SKETCHBOOKS & altered books

Sketchbooks are the artist's constant companion, repositories of our observation and thought.

Keeping a sketchbook is something most artists do. A sketchbook fills various functions, and you'll find your own way of using it. But where do you start, when you bring home that beautiful sketchbook with crisp, empty white pages. How do you fill them? 

What is a sketchbook? 

What is an altered book?

Why is a sketchbook important?

Describe five things you saw on the way to school today.

Describe a room in your house.  What color are the walls, the carpet and what objects do you see in that room?
Find a drawer somewhere in your house. Describe the contents in the drawer and draw five of the objects.
Document what you buy in one day. 

If you were given the opportunity to travel with all expenses paid, where you go and what would you want to see?

Imagine you are a gallery owner, who are the artists that you would want to represent?

Document what you ate in one day.  This means anything and everything......did you go to Walgreens?

Document who you spoke with on your phone in one day.  Write their names and numbers down!

Describe your favorite candy.  What does it look like?  Taste like?  Draw a picture of it!

Write a paragraph about a family trip that you took.  It can be good or bad.  Explain in detail.

What is your favorite color?  Where do you see your favorite color?  Is it in fruit?  The landscape?  Your clothes?

Describe a school lunch you had.  It can be a good or bad experience at any age.  Explain in detail.  Was it good or bad?  Why?

Find twenty images from a magazine, cut them out and glue them in your sketchbook. The images can be a collection of textures, colors and objects that appeal to you.  Why did you pick these things?

 Find a photograph from a family album and describe it.  What year?  Where are you?

Count all the objects in a room that begin with the first ten letters of the alphabet.  Draw these objects.

Tell the story of an object's life. For example: a mug in brown wrapping tied with string; Steaming on a cosy table with a beloved's teacup alongside; sitting alone on a draining board; sitting on a desk full of pencils, with a torn photograph; broken in pieces in the wastebasket. You might tell the story of a beloved teddy, a bunch of flowers, or a dollar bill. Need a challenge? Look for the most mundane object you can think of! Contemporary objects - such as a mobile phone - can be difficult, because we have no artistic tradition to refer to when representing them. What are you goals for your next project? What would you have done differently if you could do this project again? What else would you like to know about making your sketchbook complete? Choose a page from your sketchbook that you believe to be the most successful.  Why did you choose this page?  What could you change?

 

EDIBLE BOOKS