Dear Friends,

Welcome to the space where I talk about my sketchbook practice. It is an important part of my creative practice. I hope this page will encourage you to join me in the quest of keeping an annual sketchbook.

How do I keep a sketchbook?

I'm glad you asked! My sketchbook might be a bit different than other artists sketchbooks. I feel "realism" is overrated and puts too much pressure on people. If you are into realism, terrific! But for me, I'm working on creating my own drawing style and it's going to be a life-long process.

The things I like to keep in my sketchbook are still life's, florals, places I visit (travel stuff), doodles and a bit of writing. I feel like still life's really help me sharpen my skills and develop my style. I use all sorts of materials, but mostly a soft graphite pencils (4B-6B) and watercolor pencils, if I'm feeling colorful. Flowers are my absolute favorite! Seriously, I love them. In my sketchbook, they can be super detailed blossoms or just loose, free splashes of color that look like a wild garden. Drawing in places I visit help me build courage and style, especially since I actually draw in public. It has taken me years to build my confidence to do this, and practice is the key. I will talk more about drawing in public during the year. Doodles are just fun. It's a free way to make marks without any expectations and a way to keep up the sketchbook when time is limited. Writing, yep! sometimes I will actually put words on pages with doodles or a drawing. It's short, and very much like a journal entry. I write when I want to remember emotions or something about a specific moment or place.

Take a look around, enjoy, get ideas and send me note to ask a question.

~L