Importance of a Sketchbook

A sketchbook is one of the best tools any artist can have in order to consistently improve the quality of the art. You can have a larger sketchbook for home use and use a smaller sketchbook to keep with you all the time. I keep a sketchbook in my bag to take with me to and from work and I draw on the train and that provides me with an addtional hour of sketching time per day. This helps when you are juggling a family life and a full time (non-art) career. This helps improve every aspect of your artwork including painting. Painting is just drawing with a paint brush so if you improve your drawing then everything will improve.

If you keep a sketchbook in your car you can sketch while you are stuck in traffic, waiting outside for friends or family, etc. You should take every possible change you get to sketch and I promise you'll see significant improvements in your work.

You don't have to sketch large scenes. You just want to find something nearby, no matter how small or large, and do a quick sketch of it. You can create really loose or really detailed drawings as time allows.

You can arrange to work on particular areas of you work that you need to improve on. For instance you can agree to get proportions correct during one session and then agree to work on getting your shading rendered correctly in the next.

Keep some small items with you or in your car to draw so you don't have to rely on the existing surroundings to provide subjects and this also allows you to continue sketching at another time on the same object. Some simple items you probably already have around the house or are easy to get to take with you are: toys, small statues, pens, plastic figures, leaves, rocks, sticks, keychains and just about anything else with light and shadow and bits of details.

I sometimes sketch faces and objects from newspapers that I tear out and put inside my sketchbooks or draw people or items such as shoes people are wearing on the train. My point is that there is always something to sketch so keep your sketchbook handy and start drawing.

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art sketching session

While scouring the internet and Googling the work "sketch" I stumbled upon this strange dare I say "arts" event." On every second Sunday of the month Great Scott's nightclub offers up "Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Burlesque Life Drawing Session" that is not your average art school life drawing class.

In there own words, "Dr. Sketchy is the life drawing session you dreamed of in your dirty little art school head. Hot models with crazy costumes, sometimes genderbending antics, poses that keep your interest for hours, nice folks around you, beer, and it's cheap. The models talk and keep you entertained, there's good music, you could win prizes for good and bad art! You don't have to be a good artist, or someone who draws everyday. Dr. Sketchy is a great place to start back, or to try to pick up a new creative outlet.

We start with short poses to get you warmed up and then move on to longer and longer poses, but that's about where the traditional life drawing session stops..."

Here are the details if you are so inclined:

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Burlesque Life Drawing Session
Please bring your ID - this is an 18+ event
Great Scotts (Nightclub)
Second Sunday of every month
2.30-5.30pm
Cost $8 at the door. Tips for the model are welcome.
1222 Commonwealth Ave Allston (at corner of Harvard)

Malden Sketch Group

Yesterday I found a sketch group close to my home in a neighboring town and joined them in their Thursday night portrait sketch night. They also have figure drawing on Monday nights with nude life models as well. The times for both sessions are 7pm to 9:30pm.

There was about 10 artists their painting portraits and a few sketching as well. I was a little bit nervous at first, as most people I believe are, when I first walked in but those feelings were quickly put to rest. I was welcomed by Ginger Greenblatt and soon there after by a few other artist in the room. This was a great group of artists who are more than willing to give you advice and friendly suggestions about your work.

I would like to especially thank Marian Dioguardi who gave me lots of great advice and tips. You can Marian Dioguari's work at www.mariondioguardi.com.

I would have to say that I learned quite a lot in my first meeting.

For more information about this group please visit Ginger Greenblatt's site:
http://www.artginger.com/malden.htm