Artist Question: Why Are Sketchbooks Important?
"Elephants" from Jessica Tener's Sketchbook
When this question comes around, I feel like that 80 year-old grandma saying “back in my day…” but honestly, it doesn’t get much better than paper and pencil!
Most simply put, sketchbooks develop creative skills. I have heard a lot of “younger” generations questioning good old paper, saying, “Why would I want to sketch in a silly little book when I have this computer, with all the design software imaginable and more fonts than I could possibly know what do with?!” There is a rawness to paper and pencil that can’t be replaced with computer screens. Whether you’re a professional artist or just enjoy creativity, the more sketching you do the better your drawings, ideas, writing and overall creativity becomes.
My top 4 reasons to keep a sketchbook:
Sketchbooks are raw, convenient and quick thought provokers. Inspiration strikes at odd times. Having a sketchbook handy for when ideas start flowing allows you to jot down thoughts quickly and in the moment! By giving yourself the freedom to scribble out rough ideas, you’ll get to creative places you could never have imagined. Later on, that entire creative process will still be available to you whenever you want to look back on it.
Your first idea is rarely the best but you won’t know this until you explore others - so sketch it out! It only takes a few seconds, and it gets the idea out of your head. Now sketch some more ideas. If you find something you like more, you’ll feel a rush of gratitude that you didn’t waste 5 hours in Illustrator, with something like adjusting the letter spacing on a bad logo…
Sketching helps separate concepts from details (which can come in especially handy when speaking to clients). It’s natural for people to focus on the wrong details when you first present an idea. If you take your concept straight to a design program, it is too easy for a client to zero in on that single color, or the first style of typography presented. This creates road blocks in communication when all you really wanted to know is, “Are we heading in the right direction?!”
Sketching is fun & can reduce stress! When you stop worrying and allow your ideas to evolve, you will discover how enjoyable it is to sketch. In the chaos of keeping up with client work, social media and website updates, it’s a nice way to make some time for yourself!
In case you prefer hard evidence… ever heard of Walt Disney, Lewis & Clark, Steve Jobs, Charles Darwin, Charlotte Bronte, President George Washington, J.k. Rowling or John Lasseter? (We thought you might recognize their names...) They’re just a sampling of people who kept/keep regular sketchbooks, and well, have done some pretty amazingly-creative things! This isn’t to say you can’t keep a nice digital notebook of thoughts, (a couple of the names just mentioned happen to also be computer geniuses...) but there is something developmental and inspirational about looking back at old sketchbooks - you will be surprised where they might take you!
(Above Image: Sketchbook pages from J.K. Rowling, John Lasseter & Charles Darwin
As important as it is to pry yourself from video games and tablets and get outside…it is equally important to embrace pen and paper! Take a sketchbook everywhere with you; include writings, research, add collages of interesting items and don’t forget to experiment! Don’t let those big white glaring pages make you nervous, there is no such thing as a bad sketchbook!
Check it out: There are tons of books featuring sketchbook work. Here are a few of our favorites:
“Drawn In: A Peek Into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists” by Julia Rothman.
“The Back of the Napkin” by Dan Roam
“The Art of Pixar’s Short Films” by Amid Amidi and John Lasseter