About two years ago, I started a sketchbook.  This one was different, because it was going to be a place specifically for practice and experimentation.  Some might say ‘isn’t that the whole point of a sketchbook anyway? Informal practice?’ You’d think so, right? But doing that, for me, really required a mindset shift. I wanted everything I made to be perfect. And that was really holding me back.

So, I didn’t use a fancy, expensive sketchbook.  That would only make it more difficult to ‘waste’ the precious pages. Normally, I want my art to turn out as perfect as possible, especially if I have a nice sketchbook, but this is not a good way to practice. Improving requires failure and creating potentially lots of bad art.

My crappy sketchbook is responsible for the improvement of my freehand drawing skills, specifically with drawing figures (that’s what I have been focusing on lately). I have many source images saved over years to practice with. I just chose one and start drawing. And it doesn’t matter how it turns out because it’s meant to be for practice, not a finished piece. You don’t need to put in a lot of time on a particular drawing either. Doing a lot of fast sketches is a good way to improve.

This kind of sketchbook takes away the pressure to be perfect and without that pressure you can learn and improve. You can start a drawing and if it ends badly, you turn the page and start a new one. You do this again and again, maybe every day, maybe a few times weekly. But you may notice that it’s fun. Also, you’ll likely see improvement. I started to actually see, instead of thinking I was seeing or assuming I already know what something looks like. Over time, I noticed I wasn’t really paying as close attention as I thought I was. It’s so weird, now what I was doing wrong seems so obvious, but it certainly wasn’t a few years ago!

Another benefit of this kind of sketchbook is it can be a source of ideas. Many times I’ve looked back on older sketchbooks and saw something that I wanted to turn into a completed piece.

It can also be a place to just enjoy the process of drawing and being in the moment. It is similar to meditation, especially if you are working in silence and really concentrating on drawing. Everything else just fades away and there you are, truly present. As long as you practice drawing mindfully, it is impossible not to improve.

Having a place to practice and experiment is so valuable! And there are many benefits you can get from this simple, small habit. Hopefully you will give it a try.