5 Ways I Use An Everyday Sketchbook

Today I’m going to be sharing with you five ways that I have been using my everyday sketchbook so far in 2023. I should add that I am very new to keeping a sketchbook for everyday use, so the quality of the ‘artwork’ on the pages is probably not what you’ll be expecting to see, but that’s kind of the point – an everyday sketchbook allows you to feel free to just create without the pressure we normally put on ourselves as creatives.

If you prefer video to words and images, then scroll down to see my YouTube video. It’s not as detailed as this post, but you’ll probably still enjoy it.

1. Color Swatching

I love to use my everyday sketchbook for swatching out colors. This could be to test out new art materials before using them in my other sketchbooks, to create a palette using a minimal selection of colors or to plan out an actual physical palette before committing.

I have used my everyday sketchbook to swatch out a mix of art supplies, from my old coloring pencils from fashion school right through to new watercolor and gouache supplies.

I like to experience how they look on the page before I commit to using them. This drives my partner crazy – he firmly believes I should just dive in and use new materials, but I’m a more hesitant person, I like to get to know my materials first, and color swatching is a great way to understand how your supplies work.

2. Experimenting With Materials

Next up is experimenting. I find that I am freer with my materials if I am using a cheaper, more everyday sketchbook. Perhaps because these sketchbooks are cheaper and less ‘precious’ than my larger sketchbooks with higher quality paper, but it allows me to feel freer in experimenting, even if I am still using high quality art materials. I know, I’m an odd one.

When it comes to experimenting, it could be testing out new materials – like the high flow acrylic inks  experimented with in the photo below.

Or it could be layering different materials on the same page. Like the color pencils I laid over the Himi gouache pages below.

3. Following Tutorials

I am a sucker for a tutorial when I commit to learning something new, and I have used my everyday sketchbook to follow tutorials on YouTube, in books, and from a variety of artists on Patreon.

Being able to follow tutorials in a range of styles and techniques has helped me to find the style that I prefer myself. I wouldn’t have discovered it so early in my art journey if I had restricted myself by only using my ‘best’ sketchbooks.

Again, it’s the lower price of my everyday sketchbook that has allowed me to be free and more prolific in my creation when following tutorials so I really do recommend getting one for yourself.

I’ll link to the one I am using at the bottom of this post!

4. Doodling

I find that doodling is a great way for me to be creative every day without the pressure of ‘creating’ something that is ‘perfect’.

Doodling is great for me, it allows me to de-stress after (or even before) a stressful day. If I have deadlines looming, I find myself doodling more as a way to relieve the pressure through slightly mindless doodling, which doesn’t amount to much when finished but gives me the escape I need in the moment.

So I often fill pages with color, almost like backgrounds, and then go in and doodle over them at a later date.

5. To Eliminate Waste

This is an additional reason, not included in the video below, but while experimenting recently with some new materials, I ended up having ‘excess’ on my brayer and paint brushes. Being loathe to just wash all the gorgeous colors away, I found a double page spread in my everyday sketchbook that was blank, and applied the excess color across both pages.

This helped me to feel better about not wasting the paints, but it also reminded me of something I learned when studying my foundation in Art & Design in London:

The blank page can be very daunting, so filling a page with background color can be a great way to break the fear of using a blank page.

It’s already ‘marked’ and that helps to take away the pressure. Just something to consider if you ever find yourself staring at a blank page or a brayer filled with paint and nowhere to put it!

Finally, this is the sketchbook I have been using as my everyday sketchbook.