I have always sketched, doodled and drawn, eventually taking some of those raw images to the computer and transforming them into more polished designs. But I never kept an actual bound sketchbook until the pandemic started. Even then, when I decided to buy a nice one for an online course, I felt like I ruined it right away with some seriously fugly stuff. Damn! I started drawing in a few pages, hated them all, decided I suck, and promptly put the book away for months and months.

2020 was rough, wasn’t it?!

Then in 2022, I opened it up again and realized that since I’d already screwed it up, I might as well keep going and use it as a big experiment. Which is the whole point of a sketchbook. (Hello!)

So I kept at it. Pretty soon, I started to see a new kind of progress. I started to enjoy making ugly pages. In fact, my definition of words like ugly, ruined, and finished – all changed. I became a lot more generous and less judgemental about it all – and that has been a really wonderful and welcome surprise.

Now I am completely hooked on the idea of sketchbooks. Today I thought I would show you several pages from this first experiment, sharing what I learned along the way. I hope it convinces you to start your own sketchbook today, and practice in it regularly – it is so worth it (and it will make your next elevated envelopes that much better).

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So, what kind of sketchbook?

The real answer to this is “whatever kind you want.” You can even make your own! If you want a specific recommendation, I really like the Arteza Watercolor Books, and here’s why:

• They are hardcover books. That means they are very durable, and easy to use without a table if needed.
• Inside the front cover, there’s a space for your name and contact info in the front so you remember to add it right away. (Do that, by the way – I would be heartbroken if I lost mine!)
• There’s a fancy-feeling red ribbon bookmark to hold your place, and an elastic strap to keep the book closed and secure.
• My favorite part is the paper – it’s heavy, cold pressed, 110 lb watercolor paper. These are very sturdy pages – you can easily apply many layers of paint or very wet ink to both sides of a page without any bleed-through at all.
• At the back of the book is a clear plastic pocket to hold loose sketches, references and inspiration.
• The rounded corners are smart because they are going to get banged up anyway. At least mine will!
• I think they are pretty affordable – a 2-pack of the largest size is under $30.

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Tip #1: Mess it up!

Starting a sketchbook is like starting anything else: the first part is the worst part.

I find it tough to make the first mark in any new book – especially this kind, with such heavy, “deluxe” paper. That can be a lot of pressure. Once I realized the messiness is completely the point, I got into getting it dirty. I can’t remember what this started out as, but I didn’t like it. One day I just started marking over the whole thing with these colored bubbles. Then I started seeing patterns in the bubbles, and turned them into other shapes: flowers, blackberries, balloons. 

The page of roses on the right side of the spread below is one of the first pages I worked on. I wish I had taken a photo of it at the very beginning, because it has changed a lot. At first, I just had a big, blank, white page with about 4 random black-outlined flowers on it. I hated it. Over time, I kept coming back to this page and just kept marking it up. Layers and layers of stuff, weird corners – I can’t even remember all the things I did to this! On the opposite page, I made a more intentional flower drawing. I like seeing the juxtaposition of a messy start and a more refined page showing off what I learned.

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Tip #2: Draw some hands.

Try drawing a hand a day for awhile. It’s a classic subject, a good way to skill-build, and your hand is always there for you to reference. These are my own hands, traced just like you did back in kindergarten, and then filled in with various patterns.

Here are some more colorful hands. Traced again on the left, and random ones on the right.

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Tip #3: Collaborate!

This is one of my favorite pages – I like it so much that I decided to leave the opposite side of the spread blank. I gave the book to my husband, along with a simple black ballpoint pen, and asked him to draw a bunch of faces. He was nice enough to indulge me, and outlined all the faces you see here. Then I colored them, adding penciled “captions” and silver patterned backgrounds. This is an excellent way to take the pressure off yourself, get started when you’re stuck, or practice painting techniques. I bet your kids would love to help get you started!

I’ve always loved the faces my husband draws. He thinks they’re nothing special, but don’t you think he’s wrong? I have plans to ask him to add 6 more faces to this spread, based on the personalities of some cool little girls we know. I promise I’ll share an update when we’re finished!

If you have an artistic friend, you could even pass a whole sketchbook back and forth over time. Start one page, and let them finish it. The possibilities are endless.

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Tip #4: Try different media.

When most of us think of a sketchbook, we probably imagine something you use a pencil for. A pencil is definitely an option, but I invite you to expand on that: You will learn and try things much faster if you use a pen. It forces you to be more decisive – it’s hard to be tentative with a pen. So grab the biggest sharpie you can find one day and embrace the permanence!

The tools I used throughout this sketchbook are:

• Blackwing Pearl Pencils: I read that John Steinbeck used Blackwing pencils, so we’re in good company! Obviously any pencil will do, and these are a bit pricey, but I really do love them. They just feel so nice on any paper – I swear my handwriting is more free, and comes out more like I hope when I use a Blackwing pencil. They also have a cool, replaceable eraser. (But why are you erasing? Don’t erase! I almost never erase anymore – only add!)
  
