Saturday, January 19, 2013

Create a Sketchbook You Can Be Proud Of

It all starts with the first page.

When someone opens your sketchbook, you want to catch their eye. For me, my title page is the hook. The thing that makes the viewer want to keep going...to look at the rest of my drawings.


The title page of my sketchbook is like the smell of fresh bread wafting from a bakery. It beckons the viewer to enter and sample the goods!
            
                                                Make your title page interesting. Better yet, make it amazing!


Each time you begin drawing in a new sketchbook, turn past the first page (leaving it blank) and begin your sketch on the second page. Later, when you have taken some time to think about how to make your title page special, go back and paint or draw on it.

Usually, my title page is the third or fourth page that I write on, however sometimes it's the last page I complete. It all depends on the inspiration that comes to me. Below is an example of a title page that I painted in small sections over a period of weeks. 

At first I didn't think about making my title pages look special. My artwork was pretty simple.




Then the idea of turning my title page into a visual appetizer came to me, so I jumped on it. 

Now it's a favorite part of my sketchbook. 


There are lots of ways to get creative. You don't have to limit yourself to drawing or painting. You can experiment with multimedia such as photography, stenciling or collage.
























Make sure your full name or website name appears somewhere on the title page.  That way if you misplace your sketchbook or lose it altogether (Heaven forbid), the person who finds it can look up your contact information and return it to you.




Of course, filling your sketchbook with drawings and paintings is important too. A title page without a book - is no story at all!  So, get started! Fill up one book then begin another. What should you draw? Draw things that are near and dear to you. Draw your dog, your room, what you ate for lunch. Whatever you want!

The more you practice, the more you will improve!










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