[dc]L[/dc]ike most cartoonists (all?), I keep a sketchbook. I go through a few a year, give or take, and I always try to take it with me when I can (or at least a small one like the kind I mentioned in a recent newsletter).
From my sketchbook on a hot day. Via my Instagram.
Some artists sell copies of their sketchbooks, which intrigues me. I do enjoy looking through other artists’ sketchbooks, to see their process, their styles, and so on. It is not uncommon to see a printed version of a sketchbook for sale at an artist’s table at a convention.
I’ve toyed with selling printed sketchbooks of my own, but never really gotten around to making any. I’m also not sure if they would sell very well.
I own a few artist sketchbooks, both printed and digital. I have sketchbooks by James Anderson (Ellie on Planet X), Doug TenNapel, and another by Brian Fukushima
Stephanie bought Anderson’s sketchbook at the MSU Comics Forum one year, and I backed TenApel’s sketchbook on Kickstarter.
Fukushima‘s sketchbook was a first for me though: it is a PDF I bought via Gumroad.
I bought Fukushima‘s PDF for two reasons: First, I like the sketches he posts on Instagram and wanted to see more. Second, I wanted to go through the process of buying something through Gumroad and to see how Fukushima formatted the sketchbook file for future reference.
I follow several artists online who sell digital sketchbooks. In some cases, their original sketchbooks are digital to begin with (I keep digital sketchbooks files on my Surface too, with a new one each month).
What I really liked about Fukushima‘s sketchbook, Eagle Milk, (a scan of a Moleskine sketchbook spanning mid-March 2015 through June) was he drew in it everyday, with the date on the page. This inspired me to do the same thing: sketch every day, and date the page, even if it is just one little drawing. It sparked me to get back to the roots of why to have a sketchbook at all: to play around and have fun.
I’ve often found when I just goof around in my sketchbook it leads to ideas I can use for comics (either now or later).
I’m nearly finished with my current sketchbook (which I started in March), so I really want to keep this up when I start a new sketchbook soon.
I’ve dropped the ball a few days, but it’s OK. I would like to utilize color in my sketchbook more, and my next sketchbook from Bee Paper claims it can handle anything—even watercolor.
If I will ever sell copies of my sketchbooks, I’m not certain. But, if it is something where I can just upload a file and make few dollars here and there, I may as well try (although Stephanie’s opinion is I should sell things which make me tens of dollars, not just a couple of dollars¹).
Who knows? There could be a huge untapped market for my sloppy drawings of singing genitalia. WAIT, I meant turtles. Yes. Turtles. ::looks over both shoulders, runs away::
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¹ And when your wife has nearly 20 years of retail experience, it’s a good idea to listen to her advice.
