Getting inspiration from 7 amazing sketchbooks

Inspiration is something that sometimes is there in abundance and sometimes I have to dig deep. What I did recently is looking at other peoples sketchbooks. For most people, sketchbooks are quite private and often people keep them to themselves

Why look at sketchbooks;

1. find inspiration
2. learn from them

The inspiration for your own sketchbooks is always nice. Especially if you have the great habit of drawing in it every single day. Sometimes it gets hard to come up with new things to draw. So having the inspiration of seeing what others are doing in their sketchbook can really help fill your own.

Secondly, knowing what artists you admire are doing for practice can really help with your own practice. Maybe you see loads of life drawing or maybe they are practising their colours more.  Also seeing loads of art really helps you getting better at spotting what is good and what is a point of improvement in your drawings.

What to look out for in the sketchbooks;

If you really want to be super productive while looking at others people’s sketchbooks try looking at them critically. Not in a “let’s judge their quality of work” kinda way. But by looking at the actual content beyond thinking just about how good they are or comparing their work to their own.

What are they doing;

For example, what are they practising, how many pages do they do a day, and are their sketches fast or do they take more time?

What can you try out yourself;

Trying out new things helps you improve. So if you see things you have not tried yet, make a note. Maybe it is life drawing or figure drawing, maybe it is studying light from movies etc.

What do you like; 

When looking at the work of these people, what do you like? Do you enjoy the colours or the line works? What are styles you like?

Thinking about these things while looking at the sketchbooks helps you create better sketchbooks as well!

The sketchbooks; 

I’ve found a YouTube-channel associated with Drawing Tutorials Online On which amazing art students share their sketchbooks with the world. The images are stunning and I’m very impressed with the amount and quality of this and I do aspire to become as good as them.

Some of my favourites;

Gama’s Sketchbook

Omnaya’s Sketchbook Incredible Line

Oliver’s Sketchbook Part II

These people are very very talented and I love looking at the different things you could do in a sketchbook and also the very different styles. If you check these out do tell me which one you love! I’ve yet to see them all.

I also have these amazing watercolour sketchbooks that I love

Pear Fleurs Sketchbook

And another one by her

Kelogsloops watercolour sketchbook is gorgeous too.

Finally, if you really want to be mega inspired why not check out the 600-page sketchbook challenge by H.C. Brown.

This video shares her end results which are super impressive. 

I love all these sketchbooks and watch the videos regularly when I am feeling uninspired for my own sketchbooks.

One Side note though; Use the work of other as inspiration but don’t copy or steal them. Definitely not if you are posting that work online! 

Another note; You are learning from these people. Comparison is the thief of joy though. So always try to realise that you might be somewhere else on your journey or your style might be different. This does not make you a lesser artist.

If you have a favourite sketchbook video or you have made one yourself don’t forget to share it in the comments. Let’s inspire each other!