Some of my favorite images from artists’ sketchbooks are from Eugene Delacroix’s travel notebooks. A new book now translates his notes into English for the first time. In 1832 the 34-year-old Eugène Delacroix, already well known for his Orientalist works, accompanied a French diplomatic mission to Morocco and travelled through Algeria and Andalusia. His exposure … Continue reading Delacroix’s Notebooks, Now in English
Here is a Moleskine sketchbook spread that really grabbed me with its vibrant colors and interesting layout: It is from the website of illustrator Samantha DiProspero, where you can see additional images of her art.
Fun with notebooks and Photoshop! Have you seen the leaning tower of Marge Simpson’s hair? Italian artist Pietro Cataudella takes his sketchbook everywhere he goes, but his drawings don’t just depict of the places he visits—they become part of the landscape. His ongoing project, titled CityLiveSketch, features architectural 3D drawings that seem to jump from the artist’s journals, depicting famous … Continue reading Pietro Cataudella’s Sketchbooks
This lovely notebook belonged to Ian McTaggart Cowan, a Scottish-Canadian zoologist and conservationist. The image is from the archives of the University of Victoria, where you can flip through the rest of its pages. (The text is also transcribed next to the images, in case you can’t read the small handwriting!) The journal covers 1957-1958, … Continue reading Ian McTaggart Cowan’s Travel Journal
I always love seeing articles about writers’ archives. I’d love to go through some of those boxes and see all the notebooks within, even if I haven’t read that writer’s work! Saul Bellow is an example… I haven’t read his books, but he left an extensive archive including lots of notebooks, one of which is … Continue reading Saul Bellow’s Notebook
A cool collection of notebooks from the Overlook Trail in Sonoma, CA. Make the trek to the top of the Overlook Trail and you are treated to a terrific view and the chance to take a minute to write down whatever’s on your mind.“My feet hurt.â€â€œI didn’t trip once.â€And “I’m proud of myself,†are all … Continue reading Overlook Trail hikers notebooks
Here’s an interesting question for those of us who have fragile antique notebooks– how do you protect and preserve them? Q: I have my grandmother’s 105-year-old notebook with her beautiful calligraphy. The ink is fading, and the pages are becoming more and more brittle. What is the proper way to preserve it? And is there … Continue reading How to Preserve a Notebook
Here’s an interesting little element of the generally sleazy and disgusting Jeffrey Epstein case: his “little black book.” From the July 22, 2019 New York Times: What’s Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Little Black Book? First discovered by the journalist Nick Bryant, Mr. Epstein’s little black book has resurfaced as part of the current investigation into the sex … Continue reading A History of the “Little Black Book”
Whenever I see stories like this, I cringe! As far as I can remember, I’ve only lost one notebook in my life, a rather cool one I was using in 7th grade that was probably stolen rather than lost. I never did find another one like it, and it’s haunted me ever since! So I … Continue reading Artist Loses Sketchbook
Some fascinating historic notebooks recording the first contact between British settlers and Aboriginal people in Australia: A set of 1788 notebooks recording the first attempts at communication between British settlers and Indigenous Australians reveals language that is still in use in Sydney Aboriginal communities today. The Dawes notebooks, named for First Fleet officer William Dawes … Continue reading The Dawes Notebooks