How to Keep a Sketchbook Habit

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!
Today's Draw Tip Video is inspired by the Sketchbook Skool community, and a discussion topic that returns often.
You may know the feeling of starting a sketchbook with a lot of enthusiasm, and then at some point losing the motivation to keep going. I'll share a few tips from the community, and will show you the pages of a sketchbook that is taking me years to fill.
Copyrights Koosje Koene
www.koosjekoene.com

[@lucianaluzi5658]

Hi, thanks for sharing, your sketchbooks are true works of art (sorry for my english) ☺greetings from Italy! Ciao!

[@vwood2]

Wow - excellent advice! My related problem is that if I pull off a “good” watercolour then I procrastinate, for fear of messing up the rest of the book :) Thank you so much for sharing your sketchbooks with us!! They’re very inspiring, and I hope you’ll share more with us sometime.

[@cartoonmark75]

Beautiful sketchbook

[@carolinependleton8445]

You have amazing sketchbooks,you are talented and very inspiring thankyou.

[@kirsten5723]

I just wanted to let you know that you are a Huge inspiration to me. I swear I heard your voice yesterday telling me, "You can do it! You can do anything you set your mind to." and i could see your smiling face. You really are a wonderful, happy energy source to pull from and I wanted to say Thank You.

[@KoosjeKoene]

Thanks for your message - it makes me blush. And yes: You can do it! You can do anything you set your mind to, Kirsten!

[@describer99]

Your toned sketchbooks are magnificent!!!!

[@kalirally]

The black ink and colored pencil looks really cool, thanks for sharing.

[@susannenemet4647]

I have a tanned paper journal. I never thought to color with hatching. Love this idea!

[@KoosjeKoene]

Go for it!

[@pbasswil]

A very interesting topic! When we set a theme or a standard for a sketchbook, we're switching from an internal purpose to an external one. Especially when we're starting out (or when we're struggling...), imho we need to reset our art purpose to an internal one. Like: we don't serve the sketchbook (or its 'theme'); it is there to serve our art urges! _It_ must bend, to accommodate our current enthusiasm. So let your purpose evolve!

[@lindathaxton1994]

Sketchbook are for FUN!

[@TheCombatartist]

Wonderful sketches, reminds me of the artist/author Michael Doyle “Color Drawing” book - highly recommended

[@amexjam55]

Those were wonderful and inspiring drawings in those sketch books. 💜

[@hermanklump8983]

Stunning!

[@lindathaxton1994]

Love your work - thank you so sharing 🙏

[@meandmyself789]

You should do sketchbook tours more ofter, they are very inspiring. Thanks!

[@eileengoldenberg270]

Sketchbooks can be all those things.. love your use of colored pencils!

[@donnafultonmiller2527]

Feeling inspired to go sketch something. Thank you so much for the inspiring and carefree drawings.😊

[@gracielagonzalez7266]

Wow! What an amazing sketchbook! I want to draw like that. ❤️

[@earth2becky]

Great ideas!

[@MadhuriTarimane]

Thank you Koosje!!! You always inspire me .

[@garymcguire8529]

Have lots of sketchbooks, all for different things, like I have a bird sketchbook, but I also have a nature sketchbook for nature in general. I have an urban / street sketchbook, which has a few trees in it, and so overlaps my nature book. My bird book overlaps my urban/street, because it has pigeons in it.

[@christinebarone2151]

Love this

[@wolfgangproductions7402]

I love how you draw on two pages

[@richardteale3217]

Hi Koosje, I love your style, and whilst I’m not as accomplished as you, I was amazed at how similar your work and subjects are to my random sketches from years gone by . I think that my interests must be very similar to your own . I especially agree with your liking for a tinted background and I use them quite often myself. Just one other point I have noticed about my own work- I am often not very impressed with work I have recently completed, but if I don’t look at it for a good while and then skim through, I appreciate my sketches a lot more and it’s a joy to sometimes see things that I haven’t looked at for literally years and these examples always please me …….far more than when first drawn . Have you found this about your own work? Thanks for sharing, I really love your work . Best wishes from England x

[@richies6420]

I really, really liked this video. Your sketchbooks are "jaw-dropping!" Wow... my problem is I never feel like I have enough time. I draw everyday, but never for long periods. That's what I need to work on. Great video 👍🏻

[@KoosjeKoene]

I know that problem! I set aside sketching time in weekends. That works for me.

[@ronvandersluis8118]

I remember being told draw something, anything every day. After being in a coma (my oxygen level got very low, so a bit of issues after) I got back into drawing and painting. I would spend hours! How therapeutic! Then life got busier and I stopped. But I've started up again and am always looking for ways to expand and improve. Happy sketching!

[@Faithreynolds]

Thanks Koosje. Great tip and you have inspired me to start a new sketchbook with grey toned paper and as you suggested colored pencils and black ink. I like themed sketchbooks. I have several featuring local places where I sketch as well as travel, etc. thanks again - I always get soooo much from your tips, homework for the classes.

