is no finished work. There are no rules in my sketchbook. I can go forward, I can go backwards, I can draw on the front and back of the paper. I can stick little reminders among the pages to remind myself of the time and place I made the sketch. My sketchbook is the place for my sketches, ideas, notes, and memories. I have used various digital and analog notepads for years to organize my books, but for the life of me, I have never used paper and pen to make art notes for a future me, until now.

A look through some of my sketchbook pages.

I am still learning and figuring this all out, but I can confidently say that I think I have cracked the nut. I have to be vigilant. I have to ensure I am using it often (but I will go into this more later) and that it is always near. At the end of the day, I had to change myself, and it was never an issue with the sketchbook or the pens, though having the ones that work best for you is ideal. I have realized I didn't feel comfortable spending the time on something that wouldn't result in a finished piece, a massive confidence issue, and feeling free to make mistakes and have fun with no goal or direction. 

UPDATE: I have one additional thought on all of this after I completed writing. One of my problems with working all the time on art for my books or clients is that the working and making art in general became locked to my house and eventually my studio. I have to be in a very specific place to make art, and that was starting to reduce the amount of time I was making art and my enjoyment of it. Once again, I can make art anywhere, and that has been very freeing and a boost to my drive to create. 

That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back next Monday. I will be away from the computer for much of this week. Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Traveling and Sketching - Part Two: The Bag

Last week, I shared with you some thoughts and photos of recent sketches that I did while traveling in Spain and France. While the drawings and what I drew them in are likely the most important aspects of this endeavor, if not for the bag that I carried it all, I would have nothing to show.

To start things off, the bag shown here is NOT the one I left with on the trip. Leading up to the trip, I researched, got personal testimony, and went with a bag from a company that I heard good things about. I bought a bag many weeks before our trip, stocked it, tested it around the house, and took it on our trip. That bag may have lasted 3-4 hours the first day of our journey before shredding into an unusable mess. After a few hours of use, this highly rated bag from a company that I had heard nothing but good things about was nothing but a lump of useless fabric. 

In a pinch, we ducked into a store with everything from luggage to wallets and found something better and more useful. This cross-body bag does everything that the other bag could do - and couldn't do. This new bag is what I've been looking for and served me very well on the trip, and appears to be ready for more. At a cafe, shortly after buying this new bag, I switched my belongings to it and never looked back. It is funny how I had to have the bad bag to find the good bag I was looking for. Let's have a closer look at the bag.

This cross-body bag features a long strap that can be adjusted to the preferred length and three zippered pouches on the front. Everything I was actively using went into one of these pouches.

The back of the bag features a fourth zippered pouch. This was for items I needed to carry but didn't need quick access to, for things like a cool rock I might find.

 

The smallest front porch was used for coins and a small external phone battery. The middle pouch was used for my drawing supplies. These supplies included my glasses, markers, pens, pencils, eraser, and a pencil sharpener. I usually work in greys and blacks in my sketchbook with the occasional inclusion of some white pencil. I prefer to work directly in ink as it dries quickly, is permanent, and forces me to make drawing decisions and then to stick to them. Once you make that mark in ink, it is there forever.

The large porch on the front has enough room for my sketchbook, but I could also carry my wallet, a large external battery with cables, and sunglasses. It could get a little tight in there, but this bag has enough room for everything I need to draw anywhere I might find myself. You might notice I keep a pen with the sketchbook so that I can just remove one item from the bag and be ready to start working. 

Lastly, there is a fifth secret pouch in the back of the large front pouch.

I have looked for the right sketchbook, styluses, and bag for a long time. Nothing I have had so far really hit the nail on the head until now. Will this combo work for others? Maybe, but I had to solve three problems separately while concidering the other two. Perhaps I have been too picky, or maybe I need some very specific needs met. No matter, I think I am finally there and can't wait to do more sketching in the wild.

That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog. I will be away the rest of the week, so I will see you back here next Monday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Traveling and Sketching - Part One: The Sketchbook

In April, I shared some thoughts on sketching and the lack thereof in my life. I do not do enough scribbling on paper for the sake of scribbling, and I have been working to address this. I have been working to address it for a long time, but I may have finally cracked that nut. Maybe.

