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Pinterest Trend: Sketchbooks

They’re a real trend on Pinterest and Instagram: sketchbooks that capture thoughts with lovingly crafted handiwork. Beatrice and Ilaria from the sisterMAG-Team went off to find the most beautiful accounts that fill sketchbooks in their own unique ways. Meet them in our short sisterMAG interviews and get started on your own beautiful sketchbook!

Trend Sketchbooks

 Sofie Berz @sofieshandlettering

Introduction

My name is Sofie and I’m 16 years old. I live in Bern (Switzerland) and at the moment I am attending grammar school. I started my account in March 2019 because I wanted to share my Bullet Journal and Handlettering and (hopefully) inspire others.

What kind of sketchbook do you have?

At the moment I’m using a dot grid journal from »Leuchtturm«. But I’m going to change to an »archer&olive« journal in January.

Do you have any tip for starting a sketchbook?

First of all: don’t let all the impressive posts and bujo accounts overwhelm you! Behind all these amazing artworks is a lot of work and practice! Just give it a try and practice, it’s not that hard. The most important thing is that it makes you happy. And in general I would recommend to use a journal which has thick pages, so that nothing bleeds through no matter what colours you use in your notebook!

What inspires you?

I get a lot of inspiration from networks like Instagram and Pinterest because there are so many creative posts. The shapes and colours of nature also inspire me a lot. Especially for my Bullet Journal I often choose a theme from nature that fits the current month. Inspiring are also colour combinations in everyday life, for example in architecture or the clothes of people on the street.

Louise Chai @doodlelou.co

Introduction

Hi, my name is Louise. I am currently 23 years old and living in the UK spending all of my free time creating visual works!

How do you approach your sketchbook: Are you drawing spontaneously or in a specific method?

My sketchbook can be summed up as a representation of my mood and thoughts through different phases of the year. Sometimes I will pick up a pen and write or draw whatever I naturally think of, whereas in other cases I will have more specific ideas and layouts that I have envisioned. One piece of work can span into a couple of days too so it’s really a mixture of my mood at the time.

What materials do you like the most? Is it sketches, sticked pictures, texts?

I am a fan of using a mixture of absolutely everything! I will always have a focal point such as collage of images or a handwritten quote but love to embellish and decorate with washi tape or smaller stickers until I’m happy with the final piece. It can be days later and I’ll still want to add something different or cover something up!

Do you have a tip for starting a sketchbook?

My main piece of advice is to find your own style that you enjoy and that makes you recognisable to others. I started because I wanted to improve my lettering skills so I loved looking at other pieces of work to find inspiration and experimenting on scrap pieces of paper myself before I finally found my own groove. My first piece of work versus my current works are so vastly different so don’t be afraid to just draw, it doesn’t have to be perfect!

Brianna Collins @journalbean

Introduction

My name is Brianna and I am 24 years old. I live in the United States, more specifically Atlanta, Georgia. I am currently a student in college and create art journal spreads and hand-lettered art in my free time. I started art journaling during a time in my life when I was struggling with anxiety and needed an outlet for my emotions. I discovered art journaling on Tumblr and fell in love with it immediately!

What kind of sketchbook do you have?

I use a hardcover Moleskine art sketchbook for my journaling. I prefer this sketchbook because the pages are thick and since I do a lot of pasting, drawing, coloring, etc. I want a journal with pages that won’t bleed through. This sketchbook is great and very affordable. You can find the exact one here .

For what do you use it?

My art journaling consists of cutting and pasting images, patterns, backgrounds, etc. that I either print or find in old books or magazines such as National Geographic. I get many of my books with pictures from thrift and antique stores and use them to create my spreads. I love layering different patterns and textures of paper on top on each other to create a sort of mixed media journal spread. I also write in my journal or hand-letter quotes or words that I feel like go along with the theme of the spread. Usually I draw on top of the images or backgrounds I have pasted in my journal. I wouldn’t consider myself a great drawer, however I love incorporating line art into my journals because I feel like it gives me freedom because with line art, it doesn’t have to be perfect! Usually when I start a journal spread, I don’t have a set plan for the result. It’s a freeing process to simply create art with no plan or rules. I love art journaling so much because there’s no wrong way to do it. It’s up to you and what you like or what you have a vision for. There’s no pressure in art journaling because if you do mess up or draw something you don’t like, you can cover it up with a new picture or texture. I do this all the time and it’s okay! Overall, anyone can art journal and that’s what’s so amazing about it.

