For our First Sketchbook Peek of 2010 we interviewed Stephanie Levy, an amazing artist hailing from Munich via USA. Her artwork is fantastic and I’m a real admirer. You can ckeck out her website here http://www.stephanielevy.com/ where you can link to her blog and shop.

This is what she had to say….

I’m an American artist and illustrator, who now lives in Munich, Germany with my husband and 2 little girls. I always loved to draw and paint and make creative things at home, and now it’s fun to see my children making artwork too. I studied Art at the University of Tennessee before moving to Germany 13 years ago.

I love living in Europe! I enjoy the culture, the huge variety of languages, foods, and customs, and being able to jump in the car and go to France or Italy or Switzerland within a few hours drive. My love of travel inspires my collages, and several pieces of my artwork are even titled after places I’ve been or countries/cities I’d like to visit one day.

I also like to cook and try new kinds of food, and I suppose my ideal vacation would be to travel around Europe (and the rest of the world), looking, eating, sketching, painting – with an unlimited bank account of course ;)

I’ve always had a sketchbook, and some of my art professors during my art studies even required that we keep one. I find a sketchbook helpful to jot down ideas or images I might be able to use at a future time, and also to try out new materials.

How often do you use your sketchbook?

It depends on what I am working on. If I’m feeling stuck on a particular piece or series, or I need to brainstorm new ideas, it’s great to take a break and warm up in my sketchbook to get into the flow again.

Do you have a favuorite sketchbook?

I use different types of sketchbooks for different reasons – ring-bound notebooks are fine for jotting down notes and quick ideas, and I like to use more aesthetic sketchbooks with handmade paper for instance, when I am working with paints and collage.

How do you feel about starting a new sketchbook with all the lovely blank pages?

Sometimes it’s scary, and especially when the sketchbook itself is very beautiful, it takes me a long time to get started using it! When the book and papers are pretty, it can be difficult getting past the “not wanting to mess things up” stage.

When and where do you get your sketchbook inspiration?

I start by making the ink drawings, often using photographs as a resource. Sometimes I make the drawings on other papers first, and then I glue these down with an assortment of materials as I am working. Inspiration may come at any time – for instance when I’m looking through a book or magazine, or even from the Ikea catalog.

How would you describe your sketchbook process?

I try to have fun with the sketchbooks and not worry about whether or not things are too perfect. I want to experiment, be a loose as possible, and not think about the end result too much. I keep the process as playful as possible.

What is your favourite medium to work with?

I love collecting and using various exotic papers and non-traditional “fine art” media. I like adding string, stars, and “kitschy” things to my collages to give them an off-beat, glitzy touch. Acrylic and water-based paints are my favorite ways to add color.

Where is your ideal sketching location?

At home in my studio where all of my materials are close at hand, and I can make a big mess!!

How have your sketchbooks evolved over the years?

I think they have become freer, and reflect my own personal style. The sketchbooks I had in art school were much more traditional and formal, and all based on real-life observation. But I’m much happier with the mixed media approach I have now!

Today my favorite mixed media drawing is most likely of the Japanese bowl with red chopsticks. I added Japanese “luck-bringing” stamps that I bought years ago in Tokyo to this page, and the stamps bring back warm memories of that trip.

Thanks for taking part in our series of sketchbooks and for showing us your work Stephanie

The latest instalment in my Sketchbook Peeks Series is the wonderful Jessica Gonacha Swift, who I first discovered on Etsy, and then her blog, you can find out more about Jessica here. Check out her wonderful patterns and illstrations, they are bound to inspire you

 

Before we start, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into your art/craft/design career, how it all started and where you are now…

My name is Jessica Gonacha Swift, and I’m an artist and pattern designer living in Atlanta, Georgia. I grew up in Boulder, Colorado and went to Ithaca College in upstate NY, where I earned a BFA. When I graduated from college, I moved back to Boulder and was working as a waitress at a miserable restaurant. I applied for my first ever juried show during that time and got accepted, and one day I decided I just couldn’t work at the restaurant anymore. I quit and declaredto myself that I was going to make it as an artist on my own. Looking back, I think that was a pretty crazy decision, but thankfully it’s worked out so far! I’ve been making a living as an artist since I was 23 years old (with a couple of part-time jobs here and there), and I’m now 29 and fully supporting myself as an artist/designer

 

How long have you been using sketchbooks?

