Illustrated Journaling

 

Rudolf
Watercolour & Ink
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 17.8cm cm (5.5" x 7.0")

An illustrated journal is a diary in which you record your life in both words and pictures. Liz Steel (SketchingNow) and Danny Gregory (Sketchbook Skool) both keep and recommend illustrated journals. 

No. It's a Pen Knife!
Watercolour & Ink
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 17.8cm cm (5.5" x 7.0")

Until now, I haven’t included text with my sketches because my main reason for sketching is to practice drawing and painting. I wanted to create perfect little pictures, not to document my life.

Doris Free Weekend
Watercolour & Ink
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 17.8cm cm (5.5" x 7.0")

This year, I’ve embraced the addition of text. My hope is it will make me less precious about creating pristine sketches. This will take the pressure off starting a drawing and result in me sketching more frequently. I also enjoy writing, so it is a welcome addition.

Pencil Full Of Lead
Graphite Pencil
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 17.8cm cm (5.5" x 7.0")

I’m using a small sketchbook; each page is only 8.9cm x 14.0cm (3.5″ x 5.5″). It’s smaller than I enjoy using, but the benefits are it’s small enough to fit in a pocket and to go unnoticed when it’s in use. The small size should also help me to stop fussing over details.

Icing
Ink
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 17.8cm cm (5.5" x 7.0")

 I’m also painting over the middle of the double page spread. This is another strategy to be looser and to reduce the expectation that each sketch needs to be faultless. You have to accept less than perfection when you’re drawing and painting over a fold.

The Creative License

20. Make It Yours
The Creative License
Gouache & Watercolour Pencil
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
16.0cm x 16.0cm (6.25" x 6.25")

 On January 1, I started Danny Gregory’s course The Creative License

4. Childs Play
The Creative License
Graphite Pencil
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
28.0cm x 20.0cm cm (11" x 8")

The course is billed as 

Your invitation to reconnect with your creativity. It’s not about mastering technical skills or creating flawless masterpieces. It’s about discovering the artist inside you and giving yourself permission to create—without fear, judgment, or expectations.

5. Reinventing Our Tools
The Creative License
Watercolour, Ink and Wax Crayon
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
20.0cm x 28.0cm cm (8" x 11")

Danny based the course on his book of the same name (The Creative License). He expanded the concepts from the book into 31 lessons, one for each day of the month.

11. It's Complicated
The Creative License
Watercolour & Ink
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
28.0cm x 20.0cm cm (11" x 8")

The lessons are about:

• Overcoming the fear and self-doubt about making art.
• Experimenting, trying new things and embracing joyful, messy, playfulness.
• Integrating creativity into your daily life.

14. Scent & Art
The Creative License
Watercolour, Gouache, Marker and Wax Crayon
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
28.0cm x 20.0cm cm (11" x 8")

The course was a revitalising start to the year. Everything was going well until the 29th, when I slipped on some icy decking, tore a hamstring (badly), blacked an eye and gave Elaine an unpleasant shock when she found me unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. It’s taken a while, but I'm recovering and finished the last few exercises.

29. Integration Challenge
The Creative License
Gouache
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
16.0cm x 16.0cm (6.25" x 6.25")

The pictures on this post are my favourite pieces from the course. The one at the top and this last one are loose copies of Kurt Jackson pictures. They are significant because they don’t look like anything I’ve created before. They indicate a direction I want to explore.