Video: Sketchbook 100

May 10, 2017 | 4 Comments

Sketchbook-100-Video-heading
Here is another video flip-through of the sketchbook I recently completed. One of the things I love about the Stillman and Birn Softcover 8 x 10 is that it takes me 7 weeks to complete, meaning that if I start one at the beginning of a sabbatical, the book contains a complete ‘work block’.

As I mentioned in my last article, the last 2 months have been rough going, and yet again I don’t feel as if I have been sketching much. However, when I see the book as a whole I am struck by how accurate a record it is of my life over this period. I really should get over thinking ‘I’m not sketching much!’ shouldn’t I?

A few notes:

  • This sketchbook contains quite a lot of workshop pages – both prep pages and also sketches that I did during workshops. These include, my two 10×10 USK workshops, some colour charts of student grade kits for the general sketching workshops I have been teaching at BVN architecture, and prep sketches for Palladian Odyssey
  • I was running out of pages during the last week so I added a few extra pages, and then didn’t end up finishing the last spread in the book.
  • Once again there are lots of coffee sketches, but there is a huge variety in how I treat the blue cup and saucer every day.
  • Getting back into the discipline of nightly sketches has been great – I wrote more about it here.
  • This is #100 of my daily sketchbooks. I have many more (over 70?) travel and teaching sketchbooks that are not numbered sequentially like my daily books.

I really love the way this particular sized softcover sketchbook suits my approach to keeping a daily sketchbook. There are a lot of quick rough ‘working’ sketches but there is enough space on each spread for me to design the composition.

My big takeaway from flipping through this sketchbook is that just doing what I can each day really does create an amazing record of my life. I know I mentioned this before, but it is worth repeating.

Note to self: Don’t worry so much about what you are sketching, just do it!


Finally – thanks so very much to everyone who has left a comment or send me a personal email in regard to my current challenges! It’s hard to find adequate words to express how much it means to be supported like that – thank you!

4 Comments

  • Stephanie Reitmajer says:

    Liz, thank you for sharing book #100. You are an inspiration to me. I leave learned so much from your blog. But most important, I enjoy them. Reading of your travels and viewing your wonderful art. We seem to be so critical of ourselves. Set a trend, and be easy on yourself! You accomplish a lot. From a distance (the US), you seem goal directed and highly productive. Hang in there. And, everyone has a rough patch if they are going to strive forward and try new things. Take care,

    • Liz Steel says:

      thanks Stephanie. It’s always hard to get the tone right for the written word and agree that many people are too hard on themselves. But self-awareness and constructive self-critique certainly can push you forward.

  • I love seeing your completed sketchbooks. With all you’ve been doing lately it is a good thing you have all those cups of coffee to keep you going. lol Thanks for sharing!

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