My Most Personal Sketchbook Tour Yet

During the first Lockdown and the months leading up to it, we had one upheaval after another. Big Deal upheavals too and I thought that I was actually doing really well throughout. It wasn't until I looked back over the things that I was doing at the time that I realised how muddled I was. Put simply, art helped. It helped me to heal and it helped me to see the change in my mental health then and now. I would never have believed it if I had not seen it, lived out in my sketchbook. I thought that I was fine.
I wasn't sure whether to share or not and I put this off for ages but I thought that I am certainly not the only one and if watching this can help someone else, then it is worth making just for that one person.
So here it is, my journey and how I can look back over the pages and see how far I have come.
Has art helped you at all? If you have tried everything else, perhaps this is the way for you too.
As always, leave a like if you enjoyed the content and don't forget to subscribe for more. If you would love to learn to sketch in mixed media, if you need a change or would just like to do something to make your days happier, do consider joining my Patreon.
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Have a happy, arty day!
Deb xx

[@arcuda2001]

this was such fun to be taken along through your sketchbook and see how you found what works for you .. thank you so much !! Norakag ..

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

I am so pleased that you enjoyed it and thank you! It is such a journey isn't it! Deb xx

[@luneleaart]

The cottage with the sheep looks so idyllic 🐑love your trees and all the textures, thank you for sharing. I also went back to art after a very long break during lockdowns and similarly also started with bullet journaling and tried to paint loosely as it looks like so much fun but also never worked for me as I have always been very detail oriented. Only after going back to my own style did making art feel like coming home and experimenting with new mediums and techniques start being fun. Art is definitely very therapeutic and healing, a form of meditation for busy minds and in finding your style it can bring a lot of self awareness🍀

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

I am really touched by the amount of people that I am connecting with who feel the same! Art, like most things goes in trends and at the moment, all I am seeing is loose this and loose that and my soul is screaming! I tried it too but it just wasn't a good fit- it is trying to wear someone else's shoes. It is brilliant therapy. I love those sheep too. They seem to add a welcoming note. Thank you for watching! deb xx

[@marikothecheetah9342]

Love your urban paintings - I love this style. Muted colours, lots of texture - beautiful.

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you so much! i don't venture into urban painting very often- and then when i do, I wonder why I don't do it more often! Go figure! Muted colour and texture for the win :-) D xx

[@marikothecheetah9342]

@debbievongrabler-crozier2646 always. I plan on buying inktenses when I'm better at drawing. Also graphitints might be to your liking.

[@sararamer-dean7846]

Thanks for sharing. I am a realistic painter and I love detail and matching colours exactly to what is "real". I am ok with who I am and what my personality is....I get tired of people who think watercolour should be loose and so on....I like what I like. I don't have to change to meet other's expectations. So I can really relate to your journey.

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

You are most welcome and brilliantly put! To me, art has been the best way for me to say that 'this is me and this is how I see my place in the world'. The great thing is that i am now gaining a deeper understanding of just how healing art can be. Deb xx

[@missinkyart]

The whole sketchbook is so beautiful! I really love the landscape at the end, the rich greens look amazing! 😊

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you! All about those greens! I am pretty particular about green; there is definitely a sweet spot. Deb xx

[@ChantelleArts]

Such a good tour, I love it ☺☺☺

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you so much! Hugs, Deb xx

[@maryannprzybycien2013]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful journey with us. I've had similar experiences and realized you just have to do what you love to make it work. I don't do timed sessions or try to paint like someone else in a "lesson". I do however, like learning different techniques I can incorporate in my work. I don't think you can FIND a style. Your style comes from within you, and your style is uniquely yours, and it's beautiful. ❤

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

You are most welcome! And I think that you are so right- what you love and then it will come from within you, bringing a style with it.It is so interesting to hear how many people don't like the usual timed sessions/ limited palette and all of these sorts of things. For those who do, it is a great thing. For the rest of us we have to do what we do. Thank you for your kind words and lovely sentiments. Deb xx

[@mmmokyup]

You’re so funny, I laughed out loud at your dry humour a few times and subscribed

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Aw thank you so much! I am glad that it made you smile. Deb xx

[@viktoria_yt]

Thanks for sharing! I love your style, it's so beautiful.

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

You are so welcome! Deb xx

[@WendiWells]

So much fun, and super interesting. ❤Thank you!

