One of the great things about creating a sketchbook is that you can always go back and see what you've drawn. The reason why this is very important is that you will see:
How much you've grown in your craft or
How much you still need to grow.
I kind of think of my sketchbooks as journals. Sometimes ideas just flow into them and other times it's just for drawing exercises. What I mean by that is that I may occasionally practice let's faces, expressions, and gestures just so I can get accustomed to them, instead of going into a finished piece without warming up. What I love about having a sketchbook is that it keeps your drawings in one place, at least until the end of that book is reached. Then, you just have to move to another one.
Many ideas, characters, techniques came from my sketchbook and I've had plenty over the years. My goal is to finish one every year. I occasionally go through my old ones and try to redraw something I did a few years back to see how I would tackle the same obstacles. Although any sketchbook will do, I prefer the Canson, 98 Pound, 11 x 14” sketchpad. I like the paper texture because it is not too thick and not too thin and I can get a lot more drawings in than I did in my 8.5x11. The wire binding is good because my old notebooks tend to break where it is binding and I wind up using take to reinforce them.
Don't forget to check out the video of my sketchbook tour series called The Importance of a Sketchbook - Part 1 by visiting my youtube channel.
Until next time, #drawwatuwant.
-Haro