Your Sketchbook, Your Self

by Felicity Allen

The importance of a sketchbook for stimulating creative thinking in art students is widely recognized. This book provides all the advice, support, and inspiration needed to start and maintain a sketchbook.
The book is illustrated with pages from the author’s sketchbook and from the sketchbooks of many well-known artists, both historic and contemporary, including Turner, Picasso, Hockney, and Cornelia Parker. Subjects covered include choosing or making your own sketchbook, getting into the habit, and living with your mistakes. Clear, punchy, and packed with information, this book is the essential tool to inspire creativity.

Praise for Your Sketchbook, Your Self

From Publishers
This how-to guide for building a sketchbook contains samples of preliminary sketches, notes, and doodles from the notebooks of various artists, including Picasso and J.M.W. Turner. Allen asks readers to closely observe artwork and the natural world—as well as to avoid self-censorship—as they develop their personal collection of artistic reflections. Throughout, Allen underlines the importance of tenacity, open-mindedness, and remaining true to oneself ("A sketchbook should be customised to do what you want it to do"), and the message about studying and learning from the processes of accomplished artists as a way to develop one’s own skills and style is invaluable. Ages 14–up

Genres: Art

48 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Mar Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your Sketchbook Your Self
By: Felicity Allen
48 pages, paperback

This How to guide is perfect for any artists unsure how to start and/or maintain an artists sketchbook. The age range is for 14 and over.

The book is separated into different sections, taking the artist from the thought process through the journey of testing ideas, being messy, sticking with an idea and finally reflecting on what the journey meant to you.

I really enjoyed the positive encouraging tone of the book. The book starts with simple advice. For example, the first chapter ‘ Make your Sketchbook Your Own’ was probably the most important.

‘When you go out, take it with you, just as you would your phone.’

Don’t censor yourself – ‘live with the mistakes you’ve made, they might be useful later on.’

The book slowly builds up the advice and suggestions on how to maintain YOUR sketchbook (always making clear you remember it’s your sketchbook so there are no right or wrong). The ideas provided range from the pace you could take, the ideas of allowing mistakes to stay and being brave enough to try different ideas in your sketchbook. They also recommend writing in your sketchbook as ideas sometimes come in words before pictures.

Throughout the pages there are examples of actual pages from historic to contemporary artists such as da Vinci, JMW Turner to David Hockney sketchbooks to complement the advice but they also add inspiration. I really liked this addition as it led to less words and more visual aids, something inspiring artists would appreciate too.

The overall ethos of the book is to ensure the artists recognise that great art is not always simple – it’s a journey. Mistakes will be made, but learning from them is key. Attempting to go out of your comfort-zone and trying new ideas is also very important.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been in a real art block the past year+, and was drawn to this book when visiting the Tate Britain. It's a slim book, and the advice is mostly stuff I already knew but needed that push and reminder all the same. Because the information isn't dense it doesn't feel overwhelming, and is easy to flip through whenever you need a word of wisdom to get you going again. Most of all I liked the emphasis on your sketchbook being your own, as a professional illustrator it can be so difficult to remember that sometimes when you constantly have to maintain social media accounts and you can't help but compare yourself to other artists on social media with perfectly picturesque sketchbooks. But that's really not the best way to work, and I think that reminder, and the permission to experiment and not to be scared of making a mess, is what I needed most from this book.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple and informative overview of the uses of a sketchbook, with examples from a variety of artists.

[Parka · Rating 3 out of 5]

(More pictures on my blog)

Your Sketchbook Your Self is a beginners guide to anyone who wants to start a sketchbook. It's written in a friendly casual way that's easy to read. The book covers ideas on drawing, rather than the actual process of drawing. There aren't any hands-on exercises.

The advice are on what can be put in the sketchbooks, like using mixed media, annotations and not worrying about messing things up. It's more on the process of keeping the sketchbook, rather than the product of the work. Also included are examples of how others, like Picasso and Turner, have used their sketchbooks.

It's a nice book for beginners but at only 48 pages, it's too thin and ends fast. Somehow the book reminds me of Sketch Book for the Artist by Sarah Simblet but this is a much condensed version.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very useful book. It's thin and practical but also challenging. The illustrations are taken from the sketchbooks of 23 artists, ranging in time from the Renaissance through to the present. It's very useful in terms of process, but also in terms of thinking and looking and considering your own and other people's art works.

Recommend whole-heartedly.

[Alyssa Greatbanks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in a bit of an odd tone. But it had some seemingly helpful tips that I will be trying out now.