The Art of a Sketchbook

There are times when all I put in my sketchbook is studies of design and compositions

Its fun to explore when I sketch, trying to keep in mind that I can find different angles, divisions, and positive and negative space.  Sometimes I like to experiment with the elements of composition to find what might work best for a particular painting.

Basic design study, large sketchbook, 2012 Nancy Van Blaricom

In the above photo I'm trying to learn more about design with a variety in size, shapes, values and textures. Each sketch is only about 2" x 3" and doesn't take very long to sketch yet gives me a great idea as to what is the best design for my still-life arrangement

Basic space and depth study, large sketchbook, 2012 Nancy Van Blaricom

 The middle photo I'm concentrating on space and depth. These are about the same size as the sketches in the above photo.

Basic picture divisions, large sketchbook, 2012 Nancy Van Blaricom

In the last photo I used a marker to help learn the basic design foundations of most pictures.

Working on design and composition like this gives me a break from my daily sketches where I concentrate on a certain likeness, plus, I feel I gain so much from his kind of study.