Draw Your Day: An Inspiring Guide to Keeping a Sketch Journal

177 Pages·2018·69.06 MB·English

by  Samantha Dion Baker

Copyright © 2018 by Samantha Dion Baker All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by WatsonGuptill Publications, an imprint of the Crown
Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.watsonguptill.com
WATSON-GUPTILL and the HORSE HEAD colophon are registered trademarks of
Penguin Random House LLC.
Some illustrations have been previously published.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Baker, Samantha Dion,
author.
Title: Draw your day : an inspiring guide to keeping a sketch journal by Samantha Dion
Baker.
Description: First edition. | California : WatsonGuptill, 2018.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017052542 (print) | LCCN 2017053708 (ebook) | (trade pbk. : alk.
paper) Subjects: LCSH: Drawing—Themes, motives. | Diaries—Authorship.
Classification: LCC NC715 (ebook) | LCC NC715 .B35 2018 (print) | DDC 741—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017052542
ISBN 9780399581298
Ebook ISBN 9780399581304
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Introduction
GETTING STARTED
BENEFITS OF A DRAWING PRACTICE
CREATE A DRAWING PRACTICE
CELEBRATE MISTAKES
TOOLS AND MATRIALS
INSPIRATION
NOW IT'S TIME TO DRAW
IDEAS FOR DRAWING
Typography and Signage
Weather
Nature
Buildings and Architecture
A Busy Day
Quotes and Special Words
Everyday Objects
Food and Drinks
Animals
People
Conclusion
Resources
Acknowledgments
About the Author

It’s hard to say when I first began keeping a journal, but it was
probably in high school. I remember spending nights avoiding
my homework, writing and doodling in my diary. I never wanted
to reveal too much for fear someone would read it, so I always
held back a little bit and expressed serious thoughts and
feelings through random doodles and drawings, only hinting at
the big stuff with a few words. Drawing made me feel less
vulnerable than writing out all of the details of my days, and
creating those drawings helped me decompress. Handwriting
as an art form is an expression of oneself, and I have a deep
appreciation for how different writing utensils can alter my
script. I have always loved the act of simply writing words—
stringing them together in various shapes and sizes or using
them to create abstract patterns. The words don’t actually need
to say anything. Writing words or single letterforms in groupings
—more like stream of consciousness thoughts—has always
—more like stream of consciousness thoughts—has always
been a fluid and calming exercise for me. In college I had
sketchbooks filled with random writings of patterned words
alongside small drawings. I would photocopy these to use in
collage work. The sketchbook I used for class notes and
planning how I would solve design projects was the most
precious thing in my schoolbag. My husband even proposed to
me in one of my journals. When I became a mother, I filled
journals with our boys’ first words and milestones. I keep travel
journals on every trip we take, and I encourage my kids to
always have a blank book in their bags as well. There is
something about turning the pages of a book—this compact
object that contains days, or months, worth of artwork and
thoughts, transporting us to another place and time—that has
always been so satisfying to me.
As the years passed, I noticed that the drawings
were disappearing from the pages of my journals.
As my life got busier with work and family, I spent
less and less time drawing. Months turned into
years, and eventually I felt as if I could no longer
draw. I had spent more than eighteen years
working as a graphic designer, and one day I
realized that I was desperate for a creative outlet
free from computer screens and technology.