Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Introduction: A SKETCHBOOK


Allow me to introduce to you my sketchbook. You must have heard of it belore but perhaps did not have the opportunity to make an acquaintance with. Sketchbook is just a form of diary keeping, and I am sure you are familiar with diary. Instead of writing down in words, I draw instead, of whatever caught my attention. It can be any kind of drawing and techniques including coloring and even writing just like you would a diary. For more fun, I often keep materials related to whatever I am sketching about, such as tickets, postcards and so on just as you would a scrapbook.

Many people never thought of recording or drawing subject or situation that could be their "once in a life time" experience. Some may wonder why keeping sketchbook at all when it is easier to take a picture with a camera and some might not know how to start one even if they like the idea! I am not surprised by all these doubts. I myself had no interest in sketchbook keeping at all till late in life. Despise being an architect where drawing, sketching (work related) is what he does for a living and it's easily his every day's activity. I did not have a single sketchbook during the 25 years of career as an architect. Of course, I produced tons of drawings, by hand since it was before the auto-cad days. My first sketchbook materialized only when I stop working as an architect, nearly ten years ago, while on a family vacation!

Looking back in wonder why I did not get interested in sketchbook during those long exciting career years and I realized that, perhaps, because I never heard of sketchbook activity, never saw one, no one around me ever mentioned of one either. Again, looking back and I was sure that if I was introduced to sketchbook earlier, I would have started earlier. My collection of sketchbooks would have been in their hundreds instead of tens as of now.




And I feel it is for me to try introducing sketchbook to any one the pleasure, the value of sketchbook activity so that some people are happier sooner!


5 comments:

  1. What is the difference between a sketchbook and a scrapbook? Is the line blurred between them?

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  2. it did take me a while but i see that the line is not blurred, dotted, perhaps! a wisegeek (.com) said "The underlying goal (of scrapbook) is to preserve memories (photos, clippings, and other small mementos) that he or she wants to preserve..etc.

    my own opinion: when one collects sentimental junks, he is doing scrapbook but if you draw your observation in a book, it's sketchbook!

    and it's a dotted line (to me) because no one gets hurt even if you draw a few drawings over your collected junks or you paste a few concert or bullet train tickets next to your drawings:-)

    an added dimension (now popularly known as 3D!!!!)

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  3. Dear P'Asnee & K.Vara-Poj, I agree there is no hard line between sketchbook and scrapbook. In addition there are several related terms: visual diary/journal, mixed-media journal/sketchbook, and art journal. Surely, sketchbook is heavy more toward drawing and writing side.

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  4. ขออนุญาต ติดตาม Sketch Book เล่มนี้ด้วยคนนะคะ

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  5. thank you, Aj Aia and Aj Yaowanart for your interest in this sketchbook blog krub. I truly appreciate your visit and commnets and glad to know of prople who enjoy and value the sketchbook activity as means of education and life development..

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