I’ve really only started using sketchbooks the last few years. I wasn’t a big sketcher in college or the few years afterwards, but I really like using them to collect ideas now and as a place to lay down the framework of my illustrations.

How often do you use your sketchbook?

I use it most days in one form or another. I’ve been drawing more with my pen and tablet lately, so it’s lessened a bit, but I love my sketchbooks. J I use it to write down ideas so I don’t forget things, and almost all of my work starts out in black and white in my sketchbooks, so it’s a regular part of my days.

  

Do you have a favourite and why?

I tend to use Strathmore recycled drawing paper sketchbooks. I like the weight of the paper and the spiral bound edges. I like things to lay flat.

How do you feel with the prospect of starting a new sketchbook with lots of lovely blank pages?

It’s exhilarating! I wonder what it’s going to be filled up with, and I always get a little nervous on the first page, like it’s going to set the tone of the whole book or something. But I love the feeling of a while book of blank pages that I can do whatever I want with. It’s like a fresh start.

When and where do you get your sketchbook inspiration?

There’s no real rhyme or reason to it. I draw a lot from photographs , so browsing through photos inspires me. Walking through my neighborhood also inspires me. I often pick up interesting twigs or pods that I find that sometimes turn into drawings in my sketchbook.

 

What is your favourite medium to work with?

I love black pen. Lately I’ve been using a 0.3 Staedtler pigment liner pen, which is perfection.

How would you describe your sketchbook process?

I use my sketchbook to draw things that I’ll later colored and work on digitally, so there are lots of black and white images inside– often a lot of different little drawings on a page. I scan the drawings into my computer and go from there. So really my sketchbook is just the place for my work to begin. The drawings take on a different life once I have them in my computer.

 

Where is your ideal sketching location?

I like to sit on the floor in my studio to draw in my sketchbook. It lets my imagination flow more than when I sit at a table or a desk. I think it’s the kid in me coming out!

How have your sketchbooks evolved over the years?

I’ve started using them more over the years, so I’ve noticed that everything in my sketchbooks have a purpose. Or, they’ve become something else, I guess. There’s not a lot of random doodling in there—it’s very focused. When I didn’t work so much digitally, my sketchbooks were more a place to just play. Now the purpose has changed and they are an integral part of my actual work.

If you had to pick one favourite sketchbook page which would it be and why?

This drawing just makes me happy. (image #7) I wanted to create something that conveys a positive message, and I loved the idea of the girl listening to inspirational and positive words in her headphones. I get really excited when I get to the point of a drawing where I really know what it’s going to be about, and this one turned out to be about saying YES to life. I love that. (I also included the finished piece (image #8), which I colored digitally, just for fun!)

 

 

Thanks so much Jessica!!

Here is the next Sketchbook Feature, an interview with one of my favourite artists, Dee Beale.

Hello my name is Dee and I’m a Print maker/Designer based in the UK where I live with my husband and 2 small children.

As a child I was forever drawing and Art was definitely my favourite subject at school so it seemed very natural to then go on to Art School where I studied Graphic Design and Illustration.

After graduating I was lucky enough to work as a Graphic Designer in design agencies for over 10 years.

  

Around 4 years ago I left full time employment to have my second child and decided I needed to stay at home for a few years while my children were young.

I acquired a Gocco about a year ago and opened an Etsy shop selling my prints earlier this year.

At the moment I’m concentrating on trying to get new stockists and adding more prints to my Etsy shop, in the future I’d really like to have the opportunity to apply my designs to other things and would love to design for fabric.

If you had to pick one favourite sketchbook page which would it be and why?

At the moment I’m a little obsessed with succulents so it’s this one. 

 

How long have you been using sketchbooks?

Since Art school

How often do you use your sketchbook?

It varies really but I’d say mostly every few days

 

How do you feel with the prospect of starting a new sketchbook with lots of lovely blank pages?

I don’t really like it when they’re new I prefer them a bit battered and worn.

When and where do you get your sketchbook inspiration?