One of the times I wish I could and would sketch more is when traveling. When I am away from home, I leave behind everything that keeps me from drawing, but until recently, I haven't had a good way to facilitate sketching once I am traveling. I have tried many types of sketching media, various bags and satchels, and worked hard to build a routine while traveling to ensure I draw. And I think I may have finally figured it all out. I am sharing this not as a guide or a how-to for others, but more to show that this is a process and one that is likely extremely specific to each artist. Going into our trip to Spain and France earlier this month, I did all I could to ensure that I would draw on the trip. And it finally all came together. While I would say that likely half of the success was the bag I finally acquired, today I am focusing on the half of the solution, which is the sketchbook and my relationship with it.

I am currently using a Soho toned paper sketchbook that has an exposed binding so that it can lie flat. I have had it for a while, and it meets many of my needs. It has traveled with me to conventions and to Europe twice, and it is finally seeing some action. While I have had it for years, it has seen more use this year alone. I first took it with me to SXSW a few months ago and used it for notes and doodling. I didn't expect it to be so valuable for note taking and ended up with many, many pages of notes after the event. As mentioned in April, I took it to Record Store Day to take advantage of my time in line. And most recently, I took it on our trip, where it finally evolved into what it always needed to be for me to use it regularly. And while I will discuss how the bag I carry it in has helped later, it is how my relationship with my sketchbook has fundamentally changed, and in doing, has allowed me to use it more. So let's get to some pictures, and I will explain more.

My sketchbook has some wear and tear, which is perfect because clean and new don't scream use me. The splatter and masked area on the front is where I have attached Magic the Gathering artist proofs so that I could add art to them. This creates the phantom rectangle you see here. The green dot is a sticker I placed on my shirt when we toured Gaudí's Casa Batlló in Barcelona. The green dot and phantom regular are physical memories of things I have done, which I need to do with my sketchbook to make them more usable. I have to make them unmistakably mine. I have to fill them with not only art, but also artifacts of the journey they have been on. And doing this has been one of the single most important decisions that I have made regarding sketching. I need to collect, document, and sketch.

While I am not sharing everything I drew on our most recent trip, I am sharing the important pieces.

This was likely sketch number three from the trip and was the first I was happy with. Even though it might seem a typical sketch for me, I was consciously working against my go-to marks and shapes. This set the stage for me to start pushing what I do with the sketchbook.

Now we are in it!

Finally, after so long of wishing and planning, I finally sat down and drew what was around me on our travels. I dated the drawing and included the location so that I would remember. I have long dreamed of doing this, and it finally came about. This is not a one-to-one of what I observed, but an edited and condensed version that would fit and work better in the book. And that is entirely okay.

Simply scribbling in the sketchbook is good, but not necessarily the goal. I want to be informed by what is around me on the adventures. This creature is based on the unique lighting that you can see around Avignon, France. The light housing has a very strange shape and gives the impression that it has legs. This is definitely something that might eventually come to the Grand Bazaar.

Another drawing of the world around me. While this was begun on location, I had to complete it from memory a day or two later while on the train. I had started this at dinner, but our meal arrived much quicker than expected. I had nearly everything blocked out, and most of what I later brought to the drawing was detail and finish, which was informed by what I had observed here as well as throughout the trip. You will notice the red card to the left. That is a discarded Asterix postcard I found discarded on a pile of free books outside a bookstore. A little artifact from the adventure that is now in my book and is both a memory and a souvenir.

The final drawing I have for you today is one I did at a small bar we discovered in Paris, as the skies opened up while we were without umbrellas. The bar carried local craft beers and gave me some time to draw. But doing this sketch at a place we have good memories of, those memories are reinforced and enhanced by the memories of making this drawing and returning to look at it later. And to the left, a receipt from the bar and an artifact of the day.

Lastly, here is a photo of some random bits in my sketchbook. This spread near the end of the sketchbook has a number of things in it, and they will eventually get spread throughout the books as more pages are filled. But from left to right, you have: a flyer of music performances at SXSW, a beer sticker from a SXSW music show, a pull number for a cafe in Barcelona, the WiFi details of a hotel, a Polaroid photo from IX a few years back, and a receipt from traveling across France. Are these things important? Only to me. But they mark the journey this sketchbook has gone on with me. And through the addition of these little bits and bobs, the sketchbook takes on more of a role than simply a vessel for ink and pencil, it is a journal, a diary, a travel log for my adventure in the world. And I intend to keep this going.

