4.1 TYPES OF SKETCHBOOK
There are three videos on this page. One about different types of sketchbook, one about how to make a sketchbook from one sheet of paper and one on how to make your own concertina sketchbook.
Thing s to consider when buying a sketchbook
Here are some things to think about when buying a sketchbook:
PAPER QUALITY
If you want to use lots of wet material and collage you will need a paper that can withstand it. Look for a heavy paper weight that can cope with the amount of liquid and paint, you’ll throw at it. I like to use paper which is at least 200gsm (this stands for grams per square inch.)
LOCATION
Consider where you will be when you use your sketchbook. I have sketchbooks I use outside and sketchbooks I use inside. If you are intending to carry your sketchbook about on a daily basis, then you’ll want to use a smaller and lighter, more portable one.
ORIENTATION
Consider the orientation of your sketchbooks, I like to work in a portrait upright format. Many other artists prefer to work in a landscape or longways format. It is worth thinking about your preference when purchasing a sketchbook as this will influence where the binding is.
BINDING
Binding can come in several formats, spiralbound or like a hard-backed book, where it is stitched and glued. Spiral bound books allow you to easily lay the pages totally flat and turn pages with ease, however you may find the wire spiral disruptive to your flow if you want to work across double page spreads.
TYPE OF COVER
A hard back spiral bound sketchbook may be handy if you want to lean on it as a drawing surface, a softer more flexible cover may be lighter.
MAKING A MINI SKETCHBOOK
Here’s a short video on how to make you own sketchbook from one piece of paper. We will explore the use of them in more detail in lesson 5.4 Recreating and reconstructing