All the time and everywhere

Where is your ideal sketching location?

Any comfy chair.

How would you describe your sketchbook process?

I don’t really have a set way of using a sketchbook, I scribble notes, doodles, stick bits in or I can do quite finished sketches in them. 

What is your favourite medium to work with?

 

Stabilo black fine line pen 

 

How have your sketchbooks evolved over the years?

 

For me, my sketchbooks used to be my layout pad that I used to jot down my ideas in my job as a graphic designer, now I feel they are much more personal because they are the beginnings of my own prints.

 

Do you have a favourite and why?

 

At the moment, it’s one designed by Angi Lewin, available from St Judes. It was a Christmas present from my husband and has one of her beautiful designs on the cover

 

 Thanks for letting us have a sneaky peek into your gorgeous sketchbooks Dee!

If you want to see anymore of Dees beeautiful work check out her blog here and if you want to treat yourself to one of her pieces of artwork check out her Etsy shop here

This month we have the pleasure of taking a peek into the sketchbooks of Karen Jinks, artist and illustrator and editor of UK Handmade . You can find here work here and her blog here. Take a look…

 

Before we start, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into your art/craft/design career, how it all started and where you are now… 

I’ve always created, ever since I was a small child. My mum would encourage us to draw and make our own cards for family and my gran taught me how to sew and knit so really it’s in my blood! At school I won most of the art competitions and when it came to choosing what to do at university I couldn’t imagine doing anything that wasn’t art related. I actually chose a graphic design course at Norwich School of Art in the end where I got to try a whole variety of art disciplines including animation and photography, finally settling on illustration. Since leaving college I have been working freelance as a commercial artist and selling online for a mind blowing 10 years – just don’t ask me where the time has gone!

How long have you been using sketchbooks?

I’ve only really appreciated the benefit of keeping a sketchbook in the last year or so. Even at college I used to keep notebooks and scrapbooks of sorts but never sketchbooks. I prefer to work straight onto what becomes the finished piece, especially as a lot of my work is collage based and quite organic in nature. I’ve never really felt the need to prepare a piece of work; with collage you can play around with the different elements until you are happy and just stick them down. Lately though I have felt the need to start drawing more and incorporate these drawings into my collages which of course requires a sketchbook. But in doing so I found I am seeing my surroundings in a new way. It’s a slower, more honest process and you need to look closer at your subject and it keeps me away from the computer and camera which I tend to become far too reliant on.

How often do you use your sketchbook?

I have a few sketchbooks on the go, but the 2 main ones are one for my drawings that end up in my digital work and a texture one that is created from the residual transfers I use in my collages. This texture journal is then drawn back over the top of and is a lot more experimental. Both are used fairly regularly as both help to create new work and new work produces new material for my sketchbooks.

Do you have a favourite and why?

Not really, they are all different and are precious in their own way,  it would be like asking to choose between my children.

How do you feel with the prospect of starting a new sketchbook with lots of lovely blank pages?

Back in the old days it would have filled me with fear but now I rush to finish a book just so I can start a new fresh one. I make my own sketchbooks now so I have already made it with a purpose in mind and can’t wait to get started!

How would you describe your sketchbook process?

I’m not sure I have a process, I tend to work quite quickly and don’t give myself too much time to think or I will end up ripping out pages because it’s all gone wrong. I have learned to live with mistakes or work over them. Sketchbooks that are pristine can be boring. Well mine are anyway. So I have learned not to be precious about what goes in them anymore and weirdly the results are a lot more satisfactory

 

When and where do you get your sketchbook inspiration?

We moved house a couple of years ago which has a well established garden full of flowers so I draw a lot from there now, before I used to have to buy flowers. We also live near beautiful woods and chalk downs where I take lots of photos that inspire drawings. I also read a lot of poetry and literature which inspires my collage work – creating a mood or evoking a memory can be quite a challenge. I like my work to imply a story that isn’t always immediately obvious and my sketchbooks have become a good place to test out techniques and colours.

What is your favourite medium to work with?

Matte gel medium. My life change when I discovered the stuff. Seriously. And paper. And glue. And acrylic paint. And black ink. It’s all about texture and layers and not being able to close my sketchbook because the pages are too thick. 