I will share with you the story of my bag next week, as well as the styluses and tools I keep in the bag. 

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Recent Sketchbook Drawings

Not sure if this is my last post for the year, but it very well may be the last one for 2021. That said, I wanted to bring you a selection of recent drawings that I added to my Sketchbooks. I am still offering a discounted price and FREE drawings in my remaining sketchbooks. There are not many left, so now is the time to get one before they are gone forever. Enjoy!

A bird, a dragon, and a monster walk into a bar...

That's all for another exciting year on the blog. See you back here in 2022! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Recent Sketch Book and Artist Proof Drawings

Today I have for you a selection of recent artist proofs that I added drawings to their backs. If you are interested in getting any of these for yourself, just follow the links to my store. I have has a recent spike in artist proof sales, and some are actually getting close to selling out. Starting things off, I have a bonus sketchbook drawing. As a reminder, each of my sketchbooks comes with a free drawing, and while I am nearly sold out of my sketchbooks, I still have a handful left, so the sale continues. Here is a selection of monster drawings.

 

You, too, can get a FREE drawing just like the above drawings when you buy any of my sketchbooks - which continue to be ON SALE!

 

 

The Shimmerwing Chimera has suddenly seen a spike in its popularity.

 

The fan-favorite Stinging Lionfish makes an appearance.

 

Another Shimmerwing Chimera living large and in charge.

 

I have found the coveted peacock a challenging card to do drawings that I have been happy with. This is likely my favorite peacock drawing and will be the direction I take in future peacock drawing.

 

The ever favorite Shifting Shadows lizard monster seems to always make an appearance.

 

Lastly, the Loathsome Catoblepas made a rare appearance and was just happy to be included.

That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here on Wednesday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Recent Sketchbook Drawings

Last year, I ran a big sale on all of my remaining Creatura Libri sketchbooks. Each book comes with a free drawing, and while I nearly sold out of my sketchbooks, I still have some, so I never ended the sale. I sold a set recently, and I wanted to share the drawings that went into the sketchbook. Also, details on the sale follow. 

You, too, can get a FREE drawing just like the above drawings when you buy any of my sketchbooks - which continue to be ON SALE!

As a reminder, all of my sketchbooks have all been marked down to a mere $10, AND they each come with a FREE original pencil drawing! That's right, for only $10, you can get a sketchbook with a free original drawing. I currently have three volumes of my sketchbook remaining to choose from.

 

The HUGE SALE on all my sketchbooks continues!

That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here on Wednesday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Recent Artist Proof Drawings, Sketches, and More

Today I have for you a selection of recent artist proofs that I added sketches to as well as another sketchbook drawing. I have seen a recent increase in interest in artist proofs, which is nice. The big sale on my sketchbooks that include a free drawing in the books is keeping me busy as well. If you are interested in getting any of these for yourself, just follow the links to my store. 

This is a special order of a D&D Lizardman and the Gray Wanderer from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. If you are interesting is something like this that is more involved, please contact me beforehand for availability and pricing.

A couple of Portents and angry lizards.

Yet another salivating angry monster.

This is my favorite of another batch of sketchbooks that recently went into the mail.

That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog, see you back here on Wednesday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

The Sketchbook Sale Continues and Sketches!

My big sale on all remaining sketchbooks continues and I wanted to share some of the FREE drawings that I have been putting into the books that have already sold. Here is a collected view of some of the drawings, with larger images of them and more further down the page.

You too can get a FREE drawing just like the above drawings when you buy any of my sketchbooks!

As a reminder, all of my sketchbooks have all been marked down to a mere $10, AND they each come with a FREE original pencil drawing! That's right, for only $10 you can get a sketchbook with a free original drawing. I have three volumes of my sketchbook remaining to choose from.

The HUGE SALE on all my sketchbooks continues!

As mentioned above, here are larger views of some of the free drawings that have been going out in the mail this past weekend. Not only do you get a sketchbook filled with a ton of my monster drawings, each sketchbook comes with a FREE original drawing. And once the books are gone, they are GONE. Supplies are limited, so you better act now before they are gone forever.

Monsters and more monsters! Get yours today!

That's all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com