What materials do you like the most? Is it sketches, sticked pictures, texts?

Some of my favorite materials for art journaling include Sakura Pigma Micron pens, masking tape, a glue stick, notebook paper, graph paper, letter stencils, a white Sakura Gelly Roll

Laia Grau Pont @laia_journal

Introduction

My name is Laia, a 21 student living in Spain.But besides being student, two years ago I started my art project (@laia_journal) that now has become part of myself: a way to spread my art and handmade project through the world.

What kind of sketchbook do you have?

I have a huge collection of sketchbooks and journals that I use depending on the situation. My favourite one is my art journal (my third art journal to be more specific). Is the place where I feel most creative and their pages are full of doodles, paintings, collages and lettering compositions. I also have my personal journal, where I use to write daily thoughts or lessons I have learned every day. I combine the writing with a creative part: a small collage or some pictures that represent my mood or my day. It is so nice to read back how you felt one year ago and how you have changed and what you have learned as a human. And then, I have a small a6 journal that I use exclusively for my watercolour paintings. This journal is an explosion of colours represented in different ways: fruits, landscapes, flowers, seasons,…

What inspires you?

Nature! This is my main source of inspiration and being surrounded by it, it’s what makes me feel creative. I really appreciate what nature gives us for free, without anything in exchange, and it’s so sad to see how we are destroying it. Nature is a paradise, is the clearest example of evolution: each season means new plants, new flowers, new colours, new textures… I mean, it is amazing! And as an artist, there are multiple ways to represent it, so it gives me total freedom to create.

What materials do you like the most? Is it sketches, sticked pictures, texts?

It is a combination of all of them. I love watercolours for painting. But if I have to create a collage, I always use vintage paper samples, pictures and washi tapes. You can combine them depending on their colours to create an eye-catching composition. I love wooden stamps and stickers as well, they are so useful to add details on your spreads. And… do not never forget a brush pen: our best ally!

Jeka Packing @jekasjournal

Introduction

My name is Francesca Eloisa Packing, I’m 18 years old. I am senior high school student. I live in the »Summer Capital« of the Philippines, Baguio City!

What kind of sketchbook do you have?

I have tons of different sketchbooks, but mostly, of no brands. But my favorite sketchbook with a brand that I own, would be the »Limelight Sketchbook«.

When did you start with sketchbooks?

I started with sketchbooks back in around July 2017.

What materials do you like the most? Is it sketches, sticked pictures, texts?

The materials I like most are magazines, scissors, and glue! I have been collaging for years, and it is my first love. The process of cutting magazines, and pasting them on an empty page to form a new masterpiece is really fulfilling. I collage on my sketchbooks whenever I feel different kinds of emotions, but mostly when I feel heartaches.

Reid Schlegel @reid.schlegel

Introduction

  • Name: Reid Schlegel
  • Age: 29
  • Occupation: Industrial Designer
  • Home: Brooklyn NY, USA

When did you start with sketchbooks?

I have kept a sketchbook since elementary school. When I was younger I usually had several art projects going simultaneously but I only sketched in a sketchbook sporadically. I was drawn to my sketchbook when I wanted to dive deep into a topic. I was drawn to nature sketching when I was eight and filled a sketchbook with drawings from the field near my grandparents house. When I was around twelve I was obsessed with skateboarding and I filled several sketchbooks with logos, people skateboarding, ramps I wanted to build, etc… It wasn’t until after college that I really started to take sketching in a sketchbook seriously and made time to sketch in one daily.

For what do you use it?

Today I use my sketchbooks as a place to develop ideas that I have floating in my head, refine my sketching process and explore new techniques. As an industrial designer I need to continuously come up with new ideas and my sketchbook helps me collect and refine concepts that I can draw inspiration from later. As an educator at Parsons School of Design my sketchbook helps me keep my skills sharp and intimately understand my personal style and techniques. This helps me clearly communicate with my students and answer their questions with thoughtful responses.

How do you approach your sketchbook: Are you drawing spontaneously or in a specific method?

I am usually very consistent with sketching in my sketchbook but it does become sporadic from time to time. I am currently in a sporadic phase and have been sketching only when I feel really inspired to. I spent the past six years actively honing my tan paper sketching style to maximize efficiency, expand my material library and improve composition and storytelling. After diving so deep for so long, I am currently interested in how to break the rules I made for myself and expand into new styles. I am excited to see what new things I can create with the style I spent so many years honing in my sketchbooks as a foundation.