Starting a New Sketchbook! Decorating the Cover, Making Mistakes and Fixing Them!

[@awatercolourist]

The floral monster bush!! 😄😄

[@kimkuiper1200]

I love the way you made a treasure out of your mistakes. I would have given up and not continued….thanks for inspiring me again. As I start a new book next week I will remember this and make my own treasures and memories from mistakes….cause I am sure there will be mistakes. Lol. I am also glad to see watercolor used on these books as I have a couple of them and have been nervous to try watercolor in them. Thank you Becky!

[@BeckyTregear]

I've painted more pages with watercolour and they're holding up well! A bit warped but not as much as I would have thought. As for mistakes....if it's really bad I suggest sticking another page (or stickers) over the top, haha!

[@ChelleBeeby]

In all my crafting adventures I say - no mistakes, only creative opportunities! Nothing (well almost nothing) can't be salvaged! Love the new book, love the cover - amazing creative opportunities in this one.

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! I always find that creative opportunities take me down an entirely unexpected path of ideas and inspiration. 😊

[@Elvraie]

Brilliant! Love all your creations, Becky. The flowers are quite whimsical and very well done. I'm the same with stamps. I don't have any at home but use them sometimes at work to stamp the library's name on the side of our books. The thinnest are the worst to do without a mess. Have a great week and if you are nearly leaving for lovely Greece, Bon Voyage!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! Stamps are much more difficult to use than they look, haha! Flying in under a week now, on Saturday!

[@INCWorks]

Your tapes transformed a basic book into a thing of beauty. And it was a joy to watch you creating colorful art inside!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you, I'm so glad I had those tapes to rescue the cover! 😂

[@valasafantastic1055]

I like to have fun in multiple sketchbooks simultaneously and switch between them based on my mood. I do many things from designing and thumb nailing to finished art to more experimental doodles to swatching and colour mixing tests, etc.

[@BeckyTregear]

It's good to do that! I usually have a primary sketchbook like this one, and "satellite" books that I work in over much longer periods of time. 🙂

[@dianethoroughman9541]

Becky, your sketchbook turned out amazingly stunning! It is gorgeous! I love the washi tape. I too have a lot of zentangle books. They are fun. Enjoy your trip to Greece! I hope you find an awesome and quaint art store while you are there. Take lots of pictures. And stay safe.

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you, I'm glad I thought of the washi tape! I've been marking a few places on the map for shops I might like to visit when we are there. Funny thing is that we are watching a Greek series on Netflix that's based around Corfu, and there was a bookshop featured. When I was looking on maps later, that same bookshop popped up immediately! 🤣

[@dianethoroughman9541]

@Becky Tregear Art Maybe that bookstore will have either some amazing art books or books of photos of Greece. That way you can have a reference book for painting your pictures.

[@staceykarlafti2189]

I am so excited that you will visit my country, Greece! Where do you plan on going? Will you also do a watercolor travel kit video for Greece? That would be great! Have fun with your new sketchbook🎀

[@BeckyTregear]

Stay tuned for next weekend when my art travel kit video will be released! 😁 Athens first to see family, then hopefully Ionian islands (Kefalonia, Lefkada and Corfu), Parga, Nick's Yiayia's village, Meteora...whatever we can get to in a month. Have left much of the schedule open so we can decide when we get there. 😊

[@221b-Maker-Street]

I often press my paper _onto_ the stamp, rather than vice-versa, which seems to help with various unplanned 'shenanigans'! Love your Franken-plant! And I've heard (and seen) great things of M Harding paints, though I'm rather wedded to my Daniel Smith, QOR, and Schmincke just now... Thanks for showing us that even 'proper artists' have things go wrong sometimes, and all is not lost. 🤗

[@MrsBarnabas]

Hi, Becky! I am glad you like this sketchbook as much as I like mine! I was amazed at what it would take while doing that 160 page challenge. I don't use markers, and loved what you did with the bleed-through from yours. Who needs reverse colouring books when we have built-in imagination (if only we'd learn to let it loose more often!) 😄 When I bought the first Art Creation sketchbook (an A5 landscape), it languished in the drawer, because I thought that I didn't like the paper or the colour. It was that 160 page challenge which woke me up to its potential!

