I came across some really interesting work by an artist called Julien “Seth” Malland. He seems to have done graffiti art in Paris, as well as other paintings and collages in notebooks, such as the one below. It looks like an old ledger, which he’s partially covered and painted over, incorporating the old handwriting into … Continue reading Julien “Seth” Malland’s Art
A tantalizing glimpse of a finished sketchbook: “Just finished a Moleskine watercolour sketchbook. Woo hoo! Nothing beats the feeling of the last mark of your pen on the final page. I know not long ago I said I’d finished another sketchbook but it’s not like I just whipped through a new one. I had actually … Continue reading Jodi’s Finished Sketchbook
I’ve had a few sketchbooks in various stages of completion for a couple of years, and I just put two of them to bed. One was a Moleskine sketchbook that I used almost entirely for lunchtime sketches while sitting in parks in NYC– mostly quick pencil sketches, with watercolors added to a few later. After … Continue reading Finishing a Couple of Sketchbooks
An interesting look at assorted artists’ sketchbooks, from a website about studio visits with West Coast artists: “Now, when Nikki and I visit artists in their studios I find myself curious, even prying about what’s tucked away in the pages of their sketchbooks. Visiting someone’s studio is already permission to enter into a private space … Continue reading Sketchbooks and Studios
This is so cool… an artist hand-wrote and painted this book in an attempt to document every color in the world: “In 1692 an artist known only as “A. Boogert†sat down to write a book in Dutch about mixing watercolors. Not only would he begin the book with a bit about the use … Continue reading A Notebook Full of Colors
Interesting– you don’t usually hear the term “sketchbook” applied to things this old. I think back then paper was a more valuable commodity and wasn’t used as much for practicing and doodling, as some of these pages seem to have been. Or else those rough pages just didn’t survive, and were perhaps erased and re-used. … Continue reading A 15th Century Sketchbook
The 1948 diary below belonged to Martin Vivés, an artist who lived in southwestern France. He also seems to have been a museum curator there in the 1940s-1960s, and he met some famous artists including Raoul Dufy, as shown in the notes made in the diary. March 2 shows the phrase “visite Dufy.” It’s an … Continue reading A French Artist’s 1948 Diary
More from my inbox: A tip from M: “I have issues with the binding cracking/splitting on my Moleskines. The solution – black duct tape. Check out the photo. Works great and doesn’t look too bad.” Peter shares some sketchbook pages and a tip on transfering art to notebook pages: “Just wanted to give you some … Continue reading Tips from Readers
Based on the photo below and the website where I found it, Russell Stutler is definitely a sketchbook addict. His website is a great resource for anyone who is interested in sketching on the go– there are articles on tools like waterbrushes and assorted sketchbook brands, and tips on how to use them in the … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Russell Stutler
The beautiful notebooks above only hint at the amazing work inside them… but they also come with a sad story. Dan Eldon was a young photojournalist who was killed by an angry mob in Somalia in 1993, along with 3 of his colleagues. “Dan left behind seventeen bound leather journals filled with drawings, writings and … Continue reading Dan Eldon’s Journals