Keeping Visual Journals

John Copeland: Journals.

Many of us spend a good deal of time blogging these days, perhaps we need to remember the original blog, the journal. With it, we can practice our drawing, develop our creativity, moblog, share our work with others, write notes - in fact, who needs a blog? Forget TypePad, get a SketchPad!

Just look at the beautiful collection of journals above for inspiration. They just make me want to rush upstairs into the studio and whip out my paints and pencils I find them so inspirational. Our own journals can be equally inspirational, if we put the energy and time into them.

10 reasons to keep a journal:

1. It encourages good creative habits, and frequent practice
   
2. It provides a record of your progress [as an artist, of your drawing, of a particular technique you are developing...]
3. Themes can emerge and develop naturally and fluently
4. You will see your style develop, as the journal is chronological [assuming you follow page on page, not jumping about]
5. You will develop excellent drawing skills through daily and frequent drawing and sketching in your journal
6. You can experiment in it: with technique, with media, with ideas, it's your very own art laboratory, with you in charge
   
7. Apart from drawing in it, you can paint in it, collage in it, stick photos in it, take colour notes, write inspirational phrases in it [I do that a lot]
8. You can use it to share your work with others, it is portable and therefore great to take to meetings, cafes etc
   
9. You can take it anywhere and everywhere, it is the original iBook, the batteries won't run out, the screen won't fail, it won't crash, and you can drop it in a puddle and get back to work straight away [after a quick shake!]
10. You can practice in it, every day, every hour, your morning drawings, your blind contour drawings, tonal practice - as you fill it, you will have a wealth of progress to look back upon, thus boosting your confidence to push ahead

And after a few months, or years, you can sit back and admire your wonderful collection of varied journals, and refer to them when the inspiration gremlins strike, trying to block your creativity. You'll never be short of ideas again.

You can make your own journal - with offcuts from sheets of paper you use in the studio, make your own cover, draw and paint on the cover, the end papers, upside down, backwards, you make the rules here.

For further ideas on ways to use your journal, check out Lynne Perrella's inspiring book, "Artists' Journals and Sketchbooks: Exploring and Creating Personal Pages". Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com


Or for inspiration from another artist, see Sabrina Ward Harrison's latest offering: "The True and the Questions: A Journal", from Chronicle Books

John Copeland is the most wonderful and prolific journaller. Check out his journals on johncopeland.com, where you will not only see many great examples of drawing and painting, collage and experiment, you will see all the beautiful and varied books that he works in, and decorates. You will also get to see his many beautiful drawings and paintings, which prove the benefits of journalling.


Now available from John Copeland: "Selected Works From Journals 7-22" Limited Edition of 2500, signed and numbered.

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Images: © John Copeland. Used with permission.
Text © Blue 2005

Blue is a painter, with a fascination for drawing research, working out of a studio in St. Ives Cornwall, UK. To view Blue's work, blog and bio, visit blueskystudio:: chill out with fine art...