Where is your ideal sketching location?

At my desk. With my music on. I can’t work outside for some reason, I prefer to shut myself away in my little studio and use photos I’ve taken.

How have your sketchbooks evolved over the years? 

I can actually finish one! I still have all my books from college and apart from the scrapbooks I mentioned they are all empty. There might be a few doodles and ideas just to appease tutors in the first few pages and that will be it. They were something I dreaded having to open. Now mine are permanently open and a joy to use.

 

If you had to pick one favourite sketchbook page which would it be and why?

 This is a tricky one because my mood changes so often. But I suppose at the moment I like the butterfly page in my texture journal. No real reason, it just suits me now.

 

Thanks for taking part in our Sketchbook Peeks Feature Karen!

Hello! I am Liz and I love to doodle! My favourite colours are blue and green…my wardrobe definitely represents this! I am often found drawing stars, swirls, quirky characters and lettering. I have always loved being creative and have carried this on all through my education and studied Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University. Currently I work as a Childcare Assistant and I am hoping to train to become a primary school teacher. However I love illustrating and work freelance (when I can!) for friends and family. I hope in the future to illustrate my own Children’s books and open an Art Café by the seaside!

 

How long have you been using sketchbooks?

I first started using sketchbooks at secondary school in my Art class and have continued to through my Art & Design education and they still play a huge part in my work today. I love looking back through old projects to get inspiration and seeing how my work has developed.

How often do you use your sketchbook?

I try to use my sketchbook as much as I can. It depends on whether I have a specific project, ongoing personal work or the demands of my day job! I have several sketchbooks on the go, all different sizes for different thoughts and ideas. In an ideal world I use one of my sketchbooks everyday!

Do you have a favourite and why?

That’s a hard one! All my sketchbooks are different but have something I particularly like about them. Let me think…one of my favourite projects at university was designing an Annual Report for Kew Gardens. I wanted to create a very natural and organic feel to the report therefore my sketchbook reflects this. I had lots of fun drawing plants and trees using inks and collage.

How do you feel with the prospect of starting a new sketchbook with lots of lovely blank pages?

Ah I hated that at University! I always started with the project brief then scribbled all over it! Now I’m not so scared about the blank pages. I like to start with ink and paint and just make lots of mess!

When and where do you get your sketchbook inspiration?

I can be inspired anytime by lots of different things… childhood memories, nature, films, music and books. I love to work with different textures, layouts, patterns, materials and colours. I like to observe the little things in life and interpret this in my sketchbook 

How would you describe your sketchbook process?

If I am working on a specific project or theme then I like to start by writing down and doodling rough ideas. I love to take lots of photographs and use them for inspiration and creating collages. I also use my sketchbook as a way of experimenting with composition by arranging my work around the blank spaces. I often use my sketchbook pages to create final work by scanning them into Photoshop and editing and enhancing them.

What is your favourite medium to work with?

I really love using gel and fibre tip pens to doodle and draw lettering.  I also really like collage with photographs, newspaper, magazines and all kinds of paper! It all depends on how messy I like to be…don’t always like tidying up!

Where is your ideal sketching location?

Somewhere I can get really comfortable…like my bed! If not my bed then anywhere that I feel inspired to sit and draw what I see. Like the seaside!  If I am using collage or painting then I find my living room floor is perfect!

 

How have your sketchbooks evolved over the years?

I think my sketchbooks have become more fluid and not so structured like they were whilst I was a student. I now seem to have sketchbooks that consist of loose sheets of paper with a wide variety of ideas and illustrations. I also produce a lot more personal projects, which tend to be ongoing and can evolve quite quickly into something else. I use my blog as an online sketchbook so that is very different to how I used to work a few years ago.

If you had to pick one favourite sketchbook page which would it be and why?

I looked through all my recent sketchbooks and this Chocolate Lime page just stands out to me. Not because it displays any great artistic talent but because it is so simple, bold and has a naïve quality. I was creating ideas for a personal brand name (I love Chocolate Limes…hence the name!) so I got my inks out and drew what I was thinking. Sometimes I can think too much about an idea and how it will look on the page so this page is represents me being free!

