Book By Its Cover » Sketchbooks

Sketchbook Series: Yelena Bryksenkova

julia — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:59:16 +0000

Today you get two posts because I am too excited to wait any longer to share the incredible sketchbooks of Yelena Bryksenkova. Her drawings are beautiful and nostalgic feeling. Her line work is detailed and interesting and her palettes warm and subdued yet sophisticated. If you couldn’t tell I am completely in love with her work! Her sketchbooks have lots of pretty writing surrounding her paintings and I imagine this style working really well for a fancy children’s book. Yelena is a recent grad of MICA and just beginning her freelance illustration career. Here’s what she had to say about her sketchbooks: “Despite warnings not to, I have always treated my sketchbooks as precious objects rather than a place for unfinished ideas. I suppose this can be limiting, but I can’t help it! The beauty of certain objects, places, people, and moments fills me a frustrated kind of awe and drawing them – carefully, so completely absorbed that I sometimes dip my paintbrush in my tea – helps me make peace with that feeling. It’s a way for me to catalog the beautiful things I have seen and how they make me feel. Writing alongside the drawings is important, too; when I revisit the pages, I revisit emotions. It’s a great comfort to me that there is no shortage of precious, inspiring things in the world.” Be sure to check out more of her work on her site here or follow her on her blog here. She also sells prints on etsy!

Sketchbook Series: Jon McNair

julia — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:37:13 +0000

The blog was down yesterday so I missed posting this awesome sketchbook of Jon MacNair. Jon is a freelance illustrator and artist based in Michigan with a growing list of clients and gallery shows. He has exhibited his artwork in San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles and Glasgow and he’s been featured in publications such as Faesthetic, Beautiful Decay, AMMO, and IdN. Here’s what he had to say about his sketchbook work: “Not only do I enjoy working in my sketchbook, but I love flipping through other artists sketchbooks as well! For me, filling a sketchbook is like a fun, long-term goal. It usually takes me quite a while (my most recent one took 3 years of on and off drawing), but I try to make every page count. One of the nice things about working on a sketchbook for a long time is, if I draw something I’m not happy with, I leave it for a while and come back to it. Usually after some time has passed, I find the motivation to somehow remedy the drawing, and create something I do like. I find that satisfying. My past sketchbooks are also a great reference for me when I am brainstorming ideas for future works.” Check out more of Jon’s work here and follow his blog here.

Sketchbook Series:Seb Cazes

julia — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:42:10 +0000

I am sorry I haven’t been posting regularly. It is not for lack of beautiful books, as I have a huge stack ready next to me, but for lack of time. It has been the busiest two work weeks ever. And I am soo very ready for this long weekend and to catch up on my sleep finally. But before I go I wanted to do a post that might make up for my missing days, the sketchbooks of French illustrator Seb Cazes. He has so many sketchbooks and sent over a ton of images from a mix of books. Here’s what he had to say about them: “Fifteen years ago when I started to draw in sketchbooks and collect them I would draw just for drawing’s sake- this was during art school. Then I understood the notion of texture and pure, fast and impulsive ideas was essential to start anything, just an illustration or an entire big design project. My artwork always combined the research of texture, accumulation, and committed ideas. Thats the reason why the sketchbook artwork is important, it can mix everything at the same time. Its all your life in them: ideas, memories, trips, and the basis of new works, and the accumulation of those books collected for years is something like a piece of art. Because its also the opportunity to mix all the different techniques (collage, drawing, painting, photography…). The sketchbook artwork is like being free in the everyday creativity and inspiration we have to cope with in our professional work.” You can see more of Seb’s work here and you can buy artwork he’s created here. Thanks to Seb for sharing!

The “Forever” Sketchbook

julia — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:35:34 +0000

Today is my birthday again. Every year on my birthday I’ve posted something I’ve made. This year I decided to post what I have come to call my “Forever” Sketchbook. It has become known as that because the scale is so so huge, it’s a long accordion book made of 15×22″ pages, and I have been using it for so many years and that will continue until who knows… It started after college when I was very into making painted sketchbooks, especially accordions. This one was going to be the monster one of them all. But as I started to work professionally, the less I worked on my own side projects like this one. I decided instead of drawing directly into it, to use it more as a scrapbook of sorts, gluing in old drawings I might have otherwise thrown away. There are a ton of drawings from my senior year in college when I was obsessed with drawing ladies out of fashion magazines. And there are a lot of test prints from a printmaking class I took- so you’ll see many variations of the same image often on different pages. Then there are the first drawings of patterns from when we started our company ALSO’s homepage. And many other drawings from other ALSO projects. But the scrapbook sketchbook got forgotten time and again and wound up under my bed or behind a bookcase. Recently when I moved I took it out and vowed to start it up again. I have a pile of drawings waiting to be collaged into the mix. It’s definitely a continuing work in progress. I want to cover both sides of the accordion eventually, so I need to make more of an effort to use it. I like the idea of keeping this visual diary of my past artistic life. Looking through it now reminds me of both how I’ve developed my style, but also what things I shouldn’t give up- like the looser free-er line quality or using more texture and different colored paper.
Thanks for looking! xojulia
Click on the image to see larger.

