Empty Sketchbook Syndrome: 10 ways to fill your sketchbook

What is Empty Sketchbook Syndrome

Empty sketchbook syndrome is most commonly expressed through a shelf full of sketchbooks, each with one or two drawings left abandoned. Perhaps it is the fear of creating "bad work" or the sketchbook is too nice to use. Maybe, it was one too many TikTok videos showing beautifully curated sketchbooks with flowing pages. Each spread its own individual work of art. Most artists find themselves frustrated at the idea of filling a sketchbook start to finish.

In this post, we are going to explore some fun and creative ways to get your sketchbook habit started. Hopefully, they will also inspire you to incorporate an artistic practice into your life.

My Sketchbook Philosophy

I like to use my sketchbooks as equal parts reference, idea generation, and documenting my creative workflow through thumbnails, planning drawings, etc. Using a sketchbook for mixed use allows me to always have the book I want, but also to avoid the fear of making "bad" art (which I don't really believe in anyway).

1.) Material Swatches

Blank page can be scary, so why not tame it by filling the space with color. Material swatches are not only great practice but also awesome reference materials!

2.) Color Studies

Ahhh, the blank page, your options are unlimited! So why not decide on those limits yourself? Doing a color study not only trains your eye to pay attention to light and shadow, as well as texture, but also encourages the exploration of a narrow range of materials. Choosing one color across multiple materials can be a fun exercise for those who love mixed media.

3.) Sketchbook Sections

Dividing your sketchbook into sections can help you conquer the daunting task of filling so many pages. I like to keep my sections a few pages long, 1 title page and 3-4 spreads at most. On the title page, I write the section title and draw a cover image; you can also evolve the image over time, adding as you fill out your section. In my sketchbooks, I like to create a few sections at the back that I use as reference drawings or topics I want to improve on. For example, this particular page shows my studies of animal bones and skeletal structures.

4.) Title Page Art

Give your sketchbook a grand opening! Make a title page. I personally like to do a self-portrait either on the cover or first page when I start a new sketchbook. Making a title page that is always the same theme allows you to get past the stress of deciding what the first drawing in your new sketchbook will be.

5.) Layered Doodles

I like to keep pages in my sketchbooks that are purely generative. I do this by creating and layering doodles in mixed media. If I am not sure what to draw, I can always doodle for a bit; who knows, maybe one of these pages will inspire the next great idea!

6.) Thumbnails

Sketching out composition thumbnails can be a great use of the back of pages, especially ones that have some marker or ink bleed through. Using this space to work out compositions can encourage you to experiment with your art and create new dynamic arrangements. Try filling a page with small equally sized boxes and fill each thumbnail with a different composition on the same topic.

7.) Notes and Journaling

Sketchbooks need not be only for drawing. Using journal prompts, taking notes on projects, even the odd grocery list can all fill those pages. Sketchbooks are essentially journals for artists anyway. Using your sketchbook to record elements of your daily life helps you develop a visual language for how you think about the day-to-day.

8.) Reference Drawing

Filling your pages with reference drawings helps you abstract your finished art from the original source material. What is style but mistakes you make over and over again? Try looking around and making line or value drawings of the things around you. This can also be a great opportunity to go elsewhere looking for inspiration. Antique malls, nature, and coffee shops are all great places to build reference material.

9.) Quick Gesture Drawings

Speaking of coffee shops, you can fill several pages with quick gesture drawings of people in under an hour. Time yourself and only give one or two minutes to each drawing and then move on. You will begin to learn how people move and how to incorporate that movement into your art.

10.) Page Layouts

Planning a page layout can be a boon for those of us who like tidy pages. Planning pages in advance can seem tricky, but if you use a hard pencil and light lines, you can create a grid or boxes to help drawings fit their space. You can also approach this more fluidly and pick a topic and find things to draw that fit in empty spaces on your page.