What is in my artist’s journal?
And why keeping an artist journal is an excellent habit.
I really love epistolary novels — ones that have excerpts of journals and letters in them, especially. There is something deeply fascinating in getting a glimpse of private thoughts and writings, even if they belong to a fictional character! I know I’m not the only one who is curious about the contents of other people’s journals, because I keep getting asked about my own.
My artist journal has, apparently, piqued the interest of a number of you. I’ve had enough requests to share the some pages to make me think that the topic of an artist’s journal and what is inside it would make a decent blog post. I will say, though, that every artist’s journal is different, is structured differently, and contains different things. This post is just a peek at mine.
Inside, there is no hard-and-fast structure. A lot of the thoughts are rather plain musings on colour combinations or why one paper is better than another, but there are a lot of personal musings too, about my emotions at any stage of the project. While I think it is incredibly helpful and important to acknowledge these things, I certainly don't want to share all this with the world! Instead, I thought I'd share some curated snippets, and elaborate on some of the best practices of journalling for artists.
What I call my 'artist journal' is actually a a small library of books. A studio sketchbook, a notebook, and a commonplace. It's more of an artist kit. Today, we're going to look at the most journal-like part: the notebook.
Journals for Artists.
I have two, currently. A midori MD notebook for my creative musings, art thoughts, post-mortems of paintings, project concepts, and timed writings. I also have a Peppermint Fox Paperback Notebook prototype that I use for the business and social media side of art — website planning, blog post drafting, print ordering, etsy thoughts, social media thoughts. This post is about the former. (Though if you are interested in a peek behind the covers of the other, then do let me know. I'd be happy to do a followup!)
So why keep all these notebooks? I do a lot of daydreaming, and if I don't write those good ideas down, they disappear pretty fast. It's a safe space in which to indulge daydreams and aspirations without feeling foolish or self-conscious. (We all have those secret dreams of wild success, right?)
An early concept for the ‘Cosy Spot’ illustration series.
But perhaps the most vital purpose of a notebook is the clarification of ideas. Ideas come in fuzzy, and need a few distillations through pen and ink before they really start to show clear form. Or, in any case, that is true for me.
Here is an entry from early June, when I first wrote down my fuzzy ideas for a new art series:
A series of eight or so domestic portraits showing a cosy interior life. Worked on hot press paper with watercolour + pencil. Maybe gouache? I would really like to keep my palette muted, this time around. Must remember to mix with complement, towards the middle of the circle. Use white gouache too? Pay particular attention also to the character of the faces.
A very stream-of-consciousness paragraph, following my thought patterns skipping from one thing to another. My thoughts were focusing on the technique of the act of painting and colour mixing when I wrote this.
The other thing about artist's journals; be honest. Remember, you are never showing anyone this (probably). You don't have to submit it for assessment, or post it online. You can celebrate your own successes or mourn things that didn't quite work. You can write little stories as dramatically and indulgently as you wish. Go, open a notebook and start. I promise you, you will find enjoyment in it.
After I complete a painting, particularly a study or practice piece, I write down notes on what did or didn't work. This is helpful to organising my thoughts and feelings on a piece.
Notes on painting of Sawrey: Ultramarine, umber, and yellow ochre proved a good mix for wet stone. The greenness implied decades of damp and moss, and the ochre kept warmth in the stone and the painting overall.
This is good for future paintings too, because I have an atrocious memory and so find it hard to keep a hold of new discoveries unless I write them down.
Making a palette for an illustrated writing project currently in the works.
Timed Writing
The dock is one-man wide, and the bleached wood shakes at our footsteps. The lake water beneath is dark and angry enough to be ocean-like, frothed at the edges. It’s been an age since we’ve crossed this threshold, and I almost turn back to the boat.
This is a writing exercise I love for idea generation. Set a timer for 10 minutes, find a prompt, and then write. Do not stop moving your pen, even if it means repeating words or writing run-on sentences. This is not about quality, but about letting your mind skip about and latch onto things it finds interesting. I use this for fiction writing, but you can also do this for journalling or planning or daydreaming.
Best Tips for Keeping an Artist’s Journal
Be honest— explore your honest feelings, dreams, and hopes.
Be a magpie— collect pieces of things that delight you and appeal to you.
Be playful— try new things, play pretend at new skills (be a writer! a journalist! a museum curator deciding on a new collection!), and never be self-conscious.
Be consistent— the value of an artist journal is the record built over time. There’s no need to stress about filling it in every day or even every week, but do try to come back to it regularly.
Reread— make time to go back and reread thoughts and entries. You’ll often find forgotten gems.
A list of ideas for my worldbuilding project.
If you start an artist’s journal, I’d love to know! Say hi on instagram, or tag me if you share any pages! If you’d like to make sure not to miss future blog posts, sign up to my mailing list. I’ll send out 2-4 emails a month, including links to blog posts and art updates.