Make your own sketchbook

By Kelly | April 7, 2007

A sketchbook is an artist’s best friend. Not only is it a good way to improve your drawing skills, but it’s also a great resource. You can jot down ideas and work out complicated concepts on paper, or just flip through old drawings in search of new inspiration. Writers keep journals, sprinters run laps, and artists keep a sketchbook to stay in shape and hone their skills. If you’re serious about art, you should be sketching every day! That may sound like a tall order, but here’s some advice to get you started.

Building A Sketchbook

Although there are some advantages to store-bought sketchbooks, I prefer to make my own. With my method, I can re-arrange, remove and add pages easily, as well as using any sort of paper I can fit. Here’s what you’ll need:

- One 3-ring hard cover binder, with inside pockets. A 1.5″ spine is a nice, portable size.
- Several 500-sheet packs of paper for drawing. I prefer inkjet paper- it’s brighter and heavier than plain copier paper.
- A heavy-duty 3 hole puncher, suitable for 8.5″x11″ paper

Hopefully you can figure out where this is going. Simply pull out a stack of paper, punch some holes, and pop it in your binder. Voila, instant sketchbook, for less than $5. When you need more paper, grab another stack and punch more holes. When the binder’s full, switch to a new one, or transfer the pages to a bigger ’storage’ sketchbook, with a 3″ or so spine. Do some nice doodles on some scrap paper? Tape it to a full-size page, punch some holes, and stick it in. Nice an’ easy! Be sure to put a label with your name, address and phone number on the inside of the cover, just in case your book gets lost or misplaced.

Managing Your Sketchbook

So, making a sketchbook isn’t too tough, but now what do you do with it? Well, use those pockets to store handy reference materials- photos, art pamphlets, and the like. I like to keep a couple sheets of scratch paper in there, too. I use the binder itself as a drawing board, with the scratch paper as padding beneath a sheet of sketchbook paper. This creates a really fantastic drawing surface, so try it sometime.

Sketchbook Success

A sketchbook is essential to your success as an artist, and it’s not just because regular practice improves your drawing skills. Many portfolio reviews- such as for an internship, art program, or job- require that a sketchbook be included. If you sketch for an hour a day, you should have plenty to choose from when reviews come up. And with my sketchbook method, you can pick the best of the lot and put together a ‘display’ book, if you’d like. I generally use the latest sketchbook or two that I’ve filled, just because my recent stuff is almost always better than the old.

Just remember, a good sketchbook shows your dedication, and automatically puts you a step ahead of the rest. Time and again, my sketchbook has proven a very worthwhile investment. Set up a regular sketchbook time, or carry around your paper so you can draw during any free moments. Take ‘fieldtrips’ and don’t forget to take your sketchbook on vaction- lots of new and exciting things to draw, right?

31 Responses to “Make your own sketchbook”

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31
Wolfie Says:
August 29th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Kevin i can understand where you’re coming from, and your solution is simple if you enjoy and love drawing then nothing should let you stop yourself from doing so.
Personally furries or anthromorphics are hated widely in my school, and i just draw without a single care about anyone else’s opinion. (Unless it’s a nice opinion)
My point is… dont let other’s control you or you will find it very difficult to get anywhere in life.