[@BeckyTregear]

Did you end up finishing 160 pages? I think this book is great! It feels like the pages do have some sizing on them which helps prevent the watercolours from buckling the pages. I'd get another one of these, maybe in square if they have that format.

[@MrsBarnabas]

@@BeckyTregear It's really weird - I've replied to this, and it's been taken down, twice, within moments of posting it! Did you get it in your notifications?

[@BeckyTregear]

@@MrsBarnabas No, sorry! Not sure what is with YT at the moment; other folks have been having issues too. 😭

[@MrsBarnabas]

@@BeckyTregear I've had it happen a few times in the last week or so! 😣

[@lunastefanieroy]

I bought a pricey new journal this week. I got home and proceeded to accidentally drop some avocado on the last page, where I was pen testing. 😅I had to laugh at myself or I'd have cried! In retrospect, I'm not mad at it because it definitely feels broken in now.

[@BeckyTregear]

Test page: yes, avocado works well on this paper! 😂

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

A new sketchbook is so exciting!!😍 lol that one big stamp just didn’t want to work. Thankfully you really did fix up the inside with those florals and it doesn’t even look like a mistake anymore! I also love those 3D patterns as well. Part of the fun of having a sketchbook is it isn’t perfect. This is a great start to a new sketchbook!😀

[@BeckyTregear]

Haha that stamp is such a pain! I really want it to work but it just refuses to stick down all of the design, lol. Ah well, all's well that ends well. 😁

[@Catsandcamera]

The reverse drawing was a great idea! When you mentioned you would be using that page later I imagined it would be gouache or acrylic to cover the bleed through, but the way you utilised it to make a new image was so creative!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! I did consider using an opaque paint, but then I remembered the reverse colouring concept so I thought I'd try that instead. 😊

[@cheryl6716]

I love your Washi tape sketchbook cover, it's gorgeous Becky!!! Your pictures with minor boo-boos, turned out to be all great saves...kudos!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! So glad I had that tape. 😂

[@louisebourne5779]

I love the cover of the sketchbook so beautiful. I love how you did the pots and plants 🪴 really lovely 🥰

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! I am having fun with this book so far. 😊

[@jaimeo2312]

Oh I really loved this video Becky, thank you! It's so refreshing to see you making mistakes and not letting them get to you too much. Keeping it real for us, which I really appreciate. Your new sketchbook is looking wonderful so far. Can't wait to see more 💕

[@BeckyTregear]

I had to keep it real or buy a whole new sketchbook after I immediately wrecked the cover! 🤣 Mistakes are part of the fun really. 😊

[@jaimeo2312]

@@BeckyTregear they really are, and thank you for reminding us.x.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Oh, Becky, the washi tape cover is EXQUISITE! So beautiful. I love EVERYTHING you've done in the sketchbook so far. I just did "reverse coloring" with my watercolor class last week and it was really fun. Many of my students didn't even know what Zentangle was, so it was fun to introduce them to that interesting art form... Such a fun video! ♥️♥️♥️

[@BeckyTregear]

I am so glad I remembered the tapes as they really saved the day, and they're so pretty! I was really into Zentangle when it first started out, and I am thinking now that it is more than ten years ago, haha. 😂 I'm still tempted to get a reverse colouring book, but it'll have to wait til I get back as it is only a week until we fly now! 🙀

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

@@BeckyTregear have so much fun on your trip!

[@SorrensSorrow]

Collaging is so much fun.

