The Sketchbook as work of Art

For a great example of a sketchbook, as work of art, follow the link to Moeller Art Grad Bob Fisher, 86' and his web site which shows two complete sketchbooks at sketchbob.com.  Also check out these other sites from other artists sent by Bob Fisher.  Comments about the sites are by Bob Fisher.

A Self-Portrait of Bob Fisher painted when he was a student at Moeller. 

Try out this link suggested by Will Pesta '06: www.jamesjean.com , great sketchbooks and illustrations etc

http://www.rareybird.com/ This one is for you personally. It's a site put up by the son of a cartoonist/USAAF fighter pilot killed in WWII. "Dad" Rarey kept sketchbooks his entire term of service, and excerpts are posted here (along with commentary from his colleagues and family).

http://www.1000journals.com/ A great site that documents a fantastic project: 1000 journals are circling the globe, with each recipient completing a few pages and sending them on. Sort of the progressive dinner of artmaking...

http://www.daneldon.org/ The amazing and fantastic journals of the youngest photojournalist ever to work for Reuters. Unfortunately, he was killed by a mob while on assignment in Somalia (back in 1993). A good one to show students because he did much of the work shown when he was in his late teens.

http://www.waynejiang.com/sketchbooks/ Just plain old pretty stuff.

http://www.agettogether.net/ More pretty stuff by designers, not fine artists, and in a digital book format, not so much a sketch book per se. But still nice to look at and put together in a novel way.

   Your sketchbooks this year will be a unique creation that will evolve with personal pride, experience, and articulation into a visual and linguistic object of sophistication and subjective beauty that will become as precious as an ancient illuminated manuscript.  You will be expected to.........

  1. On day 1 of each lesson the student will be required to bring the laptop computer and sketchbook to class for the lesson preview.  It is the responsibility of each student to write in the sketchbook the due dates and specific requirements of each assignment. 
  2. Design and create through extensive sketching (at lest 10) a new, enhanced, or embellished cover that reflects your personality, interests, skills, ambitions, whether they be complex, austere, elaborate, emotional or ironic.  YOU choose the materials etc.
  3. Make a daily entry, however brief and austere or elaborate and involved,  but do it with distinction.  One page minimum per daily entry is required.  Fifty percent of your sketchbook grade will be for quantity the other half is for quality.
  4. Bring the sketchbook to class every day.
  5. Take notes in it.  Paste magazine pictures in it.  Doodle in it.  Write in it.  Draw in it.  experiment in it. Paint in it.  Reflect your life in it.  Enjoy it.
  6. Show it to me whenever you get a great new idea.
  7. Put elaborate borders around the edges of many of the pages. 
  8. Run out of pages to put all of your great and expansive new ideas so that you will have to get another one before the end of the year.

Your sketchbooks will include a listing of the following (when you just can't figure out what to draw - or even if you can.)

  1. A spoon and a fork
  2. A hand holding a knife
  3. The dream you had last night
  4. A nose
  5. A wood chair
  6. A stack of books
  7. A shirt on a hanger
  8. What an itch looks like
  9. A cutaway view of a car
  10. How red sounds
  11. What you saw looking at the camera
  12. Your favorite painting by a famous artist
  13. Your favorite letter of the alphabet
  14. A new pope-mobile design
  15. The inside of a computer