10 Sketchbook Ideas. How to Start Art Journaling.

How important sketchbook in artists life?
In my opinion is one and only way to keep your ideas in order and track your creative development. Every artist (does not matter if beginner, art student or professional) must have sketchbook and paint/ sketch every day.
Sketchbook is not only place where you are sketching randomly and use it only when you are bored. It must be used every day.
So today I will tell you 10 main sketchbook development ideas if you are only started including sketchbooks in your art life.

1. Visual diary – the most easiest and common way artists use sketchbooks. Basically you are just writing your diary and including illustrations. Or as I suggest for my young art students – you must draw/paint at least 1 significant picture per day in your sketchbook. The most important thing what happened today. Try to remember the details and illustrate it.  As well as that it can be self-portraits from month to month.

2. Experimenting tool – the second most common way to use sketchbook. This way is suggested for IGCSE students and art schools/universities students. In this way your sketchbook is place where you can try new ideas, techniques, and materials. Place for freedom and chaotic art. This way you don’t stop yourself and just “destroy” it with your talent.

3. Morning journal – very popular use of sketchbooks right now. It’s type of journaling when you are “meditating” above your sketchbook first in the morning. You are writing (in our case drawing/painting) the first three pages and you need to let your ideas, thought, observation and words freedom. And illustrate everything what you have in your mind.

4. One topic sketchbook – pretty much limited way of using sketchbook. It’s when you are choosing only one topic for your art work and developing it in different ways and materials. For example you are making only cityscapes. So you are dedicating this sketchbook only for developing your skills in cityscape art. But there is plus in this limited way, where you know the weakness which you must develop. Or maybe you just obsessed with this exactly topic. So why not?

5. Instagram sketching – idea when you are making random sketches visually beautiful looking, which you photo later and put it in Instagram. You must choose such illustrations so they will be appropriate for social media and bring a lot of likes. This way it’s not only interesting to draw, but it’s also marketing for your art.

6. Process sketchbooks – this is such art area where you are not making random pictures, but showing process of something through your art. It’s similar to “one topic”, but here you can make it in a way of presentation or comic/ article way. For example you can show the process of cooking something. The process of human life on 100 pages – from birth to death.

7. Educational sketchbook – again one more limited and a bit strict way to organize your sketchbook. This idea is for art students or for artists who want to keep all information in one place. Use your sketchbook as art investigation tool. Keep in it everything – starting from simple elements of art, and to modern art history. Include sketches, color combinations, portraits of favorite artists, art facts and significant exhibitions you visited.

8. Connected sketching – this is the idea who’s not only art passionate. This way you can connect another passion or area in your life with art. Try to illustrate the movie you just watched or favorite song. Create list of books you love and make covers for them in your style. You can illustrate everything you want – favorite food, place you visited in Italy or just emotionally splash colors on it pages while listening sad song.

9. Emotional sketchbook -  this way you must paint your emotions away. This is kind of therapy way. When you feel any emotion you should just let it out on the pages of your sketchbook in any way you can. Sometimes you don’t feel much, just normal mood, normal day and this is what should paint – what you feel, then show “normality” of your inner world. Difficult idea, but helps thousands people. You should let your emotions let go, then why not to turn pain into beauty?

10. Exorcism journaling – it’s not that scary as it sounds. Another art therapy idea for your inner artist. This is way of journaling when you must draw and paint the scariest disturbing “demons” of your life. You should let go of fears, worries and OCD. How you will represent “them” it’s up to you. But while you will do it remember the white paper of sketchbook. So this paper should turn dark or colorful (everyone has different colors inside), and the purity of white paper must appear inside your soul (instead of darkness you kept). Basically you paint out your fears. This sketchbook must be used till you let worries totally let go. In this case you turn your darkness into art.

Hope my list will help you to start your own art development. Let me know if you would like to know more about journaling. Or you need inspiration for topics. I am here to inspire and help you.