[@FourInchCats]

I LOVE the way the cover turned out! ❤🎉

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you, I am so happy with it! ❤️

[@FruityTeabag]

This was the first one of these videos I could actually watch fully 👍

[@BeckyTregear]

I'm glad it was entertaining! Thank you 😊

[@Saahrish]

Becky, you can either gesso the bleed-through page or apply watercolor ground and then paint over it or apply a solid color and pint over it. I have seen people use gesso on this sketchbook

[@Saahrish]

Gave tips without watching the video further 🙈 Becky, can you do an updated review of the Etchr premium fountain pens?

[@BeckyTregear]

@@Saahrish I will probably try gesso out at some point in the book. 🙂 Etchr pens are still going well, but I think they need their nibs cleaning, as the grey fine point is starting to blob random drops of ink out.

[@derwood206]

Ransom note, ha. love what you did to the cover. I'm the same way with stamps.

[@BeckyTregear]

Stamps look great when other people use them! 😂

[@ArtBrain]

The Talens Art Creations paper is only okay, not great at all, with watercolor, but they're so cheap that they aren't precious. So you'll find yourself gravitating toward it when you want to play which is an amazing thing. I use mostly for colored pencils and fineliners, with some watercolor pencils. But a tip for people: if you're going to decorate it, buy the black or the Kraft! They're less expensive than the colors (in US, at least). The paper color is growing on me, although I can't figure out why they didn't use a whiter paper. If they had, these would be near perfect. Love the tapes. Love your stamp/drawings. So pretty.

[@BeckyTregear]

I am surprised it held up at all to watercolour; there must be sizing on the pages. I might get more books in the future if I finish this one 🙂

[@ellingtonthorpe]

Love this video Becky ❤and I’m excited that one of my favourite KZbinrs is going to visit one of my favourite places , Parga. Please don’t tell everyone how lovely it is, let’s keep it our secret! Have a great trip x

[@BeckyTregear]

I hope we get to Parga again at any rate! It's one of my favourite places in Greece. We'll be in that area so I am sure we'll get there again. 😊

[@debsmith7050]

Creative!!! I like both of you hand ice cream paintings - great hands :) Happy accident for the cove - it too is fun

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! I love it when arty plans go awry. 😊

[@chaosinca]

Beautiful! I love the washi tape cover 😊 Really liked seeing your art too, I love that you show the whole process and mistakes! Sometimes I feel like my art is making one mistake and then the whole rest of the painting is making it work lol

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you, and yes that pretty much describes my art as well, lol.

[@sueallen952]

Wow Becky loved everything about this, the beautiful cover and lovely art work. Going to get all my washi out and do the cover on mine lol wonderful

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you, and it is a great way to use up some washi tape, plus have all their pretty designs on show. 🙂

[@k.f.3609]

Great how you fixed your happy accidents 😄👍

[@BeckyTregear]

Always part of the fun (apparently!). 😁

[@Azkademon]

What a lovely video this was to watch, I missed it lastnight as I'm going through some serious shit at the moment, but this was a welcomed brake from the madness! So I thank you for the distraction! :D

[@BeckyTregear]

I'm glad it got you away from stuff, and I hope things are getting better now. ❤️

[@Azkademon]

@@BeckyTregear sadly things will be getting a whole lot worse for a while to come but thank you for the very kind words

[@evphorix]

I love watching how you reworked your mistakes and I love your outlook on making mistakes. I have a hard time when it comes to making mistakes and get frustrated easily when running into one of these instances. This was truly inspiring to me to watch! Thank you

[@BeckyTregear]

I can totally understand that! I used to get more upset with mistakes than I do now, mainly because I'm making regular videos and mistakes just have to be incorporated into them, as I can't always start again. It gets easier to deal with over time, though I still have days where everything goes wrong and I end up ditching the whole thing. 😂

[@sophiewinkler7549]

That title page ended up so beautifully. I loved it

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you 🙂

[@Kyomiibrown]

