Sketchbooks
Observational Drawing
Observational drawing, picking up on small details.
Observational drawing, picking up on small details. Hands clasped behind the back, trousers tucked into the back of shoes, quietly taking in surrounding, flat caps, creased beige clothing, solitude.
Stitching Sketchbooks
I don’t buy sketchbooks. I make my own.
I don’t buy sketchbooks, I make my own. Sketchbooks with half decent paper are costly. I’m lucky to have access to a vast range of beautiful papers in various weights, shades and surfaces.
The pages of this sketchbook are 118gsm Strathmore Writing Wove. Strathmore Writing paper was introduced in 1920 as written correspondence was booming. It contains 25% cotton, originally sourced from trimmings reclaimed from textile mills.
Strathmore is a beautiful paper for sketching. With pen or pencil but with a soft crayon it simply glides with enough tooth for exquisite texture to the mark making.
My process for making my sketchbooks is simple. I take the sheets, add a heavy weight outer sheet and hand stitch them all together with a ruddy big needle. The following shows an A5 sketchbook made from Fedrigoni inner sheets hand stitched to a 540gsm Colorplan cover.
That’s a might fine cuppa.
Observing and sketching in McDonalds.
Observing and sketching in McDonalds. Yeah, yeah I know, I’m in Maccie D’s, but I didn’t order anything.
Speed Sketching the Pup
Brushing up on my speed sketching skills
This boy doesn’t hang about so he’s the perfect subject for brushing up on my speed sketching skills.
