This book guides the reader through the practice of keeping a sketch journal—an everyday record of life captured through drawing. It shows how to get started with one simple piece of advice: just begin. It explores the benefits of drawing, how to establish a regular practice, what materials to use, and, most importantly, how to embrace mistakes – which are never really mistakes, but opportunities for learning. The second part offers concrete ideas on what to draw. This book reflects perfectly what I aspire to do : draw my life, the small, ordinary moments that make it meaningful. It resonates deeply with me. A truly lovely and encouraging book for anyone wanting to get started.
“Often we will be so hard on ourselves for failing to measure up, that we will close our book and tuck it away in a drawer. It is essential in this process to get comfortable with your mistakes, with skipping a day or two, or with work that looks different from the idea you have in your head. Trust me, even Rembrandt made paintings he wasn’t happy with. It is all part of the creative experience. As often as you will put down something you are proud of, you will also put down something you are embarrassed by and want to tear up and throw away, but l urge you not to and instead to simply work around it. Let’s say that you really dislike a drawing that you’ve started. You can leave it there to refer back to, box it off, start again, and maybe write a little note about how you feel about it. Or you can cover it completely with collage or sketch right on top of it with paint and marker. Make the mistakes a part of the process, celebrate them, and even have fun with them.”
