Antidote to the blank sketchbook page
Fuck around (with the blank page) and find out
As I slowly move the back issues of my Field Notes newsletter over to Substack, it was a pleasure to re-read this one. It quickly became clear that this dispatch had planted the seeds leading up to my recent post about chopping up your old artwork.
This piece was originally published on my website in March, 2022. It’s been updated.
Do you suffer from the terror of the blank sketchbook page? I know I sure do. I've got more than one really nice (read, expensive) sketchbook with just a couple of “good” drawings in them. And what happens next? I bring WAY too much pressure to the following blank pages and end up abandoning the rest of the sketchbook for fear of messing things up from there.
I've found one sure-fire way to lose the fear of the blank page, is to use paper that's already been marked up. This can be a difficult mind-leap if you are used to heading to the art supply store for fresh, crisp paper, and a head full of dreamy artwork.
I notice I’m more relaxed and bring much less expectation to the paper when it's pre-marked. My approach really loosens up when the fear of “ruining” the page is removed.
Lately, I've been painting over my older, not great, botanical prints. These prints were part of my initial learning how-to-print phase, and although they worked (they are strong prints), they never spoke to me as finished pieces. One day, in a mixed media mood, I decided to layer and glue white tissue paper over some sections of the prints. I loved the look, especially the way it softened the prints and concealed certain areas. Later, I got a similar effect by simply applying gesso or chalk paint to “knock back” the strongest sections, creating a subtle background image to work on.
These prints were originally done on the cheapest, 140 pound watercolour paper I could get my hands on. Even cheap watercolour paper is quite decent these days, and the heavy weight means it can take a lot of abuse. So I decided to turn these knocked back prints into mini concertina sketchbooks. These are also known as accordion fold sketchbooks, and they can be quite expensive to purchase new.
Once they are all taped and folded, I then use these pre-marked sketchbooks as a starting point for new work. Sometimes I simply doodle over and around the subtle images in the background, other timesI just blorp the paint on willy nilly because I feel free from the constraints of the blank page.
Here’s a video showing my process. Grab a cup of tea and click on the link below - it's just under 8 minutes long.
Other inspirational approaches
Melanie Thompson is a friend and fellow basketry / mixed media artist. I love her approach to the sketchbook series she posts on instagram. She is fearless about reusing just about any paper surface to create on. Paper bags? Sure. Old magazines? Yup. Cardboard mailers? Check.
Also through Melanie, I discovered Old Book Revivalists. At first it seemed sacrilegious to mark up a book, but when you think of all the unloved books moldering away out there—some of them on really lovely paper—it begins to makes sense to reuse them. Though I sometimes still feel like I am committing a book crime.
If you're just not into the pre-marked page idea, let me recommend someone who is definitely not afraid of the blank page - Pam Luer. I took a free on-line class from her at the beginning of the pandemic. Even though the class was way beyond my skill level at the time, she really helped me loosen up just by listening to her and watching her style. If you peruse her Instagram feed you will find lots of great tips, or just revel vicariously in her fearless brushstrokes.
*Update: November 2023
It’s been fun to re-read the above original post now that a year and a half has passed. I loved making these sketchbooks so much, it’s become a semi-regular practice. Each month, starting in January of this year, I made a new mini concertina sketchbook as a sort of field notes full of seasonal observations. Of course, it all went out the window when we moved in June. But I actually picked it up again in October and it was one of the first real creative forays in the new studio.
Nowadays, I usually make them out of a combination of blank pages and random pieces of pre-marked paper. Simply taping the paper together helps keep the preciousness at bay, and I’ll use whatever is on hand—be it masking tape, white artist tape or even green painters tape in a pinch. It’s definitely nudged me towards loving the consistency of a 4.5”x 6” size as my “go to” size for small, experimental works.
Here’s the October sketchbook—made out of a combination of recent watercolour rosehip experiments, mixed with blank pages. This book has a lot of black imagery in it, because I’m having fun experimenting with the black Garry oak gall ink I’ve recently made. You can see I’ve used both craft and masking tape to stick it all together.
What about you, Do you have nice sketchbooks that you’ve started, then abandoned? What stops you from picking them back up? Leave a comment, I’d love to know.
Till next time, keep it non-precious.