One of the more recent entries to the world of digital/analog notebooks is the Thinkers Notebook and its companion app. When the makers contacted me to offer a sample for review, I wasn’t sure what yet another proprietary notebook/app combo would do to distinguish itself, but the Thinkers Notebook actually fills a niche. The Thinkers … Continue reading Thinkers Notebook Review
Australian artist John Lovett has a great article on his website about different kinds of sketchbook-keeping. Aside from using sketchbooks to capture ideas and practice drawing, he talks about using a notebook or sketchbook in the studio as a working book, for recording technical stuff about materials and methods: Artists Studio Notebooks I always have … Continue reading John Lovett on Artists’ Sketchbooks
I love it when I come across textile sketchbooks, such as the ones below by mixed media artist Shelley Rhodes. She works in textiles and collage so her pages have lots of color and texture that go beyond just drawing and painting. If you are inspired by Shelley’s work, you might want to check out … Continue reading Textile Sketchbooks By Shelley Rhodes
These are so simple and beautiful! From My Modern Met: No matter the weather, Azerbaijan-based artist Fidan Zaman takes to the shores of the Caspian Sea to paint the seawater and the sky. From dark, murky waters and gray clouds to turquoise waves and sunlit horizons, Zaman captures the beauty of the beach during all four seasons. … Continue reading Seascape Sketchbooks
I recently posted a couple of photos on Instagram of my collection of books about sketchbooks, journals and notebooks. The posts got a lot of responses, and Ana from The Well Appointed Desk commented “This needs to be a more in-depth blog post. I’ve zoomed in on this photo but I can’t read all the … Continue reading My Bookshelf: Books about Sketchbooks
Wow, it’s been a while since my last “using now” post. I can’t say I have any totally earth-shattering news to report about the daily carry notebooks I’m using but there is one new item that wasn’t even on my radar at that time. First of all, I suppose the concept of “daily carry” has … Continue reading Daily Carry Notebooks: July 2020
I’ve mentioned this relatively new Moleskine product a couple of times (Moleskine Monday: Interesting News from Japan About New Products, Moleskine Monday: New Art Collection), but haven’t written more extensively about the portrait format Watercolor Notebook (vs. the more typical landscape format Watercolor Album). I’ve had one for a while, but just started using it. … Continue reading Moleskine Portrait Format Watercolor Notebook Review
I’ve seen various stories about people documenting their time under coronavirus lockdowns, using sketchbooks or journals. Here’s one example, a visual diary kept by a Scottish architect: Prof Alan Dunlop has filled six A4-size sketchbooks since the start of restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. He has sketched scenes inside and outside the … Continue reading Lockdown Diaries
I came across the photo below a couple of months ago, as part of an article about the coronavirus lockdowns and how they are causing people to do more writing by hand on paper. But what got me all excited was that it appeared to show a Smythson notebook with unlined pages. The photo caption … Continue reading Handwriting, Lockdown and Unlined Smythson Notebooks
This week’s addict is a comics artist and ebook designer from Israel who has amassed quite a collection of sketchbooks and notebooks! Below are his photos and commentary: 01 Clairefontaine Zap Books – my go to sketchbooks since 2006, these are 320 page recycled paper books and they’re perfect for my pencil sketches. 02-03 Some … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Hagay