I've been thinking a lot recently about the importance of sketchbooks. Part of this is due to the fact that my cousin bought me Drawn In, which is a really great collection of pages & spreads from various contemporary artists (many of which went to risd?! what?) + short interviews about their contributions. I haven't got to examine every page yet, but it definitely stirred some things up in my brain.
For me, I do my most inventive work in my sketchbook. I'll start off drawing an idea or my surroundings and then slip into this weird mode of intuitive creation. Time will fly by as my hands seem to make decisions on their own - decisions I would never come to by pure, rational thought. I'll admit, the results are not always groundbreaking. However, they are always looser and more interesting than when I get out a piece of nice paper and decide to "make art." Looking at other artist's sketchbooks generally seems to confirm this tendency. Something is lost in the trip from pure expression (doodling, random collage, life sketches for me) to planned expression.
Questions: Can we then present a sketchbook spread as a finished art piece? The sketchbook itself as an art piece? How does a doodle change in meaning when it is made as "art" instead of as a doodle? What about artists who don't use their sketchbooks often?
Answer: I don't know, you tell me!
Anyway, if you get a chance, definitely pick up Drawn In and allow yourself a long time to look through the various artists. You'll not regret it...
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