Here’s an odd one: a sketchbook by the notorious British gangster Reggie Kray. The Kray twins were serving a life sentence in prison when they heard about James Fallon, a young boy living in South Africa who had been paralyzed as a result of being hit by a car and only survived thanks to a … Continue reading Reggie Kray’s Sketchbook
I just loved this spread from the Moleskine sketchbook of Finnish artist Paivi Eerola, posted on her website Peony and Parakeet: Here’s some of her thoughts on art journaling: For me, art journals are little more than just sketchbooks. I like to call them “idea books†as I often process my ideas further when I … Continue reading Moleskine Monday: Paivi Eerola’s Art Journal
This is my latest favorite find in the “Artists’ Facsimile Sketchbooks” category: Hilma Af Klint Notes and Methods. I saw it for sale at the McNally Jackson bookshop in NYC and it’s full of lots of great reproductions of full notebook spreads. I saw the Hilma Af Klint exhibition at the Guggenheim a few months … Continue reading Hilma Af Klint’s Notebooks
Great story about a sketchbook that went astray for 36 years! In 1983, Thomas Thospecken set off on a cross-country journey, intending to document his travels in sketchbooks and journals. He lost one of them along the way, but decades later, the person who found it managed to return it to him! Artist Thomas Thorspecken, … Continue reading Lost and Found Sketchbook
I love coming across other people’s art journals, especially presented in spreads of thumbnail pages: This is from Wings of Judas, the website of Judas Bardon. You can click to zoom in on each page via this link. The home page seems to be down so there isn’t a lot of other info about the … Continue reading Moleskine Monday: Wings of Judas Art Journal
When I posted my first Hahnemühle sketchbooks review several years ago, the brand wasn’t that easy to find in the US, except for their artist papers. Fortunately, this has changed and Hahnemühle sketchbooks are now more widely available at Amazon, Blick and other retailers. The company contacted me to offer some samples of their various … Continue reading Hahnemühle Sketchbooks Review and Giveaway
My Modern Met interviews a talented artist whose notebooks are a constant companion as he travels the world. Adam Hackländer’s travel journals have a style very similar to (and probably inspired by) José Naranja’s notebooks: In the age of everything digital, Hackländer’s handcrafted keepsakes offer a more deliberate and thoughtful form of remembering his journeys. … Continue reading Adam Hackländer’s Travel Journals
If you love looking at other people’s travel journals, check out Notes from the Road. Erik Gauger has traveled to some amazing places, and filled lots of travel journals with sketches and notes. Instead of carrying around dozens of heavy guidebooks when I travel, I condense my useful information into a small size Moleskine travel … Continue reading Erik Gauger’s Travel Journals
One of these days, I will use one of the Paperblanks notebooks I’ve been hoarding. I have a few of them that I’ve picked up over the years (usually during a once a year visit to a wonderful little bookshop in Lewes, Delaware called Biblion), and I’m always very impressed by their quality. I’m also … Continue reading Paperblanks Nova Stella Solis Notebook Review
This week’s addict displays this lovely scattered pile of completed notebooks on Instagram: I love all those raggedy edges and stuffed covers! And I want to see the pile of blank notebooks too! Check out Mara’s Instagram feed for even more, including sketchbooks she has handbound and the beautiful art she creates inside them: @mararhum