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you so much! I am so pleased that you enjoyed it. Deb xx

[@NeptunesHorses5909]

Thank you for sharing your art re-entry; I'm trying to get a sketchbook going as I have other major life projects underway and am mid-renovation, in need of decluttering. I've window shopped some brands of materials; have plenty of dry to start with. Venturing into gouache/ watercolors in sketchbooks is planned, as well as acrylics, which I also use to paint model horses.

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

You are most welcome! i found that a sketchbook was so freeing- I didn't have to worry that things were not perfect, I didn't have to worry about framing things or finding a space. The sketchbook is more portable than a framed piece too. And if something isn't lightfast, that doesn't matter either. You will love it once you get underway. Deb xx

[@Bunnykisses1000]

17:00..i hear you..i tried to paint/draw fast and or loose and it just doesnt work for me either..i like detail..i like to get lost in my work, the more detail the better..that doesnt mean that every inch of my paintings/drawing is filled in, but my focal points are detailed and i like it that way. I’ve discovered that about my work over the years and many classes…i will do me, and if you like loose and or sloppy i feel, than be you😊 beautiful drawings btw!

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you so much! It is really funny actually, I have mentioned those things in a few videos and I am yet to find one person defending them! Most artists do what they do and all of these exercises and rules to follow are actually the opposite of ideal. Totally! you do you should be the art world's new motto! Deb xx

[@robertadrsvensson]

So lovely! I love your artistic style and I too dislike loose, fast and limited colour palettes.

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you so much! I guess the reason that we invite art into our lives is to avoid too many rules - just let it flow is the way forward! Thank you for making me feel that there is at least one other person on side :-) D xx

[@robertadrsvensson]

@@debbievongrabler-crozier2646 You're very welcome! By the way, I have a question about your lovely technique with the Inktense pencils. Would it be possible to use the same technique with other watercolour pencils (I know Inktense are really not watercolour pencils)?

[@leesvision]

Very interesting!! Thanks for sharing from a fellow artist. I dont think ive ever tried gouache. I mosty work in prismacolor color pencil and ink. I use isopropyl alcohol to smooth the color pencil pigment like paint. I do a little bit of watercolorand marker too. Much love ❤️ 🙏

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you! It took me ages to get around to gouache - kept forgetting about it and using straight acrylic instead. It is a really nice paint though and worth a try. Love to you too! Deb xx

[@sarahlucas1999]

I love your landscape pantings and cottages, the brickwork is beautiful on them. Just wondering, did you do your writing? 😄

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you so much! Those bricks are such fun. I did surprisingly! I am still in the thick of it but it is coming along quite nicely. Deb xx

[@solangeleblanc2833]

Unbelievably.

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thanks!

[@gabriellaritaart]

I completely agree with you pn the loose "timer" sketches. I dont like to do that. Why pressurize myself

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Exactly! This is supposed to be our own time! Good thing that art is something for everyone! Deb xx

[@elinorangelo4982]

I agree with you. I like detail work. I xan do loose but I want detail I love intense pencils.

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

So many lovely things can be gained in a sketch by adding details. I have tried loose (can do it) but it just isn't me. Inktense are great aren't they! D xx

[@miklosnemeth8566]

Your "style" whatever it be :D looks gorgeous, I love it. What is the weight of your sketchbook paper? Is that 300 gramm hot pressed watercolor? What makes your paintings shiny? Inktense (just like all watercolor paint) is "boringly" matte, your paintings looks gorgeously glossy and lush. Do you spray the pages with hairspray? You live in Germany, definitely you know what is green-can Schwarzkof Taft :D

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you! This one is a Marabou Mixed Media sketchbook and it is actually only 180 gsm. It has a little texture but not overly much. I have been asked a few times about the shininess- I do use hairspray for pastels but not for inktense so I would assume that the paper plays the biggest role. There is quite a lot of pigment there too thanks to the Inktense pencils so that will be playing a part too. D xx

[@miklosnemeth8566]

@@debbievongrabler-crozier2646 Whan you wrote "so I would assume that the paper plays the biggest role" did you mean Stillman and Birn 270 gramm paper? Thank you so much for your videos. I think I'd be able to learn quite a lot on your Patreon channel, too.

[@melitalyell6915]

Just found your channel, great video! Is that an Aussie accent I hear?😜

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

Thank you so much! Yes it is! I grew up there and the accent has stayed as a souvenir :D Deb xx

[@tammyh.8454]

are you on patreon? Do you have any learning videos? I love your art, just beautiful!

[@debbievongrabler-crozier2646]

I certainly am and I have a huge amount of learning videos over there. The link is in the description box but to save a search, you can find the arty party here atwww.patreon.com/TheFolkArtFactory?view_as=patron. See you there! Deb xx