[@KoosjeKoene]

Oh great! Have fun with your new sketchbook!

[@SusanMJB45]

Great advice !!!!!!

[@Lacroix999]

I interpreted this question to be that they originally designated the sketchbook for just doing birds in and that’s why when they gave up and got bored with doing just birds, they didn’t want to use that book for anything else. I could be wrong, but that’s how I interpreted it to mean. While this may sound like an art advice question, I’m seeing it more as a psychological one because as someone who this issue, I can see it as an OCD ‘problem’. While your advice is good for art advice for someone who doesn’t really have this problem due to OCD, it’s much harder for someone who has OCD to just simply get over those “should’s” or “have-to’s”. It’s a constant work in progress to strive to ‘get over’. Something that helped me was just diving in and telling that voice inside my head that the world will not come crashing down if I continue to use my book for something else other than what I originally designated it for. If you buy these art supplies, you should use them otherwise there just going to go to waste which is much worse than just a partially used book that you didn’t get to use it for something that you love to do.

[@KoosjeKoene]

I think that’s superpowerful, to talk that loud inner voice down. 👏👏👏

[@debcox7839]

That helps!

[@willwassenaar1145]

Damn, Koosje, some of these are SO good. Ha, makes me want to up my sketch game. :)

[@sylviastoler6598]

❤😊

[@SketchingRocks]

Great ideas thks

[@CajunSunshineCrafts]

This is absolutley awesome! Your drawing is impeccable!! I am considering joining some of your classes. I was referred to you by "Judy in the bid Shed" but I'm not sure where to start! :)

[@KoosjeKoene]

Thanks! Why don’t you start at the beginning? With the Sketchbook Skool Kourse ‘Beginning’. Sketchbookskool.com

[@richardkeller3852]

I don't have a subject or theme problem, but I rarely just sketch or doodle in my 140# watercolor sketchbook. I have two 60# sketchbooks that I draw,or try to draw anything in. I know it's only paper, but I'm always more careful with the watercolor sketchbooks. ;)

[@KoosjeKoene]

Yes, feeling precious about the 'good' sketchbook - i know what you mean. It's partly why the toned sketchbook takes me quite a long time to fill. I don't worry about 'good paper' in my daily sketchbooks though. Even a drawing that I messed up, is a drawing. And it's always better than a drawing i didn't make at all.

[@JOHNNYCRAFT79]

Thanks much for sharing! Love your sketches. Please, what medium did you use for your black and white sketches? White in particularly...oh and please, what kind of sketchbook is the toned one?

[@KoosjeKoene]

I use fountain pen with black ink (carbon platinum ink), and a white gel pen, I prefer Uni-ball Signo

[@vwood2]

JOHNY CRAFT - hi - I think Koosje said the sketchbooks are from Strathmore. They come in hard and softcover, as well as in coiled sketchbooks.

[@SunshineLeclair]

I'm a new subscriber and have watching a bunch of your video .. love them by the way! I'm about 8 days into a 30 day sketching challenge, just me not a group or anything. I figure if I try to make a habit out of it I will force time in my day to do it ;) I tend to fall off these types of things quickly ... but so far so good ;) What is that accent you have, I can't place it .. where are you from? Donna

[@KoosjeKoene]

Way to go, Sunshine! Add another 10 days after your 30 day challenge (they say that after 40 days, a habit starts to stick), and then maybe another 10, and another 10... keep going! I'm from the Netherlands, so my accent is Dutch.

[@KoosjeKoene]

I called you Sunshine because of your handle, but now I see it's actually Donna.

[@SunshineLeclair]

the dutch accent is amazing ;) hmmm I'll let you know if I make it to 30 days first lol. One thing I'm noticing by doing this everyday challenge is I tend to be choosing mostly to draw people so far. Yesterday I ripped a photo from a magazine that I want to try. The challenge helps you to stay aware of the things you look at each day, that you may like to recreate ;) So far so good.

[@lesliethompson4588]

Some days my sketches are great, other days, just awful. I have learned to embrace it, not every sketch will be great

[@KoosjeKoene]

That is one of the best and wisest lessons for your sketchbook habit!

[@BAwesomeDesign]

Bookmarked.

[@therealandreb.elpedes9403]

+ Koosje Koene Can you do cross-hatching and shading in a value scale tutorial (in pen & ink, and pencil)?

[@KoosjeKoene]

How about these? kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJnKnKhqZ5qsm8U and kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqinmayAodynjas

[@TheCombatartist]

Welcome to ADHD and being an artist…

[@petarpehchevski3d338]

The video was too long. 9 minutes for just one single tip, which could've been covered in under 4 minutes. The thing that kept me interested was the sketchbook tour, but the main focus of this video wasn't to look at pretty pictures. It was to discuss methods to upkeep your habits, and if it wasn't for the visuals accompanying your speech, I would've gotten bored halfway through.