I have waited a while before I started using sketchbooks for my watercolour paintings. I didn’t use one when I started out because I was always afraid of failure and I didn’t want to be stuck with a bad page if I messed up, but now, I have a new philosophy toward sketchbooks. Here are the reasons why you might want to use watercolour sketchbooks.
See Your Own Progress
One of the reasons why I use watercolour sketchbooks is to track my progress. The above two paintings were the ones I felt I failed the first time around, so I repainted them and I did better this time!
When I first started out, I painted on individual small sheets of paper, and threw away most of my work because I wasn’t happy with them. Since I painted in a sketchbook, I can now see my own growth in my watercolour journey.
Watercolour Sketchbooks Hold You Accountable
Sometimes I used the watercolour sketchbooks to try out a concept in my head (like this deer), though it doesn’t always work out. However, it is a learning experience to keep it so I can do better next time.
In addition, since you are not going to rip the pages out, you make more of an effort to make it work without giving up and tossing it at first signs of dissatisfaction. And if you overwork a painting, you will have a record of it too, and learn from it!
Let Go of Perfection
Another great result of using a watercolour sketchbook is that you will learn to accept imperfection. In fact, none of my paintings is perfect and that’s okay! It took a while for me to let go of perfection. Once I did, painting becomes a real joy, not a source of frustration.
Painting Small Scenes
Sometimes an idea pops into my head. It’s a small scene, and it goes perfectly in a small sketchbook like this one from Winsor & Newton. Technically it’s not a sketchbook, but it is coil bound and the pages are not perforated, so I use it like a sketchbook. It is 100% cotton so I find it handy to test out smaller paintings before I paint the same on a bigger piece of paper.
A Nice Keepsake Of Your Journey
One big reason why I use watercolour sketchbooks is having a record or memento of my journey. I love books (I’m a published author as well), so naturally, I want my artwork preserved in sketchbooks. 🙂
Summary
I know some artists do not like sketchbooks, but I see a lot of value in using them, as noted above. If you do use one, I recommend using 100% cotton paper. I struggled a lot with the Handbook Journal Co sketchbook, which has wood pulp paper. Even though I made it work the best I can, I wasn’t able to do too much wet on wet. As I finished the last page of it though, I still really like having a book of what I have painted so far, good and bad.