The failed stamps are not your fault as such. New stamps need priming first otherwise you will experience incomplete ink transfer. Then there’s the question of if the stamp is photopolymer or silicone - photopolymer being the best quality. Yours look like silicone due to their movement when under pressure. So, in a nutshell, you are dealing with unprimed slippery silicone stamps = poor results. To prime them simply rub them on your skin or you can use an eraser. Practice printing them on some scrap paper before attempting them in an art creation. Like anything they are a learning curve. Once you get the hang of it you can use your water based markers to colour the stamps instead of ink, or even watercolour! It’s fun to do. 😊 Then there’s the wonderful stamp press (like the MISTI) but research misti alternatives for a much cheaper alternative, and with those an incomplete inked image is not an issue as you can go over as much as you want as the stamp remains in original position. Not that i’m enabling or anything… I’m just an artist who also makes cards but can no longer do so due to terminal illness.

[@MrsBarnabas]

Kyomi, many thanks for all these tips! 🫂

[@BeckyTregear]

Well there we go; I had no idea that stamps need to be primed first, so I have learned something new today! I guess I won't throw that stamp out just yet. 😁 Thank you for the advice, I'll definitely try the eraser rubbing technique! 💙

[@ArtBrain]

Thanks for your helpful tips and I wish you peace and comfort.

[@bksnow125]

You've turned a basic sketchbook into a treasure !

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! I love its new cover. 😁

[@sophiahodgson85]

Collage covers a thousand sins!! Loving the washi tapes as the cover. For larger stamps check for air bubbles between the stamp and acrylic block as that’s the main cause of them not stamping clearly/cleanly. I tend to attach one end to the block & slowly stick it to the block to try to exclude air bubbles as I go

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you for the tip! I am very much a stamp novice, so I appreciate any advice and I'll be checking for air bubbles from now on.

[@lozantoninocreations]

Alcohol markers will always bleed through, even in paper designed for alcohol markers. If you use them again in the book, you could always gesso the other side after and then paint something. I remember when you got all those markers before Christmas, you mentioned you hadn't really used the medium before. How are you going with them? They work a lot like pencil in that you lay down lights and build up colour and they also blend in a similar way, where you go over the two colours to create the gradient in the center.

[@BeckyTregear]

I'm really enjoying the markers! I'll have a video going up while I'm away that explores the pens further. 😊

[@FaithAnnNB]

Love the Washi cover!! I always end up saving my Washi tape because it’s too pretty just to tape off a painting and toss the tape away after 😂. The reverse colouring books don’t appeal to me at all, but I **love** the reverse drawing of your ice cream cone!! What a fantastic idea!! You really came up with some creative ideas for your sketchbook 😊. I might have given up after the initial cover “blip”, or maybe after the second stamping “episode”, so kudos to you for banging away at it and coming up with something great 🎉.

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! Once I'd made the initial mistake, I was able to let go of New Book Syndrome and just enjoy it, instead of worrying about "perfection", which never happens anyway, haha. I'm thinking of making my own reverse colouring pages, since I have a lot of paper in my stash. Abstract painting + drawing over the top is something I really enjoy doing. 😊

[@FaithAnnNB]

@@BeckyTregear I think making your own is a different thing altogether than buying a book with ready-made “reverse” pages. I tend to do my own with ink & watercolour as a relaxing, doodling kind of thing quite regularly… that’s why I personally would never buy one. I’d rather put my money on brushes or paint lol. I’m actually quite happy when the trend of the day isn’t something I want to spend money on 😂… nice not being tempted!!

[@anjapinkau3737]

Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed watching your video. And I'm glad you also included the mistakes and showed how you turned them into great ideas! That is encouraging!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! Mistakes are an integral part of improvement, when it comes to sketchbooks (and most things in life!). Also if I didn't show them, then I wouldn't have many finished videos, haha!

