I've just been extravagant and bought myself this new sketchbook. Entitled 'One Sketch a Day - a Visual Journal', the blurb on the back reads as follows:
The pages of this keepsake sketchbook feature a space to draw any and anything that catches your eye each day trhoughout the year. As you fill the pages with sketches, you'll see the evolution and ryhthm of your thoughts and drawings. Whether you're an art student, a long-time sketcher, or the next great master, this journal will accompany you in your artistic journey, keeping a lasting record of your work and imagination that you can revisit any time.
Well reading this inspired me - admittedly the space for each drawing isn't large, but I suppose the book would have to be a great deal thicker if it was. But I tend to have a problem with beautiful sketchbooks - I've been given one or two over the years, and from time to time I pull them out and fondle them, admiring the purity and potential of their blank pages, and then put them away again. But this defeats the whole object - sketchbooks are meant to be filled, and I don't like to 'spoil' them - how ridiculous is that? I thought the 'discipline' of a sketch each day might spur me on - (of course because of that I have delayed starting it - but I WILL start it this week).
It's funny, in the deep and distant past, I always used to take my sketchbook with me a lot, but over the years I got out of the habit, and my sketching skills are now very rusty, which in turn makes me much more inhibited about drawing. I'm fine as long as I know I can re-do it easily and work on a drawing, but anything more spontaneous I struggle with. I'm trying to find the time therefore to doodle and sketch a little more spontaneously, and be less self-conscious about it all. I even optimistically took my sketchbook on holiday a few weeks ago. I say optimistically, because it didn't really work out. The kids weren't willing to let me get on with it, and I kept on seeing things I'd have loved to sketch and couldn't which was just frustrating. Taking a photo just isn't the same thing. Still I did start a visual doodled travel journal there for the first time - I'm still working on it, so all will be revealed when it's finished.
