Follow These Artists To Inspire Your Daily Sketchbook Practice
An ongoing list!
Have you been wanting to start your own daily sketchbook practice? Sometimes it can be inspiring to see what other artists are doing. Here's a short list of sketchers who's work has inspired me over the years. Leave a comment and let me know of other daily sketchers you find inspiring and maybe I'll add them to the list!
Delicious layering of abstract marks, shapes, lines, textures, opacities etc etc and so on. Mark posts a sketchbook spread every day sometimes working in old re-purposed books. His sketches remind me of the value of play in a practice. I've been thinking a lot lately about following whims in my work and I think Mark is pretty great at letting whims guide his sketching practice.
Wonder and whimsy abound in Sandi's mixed media sketches. She is amazingly prolific and her subjects vary from portraits to still lives to landscape and just about anything in between. I learn so much about mixing media from just watching Sandi paint/draw (she's also on youtube).
Peggi has an enchanting method of observing light and shadow and contour drawing in a way that gives a very "Peggi" character to each of her drawings or paintings. Her opaque gouache paintings have a richness of colour that makes the viewer feel like they are there. Peggi also doesn't hesitate to try any old creative idea that strikes her fancy, which I love. You can also find her on YouTube and Patreon.
Michelle's severely cropped floral sketches are simplified in a way that really brings out the energy and vibrancy of a single bloom. She has a way of layering mixed media that is luscious and always makes me want to get drawing.
Ali's still life sketches are less about the subjects and more about the shapes, lines and marks. They have a very fresh, looseness to them that I find very appealing and it is fascinating to see how they translate into finished paintings.
Harry doesn't really work in sketchbooks but I'm including him here because he has a really interesting daily practice of sketching and using those sketches and diagrams to paint in his studio. I recommend checking out Harry's Substack where he has written some wonderful articles about his creative practice.
Helen's sketchbook work is very much a part of her lifestyle. Watching her flip through one of her sketchbooks is a feast for the eyes, each page packed with layers of colour, pattern and mark. She is a wonderful teacher and offers some excellent free resources on her YouTube channel.
Debbie has a lovely raw way of sketching that really leans into the physicality of art making. In making the most of the character and quality of her materials, Debbie is able to describe landscapes with great energy and vibrancy. Debbie is one of the first sketchers I ever came across online and I have found her work inspiring for years!
Teoh is an urban sketcher, which I find so fascinating. Imagine making your art on a bustling city sidewalk! Teoh does it masterfully, with a limited kit and no fear of working in front of strangers. His handle on urban perspective in his sketches is technically impressive while also retaining a loose, informal quality I find very appealing. Teoh has excellent videos on YouTube.
Other urban sketchers worth checking out: Lyndon Hayes
Self taught, Devon has risen to fame with his highly detailed drawings of random people on the subway. These days he seems to mostly do promotional work, drawing and painting portraits of famous people (or people wanting to be famous) but if you scroll waaaaay back on Devon's Instagram, you can find videos of his earlier work on the subway, using just a simple sketchbook and drafting pencil.
Orla documents her creative life and outdoor adventures on social media and YouTube. Her mixed media sketchbook explorations are energetic, fun and free, shrugging off perfectionism and instead putting the emphasis documenting experiences and developing creative ideas by getting down to work. In addition to her free content on YouTube, she runs an art club called The Outdoor Sketchbook Collective on Patreon.
Emma is an artist, Illustrator and picture book maker who also runs a drawing club on Patreon. Hosting online drawing sessions and co-working calls, Emma's Patreon would be inspiring for anyone who is interested in working across a wide variety of subject matter and trying out a bunch of materials and techniques.
Other illustrators worth checking out: Sarah Dyer, Jennifer Orkin Lewis, Andy J Pizza
Sonal is well known on Instagram for her expressive and dreamy floral paintings. Her sketchbook pages are vibrant, saturated with colour and painterly mark making. Sonal's practice embraces invention and abstraction and is very grounded in process.
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