Our trip to the Brooklyn Art Library provided instant inspiration for me. Being an avid sketchbook keeper myself, I was excited to see how others used the same book as each other. Sketchbooks can be a great test of how one uses space and color to illustrate an idea because of its size and portability. Although sketchbooks aren’t always used to fully flesh out a concept, they can be great for planning. I used to be a person who thought that all of my pages in my sketchbooks should be able to stand alone as separate pieces, but as I lifted that weight off of my shoulders I found much more unity from beginning to end in the ideas I was addressing.
The first sketchbook which called my name was an all red hardcover book that was nestled between two of the standard Sketchbook Project books. The outside appearance was what drew me to it and it sure did follow through with its quality from cover to cover. This book was called the day when birds were eaten by flowers by Pedro Berenguer. Looking through the book I felt that it was something I would create myself. From the unity to the experimental use of embroidery in the book, which is something I had done before in my sketchbook. I also loved the mixed media approach which Berenguer took. Pages where thread in shapes and text are placed on top of colored pencil inspire me to do the same myself. I think that this book might have been my favorite of the day.
The second sketchbook I looked at was art by hand by Mary Ann McKeating. This sketchbook’s exterior also greatly enticed me. The fabric clippings and stitched gems and beads gave me a kitschy vibe instantly making me curious as to the contents of the book. The book reminds me of my own sketchbooks in a different way than Berenguer’s, for instance the collaged elements and use of glitter. Unfortunately, glitter has since been outlawed from the things that can be in an a Sketchbook Project book, however this will not deter me from capturing the same essence that McKeating’s book does. Sewed in figures sit on the fabric pages like paper dolls surrounded by text and pockets filled with miniature zines. In the description of the book on the Sketchbook Project’s website, McKeating expresses that she wants people to feel joy and delight after viewing this book, and I can say that she was successful.
After looking at other sketchbooks I found that interesting outside covers do not always warrant interesting content. From this point of having looked at all the books presented to us, I felt that it was time to use the catalog of sketchbooks on the website in order to select one which interested me. I decided on two, but the one which won me over was Illustrations by Carolyn Behrens. Behrens uses pastel tones and collages found paper into the book. The way that space is used interests me. Blank space is something that I used to be so afraid of in a sketchbook, I felt that it showed a degree of incompleteness. However, Behrens proves that blank space and how absence is utilized can be the greatest strength of a piece.
The trip to the Brooklyn Art Library was one that I wanted to make for such a long time, and I was not disappointed. The sketchbooks I looked at all drew from daily life experiences whether it be through using found paper acquired through one’s day, or taking things one has seen and translating it into a drawing. Through looking at these sketchbooks I saw an elevated quality of my own practices which inspired me to keep working at what I have done in order to improve.