[@sararamer-dean7846]

Awesome! I love you showing your fails tirn into great successes. The cover is awesome!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! Not all fails can be fixed, but most of the time they will turn out ok eventually. 😂

[@zenlife1200]

I'm not sure how I missed this video when it came out but it looks like I found it just as I'm on the hunt for a reasonably priced sketchbook. It looks like this book is the same size as the large Moleskine I have for my painting notes. Slightly narrower than an A5. The paper is 25 grams lighter too but it looks like it holds up really well with water and it's nearly half the price of the Moleskine so that's a bonus. I actually have a couple of Stillman and Birn books, the Alpha and Beta, coming to try out but they seem to be stuck in transit somewhere thanks to the Christmas holidays and me ordering late lol. I haven't tried them before. I have used a Zeta but that had really thick card pages and was for mixed media. I really wanted to try the other books out for sketching. I used to use a cheap DAS sketchbook for pen/pencil drawings but the cartridge paper buckles badly with water so I've only had my watercolor sketchbooks to sketch in. I don't like doing that though, it's such a waste of good cotton watercolor paper, so I haven't been sketching recently. Sometimes I just feel like adding watercolor to a sketch so I guess I need multi-purpose paper these days. These might be perfect. Cheaper than Moleskine and Stillman and Birn but thicker paper than the regular cheaper sketchbooks around here. Thanks Becky, I didn't know these were sold here in NZ

[@BeckyTregear]

I'm really impressed with how well the pages are holding up to pretty much everything I throw at them, including watercolours! The smooth paper works well with coloured pencils too, and I would most definitely get another one of these! I have the two square versions that I found in Greece which have white paper, and I'm tempted to get started in one of them too, lol. I like Stillman & Birn Beta for watercolours - I filled a whole one with watercolour paints and the pages didn't buckle at all really. Alpha is more prone to buckling but the paper is still nice enough for sketching. I hope you enjoy them when they eventually reach you! 😆

[@fuzzydragons]

The washi tapes look so great on the cover!

[@World_of_Art2025]

I just got this sketchbook. I love how you decorated the cover. I used paint markers for the front side.

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! Paint markers sounds like a great idea and that would have been a smarter move than trying to use the stamp! 😂

[@neidedegouvea]

Nice cover Becky❤… Loved the washi tapes… 😊

[@BeckyTregear]

Washi tapes saved the day; crisis averted! 😂

[@Ana.o_0]

I have the same exact notebook in the same color!I bought it from a store in Manhattan

[@BeckyTregear]

Yay! 😊 I’m starting to see them everywhere now.

[@DwarfDragonwulf]

Thanks, I made a mess of the cover of one of my sketchbooks. I might just cover it with contact, I've got some coloured ones.

[@BeckyTregear]

Great idea! 🙂

[@Catsandcamera]

I think the stamp didn't work on the inside page because it wasn't flat against the table. You tried to press hard, but because it didn't have a hard surface behind it, it didn't fully touch the page in the middle. Maybe try holding it at a 90 degree angle next time (the bulk of the book upwards and the stamp page page flat) or put a hard book or something underneath it :)

[@BeckyTregear]

I would say you'd be right about that! I was thinking this as I stamped, that the page wasn't flat and I tried to lift the cover but yeah...what a mess! 🤣

[@erickreichmann3062]

Ijust bought one on an impulse. I bought it in a green mint color. I just couldn't stop myself😂

[@BeckyTregear]

It was an impulse buy for me as well! 😂

[@nancydb1390]

Enjoyed the video. Glad I watched.

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you 😊

[@donnaslayter4360]

Hi Becky, love from San diego.

