It’s so corny - but whilst having a bit of a clear-out I found a box of my old sketchbooks.
Okay, they’re not world-class but they have given me some great ‘new-old’ ideas to explore. It’s so easy to get precious about a sketchbook, feeling that every page should be a jewel - but it should be a place where an artist can allow themselves to play, learn and experiment unselfconsciously – and be fine when pages ‘fail’.
Equally, this find has reignited my fascination with artist sketchbooks which started in my teens when I was given a book called ‘The Diary of an Edwardian Lady’ by Edith Holden. It was a reproduction of her diaries which pictured nature in exquisite watercolours (much like Beatrix Potter minus cute story characters). It really was a big deal in the 1970s.
There are so many beautifully reproduced books like the Diary of Frida Kahlo, the Seven sketchbooks of Vincent Van Gogh, The Diaries and Notebooks of Paul Klee. It is hard to know where to start – but it is a wonderful thing. I would really encourage you to search out sketchbooks for alternative glimpses into those artists that you think you know from their finished pieces - and those you don’t.
It’s been a while since I last went to an exhibition spotlighting sketchbooks but the sketchbooks of Leonardo Da Vinci at The Hayward Gallery, 1989 and Grayson Perry at The Serpentine Gallery, 2017 still stand out for me. They were fantastic insights into working processes and they are such beautiful, desirable objects in themselves.
Along with designers and engineers I would hazard a guess that most performers keep some form of sketchbook on the go – stars such as David Bowie, David Byrne, Bjork, Joni Mitchell and Brian Eno definitely did/ do. If you ever get the chance to see any of them - don’t miss it.
I would recommend visiting the physical archives in museums and art galleries and get to see the real objects. If you want to start looking online, many museums have great archives of sketchbooks – for example the 'Victoria and Albert Museum' (V&A), the 'Smithsonian Archives of American Art' or the 'Tate Archive Online' or simply try starting a general search with ‘sketchbook artwork’ or 'works on paper' with the name of your favourite artist and see where it leads you.
Instagram is also a good resource - I follow several contemporary artists including Debbie Mackinnon and Roy Eastland, both of whom keep remarkable sketchbooks.
I have now decided that instead of using loose leaves and scrap papers (so easy to dispose of!) I am going to start using whole sketchbooks again and just allow for the rubbish pages!
Until next time,
Best always,
Viv x