How to pick out a sketchbook

*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links to Amazon. I encourage you to shop local if possible (Ben Franklin and Hawaiian Graphics on O'ahu). However, if you choose to purchase online I do appreciate your support through the use of my links!

A sketchbook and graphite pencil are perfect for at-home arting. It doesn't have to be fancy unless you want it to be. A sketchbook is just a place to record your ideas and practice techniques. The fact that it is stapled, sewn, bound, tapes, or whatever is just for convenience to keep them all together. Your sketchbook can be as simple as folded printer paper and a regular school pencil, or even a digital sketch app. The point is that you're getting your ideas down on paper and practicing what you learned.

Sketchbook preferences can be very personal! My favorite is this 6x8 style of sketchbook , which I tend to stock up on when I go to the mainland. I enjoy the hard cover with the spiral flip pages so I can fold it back to an appropriate size for all kinds of situations like standing up while I sketch or drawing on my lap while watching a movie on the couch.

You might end up trying a few styles throughout life before you find one that's right for you. I've been in college classes where professors required a very particular type of sketchbook for assignments, which I hated working in. It was big and bulky, didn't lay flat, the binding easily came apart, and worst of all it had cruddy paper inside I couldn't tear out if I wanted to gift or trash a page. I couldn't easily take it to my favorite coffeeshops, parks, and places where I liked to make art on-the-go. The big size felt intimidating to fill up. Eventually I realized what was important to me in a sketchbook by applying a more analytical approach.

Ask yourself the following questions as you peruse the aisles of an art shop:

1. Where do you like to draw? Pay attention to your locations where you tend to doodle. Do you like a soft-covered notebook you can take anywhere without much weight? Or a bigger spiral-bound book so you can flip the cover back and have a solid surface underneath while you draw on a couch or bed? Or do you adore the feel of a nice book-bound sketchbook you can lay out on a table?
   
2. What are your drawing habits and travel like? Do you enjoy being able to move your hand loosely across the page, or to draw bigger-than-life objects? Perhaps you'd like a 9x12 size. Do you like to draw with your notebook in your lap? Something easily balanced across your legs would be important. Do you travel a lot and need something to do on a plane? A pocket/purse-sized notebook might be perfect. Or maybe somewhere in between, like a 5x7 or 6x8" feels perfect in your hands!
   
   
3. What do you put in it? Only drawings or paintings? Or drawings, notes, and all kinds of stapled and taped things? You might need more than one sketchbook for different purposes! I have a separate,  small pocket-sized sketchbook specifically for attending artist workshops so I can sketch-note what I'm learning, but it won't take up too much room in a bag. It's easier to review information this way. I also couldn't find a travel watercolor sketchbook with my favorite paper inside - so like any good millennial, I Googled how to make books and I made my own!

What to do with your sketchbooks when you have too many

You may not want to keep sketchbooks forever, but it's hard to toss something that still has a few good ideas in it! You can skim through them, digitize what's useful, and recycle old work you don't want to keep. But this only works if you're the type who actually looks back at your photos! You could also tear out the pages you like and paste them into your new sketchbook so you can continue to develop those ideas.