[@BeckyTregear]

💙💜❤️ I visited San Diego many years ago - great city! Mum and I did the day trip to Mexico and drank too many mango margaritas. 🤣

[@lindahazel5075]

I can't use stamps very well either. lol

[@BeckyTregear]

They're so difficult! 😭

[@MrsBarnabas]

@@BeckyTregear & Linda Hazel: Have you seen Kyomi's comment? I've just got a lot of help from it, so I think you will, too! 😊

[@E4Alabbasy]

My secret to having a perfectly pretty sketchbook is to not have one 😂 I make it as messy as I need to for concept sketches, practices and designing characters before starting a bif piece 👏🏼

[@BeckyTregear]

Haha I like it! I do have a couple of books I'm working through which are more like you describe. Because I can't possibly have just one sketchbook at any given time! 😂

[@E4Alabbasy]

@@BeckyTregear yeah one sketchbook is just not enough 😂 I call the messy sketchbooks a sketchy sketchbook 😂👌🏼

[@milly_and_me]

Hi Becky I’m considering getting an Isabey brush can you please give me your opinion of it? Also where did you get your glove from please?

[@BeckyTregear]

I really love my Isabey brush! Its a number 4 round sable and just gorgeous, I use it all the time. The glove is called a drawing or anti-smudge glove, and they are easy to find online from Amazon and Asian websites so if you put in a search you should hopefully end up with a bunch of results (and prices!). They're incredibly useful. 😊

[@kathyhackney7950]

Omg did you get rose washi from Amazon? I almost just bought these! I'm trying to find some with Geese. I've had a goose fascination here lately. Also, I love that yellow paper! I found that I really love paper that isn't stark white and yellow paper is my favorite. I wish I could find a thick dot grid bullet journal with yellow paper 😢. I may have to get one of these and just paste notebook paper in for writing 😂😂😂😂

[@BeckyTregear]

Some I got from Grabie and other tapes...I can't remember! 😭 But I'm enjoying the off-white pages and I imagine this book would be nice to write in as well! I love dot grids too; my previous sketchbook had dot grid watercolour paper which was fun to use. ❤

[@kathyhackney7950]

@@BeckyTregear omg where did you get a dotgrid notebook wkth watercolor paper???? :O

[@bethmegansmith4642]

This made me laugh Out Loud...Brillo Video ....We Moved house and a month later....Stil Madness ......on the 8th May we will map out my craft Area on Fusion 360. your so talented xxxx Happy Art xxxx Happy hpolidays hon xxx this was a real howler for me xxx you are totally Awesome xxxxxx

[@BeckyTregear]

I'm glad I made you laugh! Moving house is so massively stressful - after last time we did that, I said I ain't ever moving again, haha!! 😂

[@bethmegansmith4642]

@@BeckyTregear 🤣😅🤣 Yeah it is Horrible ...we both said this is our forver house . as I am 47 now I dont want to move again.... had my birthday on Sunday ,just gone hahahahahaaa

[@BeckyTregear]

@@bethmegansmith4642 Happy Birthday!

[@bethmegansmith4642]

@@BeckyTregear Aww thanks Becky xxx

[@tarabooartarmy3654]

That’s the size ans color I wanted, but they were sold out on Amazon. I bought a lavender one, but it ended up being A4. I could have sworn I added an A5 to my cart, but then THOSE sold out so I guess I went back and added the A4 by mistake. It’s quite large! 😅 Not sure how I feel about the yellow paper, yet.

[@BeckyTregear]

Oh that's certainly a lot bigger! 😂

[@GhoulehGoddess]

i found a new youtuber that makes art..hopefully i get the motivation to use this gouache i got in the corner of my room D:

[@BeckyTregear]

I am currently across the world from this sketchbook which I left at home! But I brought another one with me that I've even managed to do some sketches in! 😁

[@creategirl1]

from April 17-27 I was in Internship. The place is called "happy design". I helped design Confirmation cards, Wedding cards and Tikki masks. Should also Design a flower wreath, a cross with Jesus, butterflies, dogs and teddy bears. Had so much fun. Now I am waiting to be notified whether I can be employed permanently.

[@creategirl1]

Just got word I got the job

[@Skinnychelle48]

Nice! What pen are u using?

[@BeckyTregear]

I can't remember, but most likely a Uniball Eye 0.5mm rollerball.

[@awatercolourist]

Just popping in to say I’m still alive, I’m just not first 😂