For 2025. The challenge: fill a sketchbook with anything! Clippings, collage, drawings, writing, painting, drawings with a wash, maps, the view from your window, holidays, anything.
This page will hopefully give you inspiration, and then, at the end, some suggested materials.
These are a few of the kinds of things we’ve done in similar books. We aren’t claiming that these are necessarily brilliant examples, but for us it’s about having fun, and trying materials or formats you might not have used before.
Above: St Ives quick sketches, with torn coloured paper. Created during a workshop by Barnoon Arts, 2024. By Dave.
Above: Map of a holiday day out, 2009. Drawn with pens, with tickets added. By Charlotte.
Above: Views in and from a tent, in boxes, with fineliner pen. By Dave.
Above: Cornwall holiday memorabilia 2011, by Charlotte
Above: Loe Bar Road, Porthleven, Cornwall. Created during a sketchwalk with Melanie Chadwick (2018). By Charlotte.
Above: Porthleven harbour, 2023. Made during a sketchwalk with Melanie Chadwick. By Dave.
Suggested materials
I’ve used a mixture of suppliers here, but you could probably pick one and find most of these things. Or visit a local art shop.
A sketchbook with a reasonable thickness of paper means that pens don’t show through, and you can use watercolour. There’s a huge range of styles and formats.
These sketchbooks from Jacksons Art are amazing value. A5, 140gsm, 20 sheets (40 sides) is 95p.
Dave uses Moleskine sketchbooks, usually pocket size, mainly for cartoon ideas and notes. But they cost a lot more, so if you just want to have fun and experiment choosing a more inexpensive option might mean you actually use it.
Fineliner pens. Dave uses Uni Pin pens. Available from most art shops. Or the Range and other places do them in packs. pen width doesn’t matter too much. Maybe a 0.5 to a 0.8 for an all round option? Something like a 0.1 – 0.3 is perhaps better for more detailed work.
Watercolour paints. An inexpensive set (£3) from Cult Pens. But worth paying more if you want to do more than dabble.
Glue sticks – Pritt stick or similar, available anywhere.
Waterbrushes. Great if you want to do a watercolour wash while out and about. Again, lots of places you can find these, but as an example: Waterbrushes from Bromley Art supplies.
Let us know how you get on!