Sketchers

I had to laugh as I finished reading Johanna's post regarding sketching, because as much as I love painting and bringing an illustration to fruition, there's something about the process of creating in my sketchbook that just sucks me in.

I would almost rather hold a pencil and feel the smooth pages of my sketchbook under my palm than the strokes of a paintbrush. The scribbling and free flow of lines during the sketching process can be so soothing. (When ideas are flowing, that is!) Often I find that there is a magical quality in my initial sketches that holds my attention more than the painted product, (I'm working really hard to transfer that magic to my final pieces.) and sometimes wish I could use those penciled daydreams as finished art.

As far as the kind of books I prefer, I am a fan of moleskines. I purchased my first one last January as a belated Christmas gift to myself, just to see what all the fuss was about. I'm not sure about others, but for me it's how well the texture and weight of the paper complement the soft drawing pencils I prefer. The "feel" of it was just lovely. I really enjoyed filling the pages, and had planned on purchasing another soon after it was filled. But I decided to be more resourceful and make use of a free travel book I had received from my MINI dealership some time ago. I am currently working hard trying to fill its pages (not in time for me to receive a new moleskine for my birthday or Christmas, but maybe for my anniversary in the spring? Or Mother's Day? Hmmm.) and currently use it as an inspiration log as well as a place to hold doodles. I am a huge fan of lists and I often take advantage of the lines in the book to list ideas I have for stories or details regarding personal art projects I'm working on.

The other new favorite I have is Leeza's think.jot.draw book. I have to say that I wasn't sure how well I'd like it...I mean, how can you compare to a moleskine? However, after deeming it the receptacle for all of our monthly challenges, there is much love to be had: from the perfect size of the pages, to the ease of the spine opening, to the formatting of the book. I have so much love for the t.j.d. sketchbook, I'm thinking of ordering a couple as inspirational gifts for the holidays.

Oh, and just for fun, there's a youtube tour of artist's sketchbooks that's been making the blog rounds. :)