I just got a new book called "An Illustrated Life" by Danny Gregory which I highly recommend for anyone interested in sketching/journaling. It is a peek into the sketchbooks and visual journals of a variety of artists, illustrators, and designers, along with a quick description by each artist of their working methods and materials.
I think I have always assumed that keeping an artist's journal was a talent that you either had or you didn't--and I fell into the later category. I never felt that my sketches were accomplished enough, and I couldn't get down on the page what I wanted fast enough. And what if I made a mistake? The whole book was ruined!
The "duh" moment for me in reading this book was realizing that keeping a visual journal is an ongoing learning process and there are no mistakes or rules. You don't have to get it right the first time, you can go back and fix and change and rework. It doesn't have to be perfect sketches of cathedrals and watercolor landscapes--it can be an illustrated grocery list. There are no rules!
While this may seem obvious to some people, it was a liberating realization for me. I hope my
daily entries going forward reflect this inspiration.
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