Between the covers I feel safe – the drawings need never be seen by anyone but me – and thus I can play. Luckily for me, sketchbooks are different. Nowadays, pretty much the only time I draw on loose paper is for charity. I call this feeling “Picasso Napkin Syndrome” – it refers to the fact that Picasso could pay for a meal in a restaurant with a sketch on the table linen. This makes me feel self-conscious, and I find it difficult to truly let go. If I put pen to paper it can feel like I have a version of the Midas touch – each mark becomes a pound sign. As I have become more successful and my prices have risen, drawings have become like currency, sometimes worth thousands of pounds. Curiously, this is one of the reasons sketchbooks have become so vital to me today. Consequently, the drawings inside are financially worthless. The density of thought, the love of art and the sheer number of man-hours in each one load them with huge meaning and memory for me. Illustration: Particular Books, 2016Ī sketchbook for me is a sacred artefact, more so than many of my finished works. The cover material is Wibalin - a black paper used for its cloth texture and to restrict warping.Īlso available in sizes from A3 to A5, and two square format varieties - all UK-made - the Artway Studio Casebound black sketchbook is stylish and minimalist but also premium quality and excellent value.Man-made man and man-made woman. Made entirely in the UK, this hard cover notebook contains 46 pages (92 sides) of our premium, 170gsm, Artway cartridge paper. If you’re looking for a formal journal, professional note book or a sketch pad for art and design ideas, the generous dimensions and minimalist design of the Studio Casebound range make it the perfect artist sketchbook for you - the heavyweight, 170gsm paper can take a variety of media from ink and graphite pencil to soft pastels or markers - it’s even able to take a light wash for watercolour sketching with only minimal buckling. As with all of our Studio products, they are entirely UK made note books - the casebound version also using high quality materials, for an excellent balance of beauty and practicality. The Artway Studio Casebound sketchbook range is, just like our Spiral Bound version, an elegant and professional traditionally bound, hardback notebook - available here in the US format of ‘Graduate Large’ (11” x 14” or 355mm x 279mm).

Professional artist sketchbook