Keeping a journal/sketchbook is a wonderfully personal experience. Use it regularly and it will not only improve your drawing skills but record experiences to revisit again and again, preserve moments of beauty and unlock new creative ideas. 

ACTIVITY: SKETCHBOOK DRAWING

Find a sketchbook that is small enough to keep with you as often as possible. Make at least one drawing in your sketchbook every day for the next week. Draw objects and views around you, people you see, things that interest you or make you smile. Each day challenge yourself to draw something different, something you haven’t drawn before. Don’t worry about making mistakes - this is how we learn and become even better artists! At the end of the week, take some time to look back at your drawings, remembering when and where you drew each of them. 

MATERIALS

• Sketchbook
• Selection of your favourite pens or pencils
• Small pencil case

Two pages from Da Vinci's sketchbook

TIPS

Make sure your journal/sketchbook is not too big. You should be able to keep it with you as much as possible. Use it like a diary: make notes about what you have chosen to draw, how you are feeling as you draw it, and about the colours you can see.  

Artist Inspiration: You can leaf through many famous artist’s sketchbooks online, including Constable, Leonardo Da Vinci, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.

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