 

Thankyou Liz, for taking part and also for letting us see inside your gorgeous sketchbooks!

This is the start of a new series on Sketchbook Peeks, which is something that really fascinates me, partly becasue I am just nosey, and partly because I love looking at works in progress, processes and end results. We have been lucky enough to be able to feature a lovely artist and designer I stumbled across purely by accident, Jane Reiseger whose work and website I just love. Here is what she had to say…..

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Before we start, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into your art/craft/design career, how it all started and where you are now…
I actually was born in England in 1973 and moved to Australia when I was just a few months old

I have always liked drawing. I was a shy child and use to spend a lot of time drawing. I could talk to people thru my pictures. I grew up on a farm, which had cows horses and an apple orchard.

I studied Painting at the Victorian College of Arts completing a BA in Fine Arts in 1993 at the age of 20. After art school I had a few exhibitions and worked in cafés. I started my own illustration business in 1999 after a family friend asked if I could design a wine label for their vineyard. I really enjoyed the whole process and thought maybe I could turn illustration into a job. I started getting work with Wine and Food magazines and did illustrations for wineries and Chefs. I think I visited about 15 food and wine festivals in one year. I wasn’t getting quite enough to survive so I worked 2 days a week in a Home wares shop which was really great cos the owner let me hand write the point of sale signs and draw on the table tops. I also got to illustrate the Christmas motif each year, which was so successful, it was turned into product. The most popular was Albi the elephant.

With my love for homewares my interest in interiors grew and I started painting on walls. I have been working fulltime as an illustrator for about 4 years. I have met some really lovely and talented people along the way. I have worked with various companies including Country Road, Hallmark Australia and Rogerseller I work with graphic designers, stylists, architects, foodies and by private commission. I paint murals and do illustrations. I’m hoping to do some limited edition products soon…maybe prints?

How long have you been using sketchbooks?
About 15 years

How often do you use your sketchbook?
At the moment I’m drawing every few days…but it really goes in ebbs and flows.

Do you have a favourite and why?
My favourite one is the vana mapping book journal…. each page was fun to do…I experimented with textures and pattern, composition and positive and negative spaces…its playful and a bit quirky… not too serious. I love the greasy paper and the thin pages.

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How do you feel with the prospect of starting a new sketchbook with lots of lovely blank pages?
I actually get a bit daunted by brand new sketchbooks especially the leather bound amazing paper variety…I prefer more humble books…not precious or expensive looking. If I like the look of the book I want to hold it and feel the pages….i love drawing that first line and letting the ideas flow. I like a book you can get coffee stains on.

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When and where do you get your sketchbook inspiration?
My journal/sketchbooks can be a way to get thoughts/feelings out or simply to express a fun idea. I’m affected also by my surroundings and what’s happening in my life at the time. I like to do observational drawings too.

I often get inspiration when I’m travelling…I recently went to Tasmania with my boyfriend and got very inspired by our surroundings. The house we stayed in belonged to my friend who was a sculptor it sat on the side of a river the kitchen had great views and she had a very lovely collection of teacups, which I drew. I found some old books in a Japanese shop and recycled them into sketchbooks.

I got inspired to do drawings of fruit and ice-cream when we moved into our new house recently…it has a peach tree and we made jam.

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How would you describe your sketchbook process?
Things come out from the heart, imagination and observation…. its very spontaneous ….I sometimes prefer drawing on loose paper and then stick them in a book later.

What is your favourite medium to work with?
Black pens, colored pencils, textas…sometimes collage and sometimes I Like reversing my illustrations out on the photocopy machine and sticking them back in a book

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Where is your ideal sketching location?
I like cafes and I love sitting in my car especially when I park by the sea…I can look out and get inspired.

How have your sketchbooks evolved over the years?
Less serious not as laboured over.

If you had to pick one favourite sketchbook page which would it be and why
Rain man from the vana mapping book is a favourite image of mine…I like the continuous line and the quirky playful nature of the drawing…it makes sense but then at closer inspection doesn’t make sense…I also like the stillness in the picture…a man with an umbrella waits for the rain to come.

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Thank you Jane, for taking part in our blog feature. If you want to see more of Janes work then check out her website (I just adore those childrens bedrooms!!)