• Pigma Micron Pens: The cool thing about these pens is that they come in lots of different (but tiny!) widths. Make the finest hairlines or chunkier marks. Since they are waterproof, you can use transparent markers or paint over them without smudging.

• Brush Markers: I turn to brush markers when I want to color something fast. I often dip the tips in a little bowl of water to dilute the color, and blend more easily. My wonderful sister-in-law sent me a pack of them – I don’t remember the brand. But wouldn’t it be fun to own this set of 96 (!!!) Arteza Real Brush Pens?! (My birthday is in June if you were wondering. I’m not allowed to buy any more art supplies. 😃)
• Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache: Gouache paint is the best! And I feel like not enough of us know about it – at least I’m always talking to people who have no idea what it is. If you like watercolor, but crave more intense color, please try gouache! (And tell me if you don’t love it.) I’ve always used gouache for writing my pointed pen calligraphy, but now it’s my medium of choice for adding color to my sketchbook. It’s basically a more opaque watercolor, and here’s why it’s awesome:
  • It comes in small tubes – you squeeze a small bit out, add a few drops of water and start painting. More water makes it very thin and transparent like watercolor; less water makes it thicker and more opaque, for a more graphic, poster-y look.
  • It lasts FOREVER. If it dries out on your palette, just add more water and it will reactivate. This is good news if you’re like me and have trouble putting caps back onto things. I have taken the scissors to many dried-up tubes of gouache, hacked it all out, crushed it up, and reconstituted it. I still have gouache from over 10 years ago. I even brought old gouache crumbles with me when I moved to Ireland!
  • White gouache exists, and it remains very opaque on top of other colors or on dark papers.
  • “Gouache” is just fun to say. Say it with me. It’s pronounced “GWASH.” Gouache, gouache, gouache!

• Coliro Pearlcolors (aka Finetec Mica Watercolors): I wish you could see my sketchbook in person, because there are a lot of metallic accents that aren’t really showing up in my photos. These shiny watercolors are excellent. I did a quick count and I think I have collected 52 colors. That’s way too many! You don’t need anything like that many – that’s ridiculous (and it’s why I’m not allowed to buy any more art supplies. I promise to do a giveaway soon!) Instead, get yourself one of their curated six-color sets with beautiful names like Rainbow, Vintage, Ocean, Galaxy, Bling, Pharaoh, Fairytale, Silk, Magic, Candy, and more! You can also get a palette of Gold & Silver only – or build your own set by buying an empty case and single color pans. They are so pretty and easy to use. Just add a few drops of water to the pan of dry color, brush it around, and watch as the mica flecks start to swim. They show up nicely on the page and don’t disappear like others I’ve tried. Bonus: The colors tend to look one way on light paper, and different on dark paper.

Psst: I am hosting a GIVEAWAY – you can win a bundle of some of the art supplies featured in this post!

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Tip #5: Size matters.

This is a LARGE sketchbook that I’m showing you. Each page is about 8×12 inches! I can verify that it does take longer and more effort to consistently fill or complete pages of this size. You might prefer a smaller one for faster experimenting or to make it more portable. Or you can stick with a big one, and divide up your pages into sections the way I did for these shamrocks.

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Tip #6: Don’t organize it. Or do!

There is not much rhyme or reason to the order in which I filled this sketchbook. I skipped around constantly, starting a new page without finishing the last. (What’s a finished sketch anyway?) You might notice some dates written in, but they are not very accurate – I go back to old pages to add more details all the time. Here’s another very early spread full of fuchsias and other fuchsia-colored things. As you can see it’s all over the place:

Playing with one dominant color gave me the idea to create more coordinated spreads. I really love this one!  I reigned in the colors and used the same ones in different, matchy ways on either page.

I might start a book of only plants. Or only my cat! Or start one that’s more of a diary – or a book of illustrated quotations. Oh! What about a “word association” book? Write a word, large, in the center of every page; then go back and design around each one… Yes – I am going to do that.

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In Conclusion: You should definitely start a sketchbook.

Did I convince you to start a sketchbook of your own? Or dig up an abandoned one? I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve learned so much, and had a ton of fun doing it. It’s been a little bit like a journal, too. Art therapy! I always say a finished thing is a good thing – I feel really satisfied that I have filled in all 64 pages! I have a new book underway now, and I can’t wait to have a whole shelf full of these someday. It will be so interesting to see how I progress over time.

The best part about this project is that it has given me a kickstart toward my ultimate goal for Éire Mail: a line of gorgeous, Ireland-inspired, letterpress-printed, greeting cards. If you go back and look closely at all these sketchbook photos again, you might start to see the primitive beginnings of designs to come. If you’d like to be the first to know about that project (and all my best stuff), let’s keep in touch!

Until next time,

PS. I have created a Patreon for The Elevated Envelope and Éire Mail. I added a few “secret sketches” to it (for Patrons only)!

PPS. I am hosting a GIVEAWAY – you can win a bundle of some of the art supplies featured in this post!