Sketchbook Series: Frank Viva

julia — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:16:46 +0000

You may have noticed a new advertiser on our little sidebar called Whigby. If you click on their ad you will find a myriad of fun paper products including witty cards, adorable gift wrap, art posters and other goodies. The company was started by Frank Viva and Todd Temporale who also run a design agency in Toronto called Viva & Co. Frank happens to be an exceptional illustrator, and recently did a very sweet cover for The New Yorker. I asked Frank if he would share his sketchbooks, so we could get a taste of his process of working on such prestigious projects. Besides keeping regular sketchbooks and moleskins, Frank has just made himself a new sketchbook for planning more covers for The New Yorker. He printed a blank New Yorker cover, complete with the logo, at half size on bunch of sketch paper and Cerlox bound the pages into a book at Kinkos. This way he can make little mock covers and easily sketch to fit into their format. Below he’s shared two rejected comps for covers about the Oscars. Besides working on editorial projects, Frank is working on his first children’s book called Along a Long Road which will be coming out later this year from HarperCollins. Big thanks to Frank for participating in our series. We’ll be keeping up with his work here in the future.

Sketchbook Series: Lars Henkel

julia — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:03:33 +0000

German illustrator Lars Henkel wrote me wondering if I’d be interested in sharing his sketchbook. I am more than thrilled when an incredible artist such as Lars even has heard about the site, let alone wants to contribute to it. Lars work is interesting and impressive in every way. From realistically drawn elements to very stylized figures, I am most intrigued when he mixes his drawings with collage and creates layers of imagery for your eyes to get lost in. Check out more of his work here and keep up with him on his blog here. Now for the images- I couldn’t narrow down my favorites so i just decided to show everything he sent!
Remember you can click on the images to see them bigger!

Sketchbook Series: Mia Christopher

julia — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:03:48 +0000

Big thanks to Sian Keegan for introducing me to the sweet and quirky work of Mia Christopher. Mia’s drawings and paintings are so simple but there is such nice humor to them. Plus her color taste is very sophisticated making what could look like drawings for children, much more mature. I asked Mia to tell me a little about what she’s been up to with her work. Here’s what she had to say: “As far as what I’ve been up to, I’ve been keeping busy finishing pieces for two upcoming group shows. I have ten pieces in Anno Domini’s Fresh Produce show in San Jose on December 4th, and two pieces in Together Gallery’s upcoming group show Family Quilt on December 5th. I am also going to be a part of a yet to be titled exhibition at Flatcolor Gallery in Seattle that is opening February 4th, 2010. I went back to school this semester to finish my BFA. I’m at California College of the Arts majoring in painting and drawing, I have about a year and a half left. I really love it and it’s been pushing me and my work which is something I really treasure. I have lots of plans for the coming year- print editions, a book, maybe two, many more group shows, collaborations with other artists, etc.” Thanks so much to Mia for sharing I hope to feature more of her work in the future.

Sketchbook Series: Will Bryant

Chad Kouri — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:14:55 +0000

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about Will Bryant. I’ve never been so tempted to move to a city just to hang out with one person all the time. Will’s name has been drifting across the internet with nothing but good words attached for quiet some time now… well, except that one time. But we fixed that. With equal doses humor and hand styling, WIll’s work never fails to impress and entertain. When I grow up, I want to be Will “Mr. Fancy Pants” Bryant.

Sketchbook Series: Will Miller

Chad Kouri — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:51:36 +0000

Will Miller really throws down when it comes to custom typography. He’s got an eye for type anatomy like no one else I’ve seen. And the way he takes it into the third dimension so flawlessly… holy crap. Gotta love it. When I first met him, Will explained (and correct me in the comments if I’m wrong) that after school he really wasn’t set in any one direction so he spent over 2 years just studying type. Written language to lead type to digital and beyond. And boy does it show. This was very exciting to me because I can’t seem to spend more than a couple hours on one thing. For the past couple years he has spent his time as Art Director of Firebelly Design. Check out their work if you are not aware of it. They do some very inspiring stuff. Enjoy!

ps. don’t forget: you can now click on the images to see them bigger.

Sketchbook Series: Eric Ellis

Chad Kouri — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:54:02 +0000

When I asked Eric Ellis to send me some photos of his sketchbook I was surprised to hear that he doesn’t keep one anymore. He has instead been keeping a folder of letter sized copier paper at his desk that houses all his little drawing experiments. He explained that drawing in a sketchbook is too much pressure and doesn’t make for the most freedom of exploration when drawing. Funny thing is that I just started the same practice as well! Regardless, he must be doing something right because every time I get a peek at what Eric is up to I freak out… in a good way of course. See for yourself.