The Good, Bad and Super Ugly

Reflections on a watercolor sketchbook journey

A couple months ago I posted about my collection of sketchbooks (see below for a link). When I was writing it, I realized that I have never committed to just one sketchbook from start to finish. So, I began a self-imposed challenge to do exactly that, and I shared the visual journey on Substack Notes.

Sharing my sketchbook with an audience was initially a little intimidating. This is a space of exploration without judgement (not entirely true….my inner critic is VERY judgy). I have a few “subjects” that I gravitate towards… landscapes, flowers and trees, however, I like to stretch my wings in my sketchbooks by trying out different techniques or going in a totally different direction (like painting an urban setting).

Flopping is part of the process, and not every painting is a show stopper. For those of you that followed me on Substack Notes…thank you for the support and enthusiasm throughout the process.

Today, I want to do a “round-up” of the sketchbook experience and share the good, the bad, and the super ugly with you.

The Good

Art is objective and personal. “Likes” in a platform such as Substack vary depending on what day things were posted, what time, etc. However, we did find some common ground on with which paintings received the highest “hearts.” Below are the top three most liked paintings over the past month in Notes:

Viewers Choice awards go to #40, #26 and #42.

Below are my personal favorites that didn’t “go viral” but still made me really happy.

Artist Choice awards go to #20, #14, and #36.

The Bad

A few of the least liked in terms of “hearts” and interactions:

Unpopular with Viewers

My least favorite:

Artist’s least favorite paintings from the sketchbook.

The Super Ugly

Oh friends… there were a few that did not make it past “go” and were not shared out….until now! Experiments gone wrong. Not usually for public consumption but it is important to have the artist freedom to fail. Like glorious hollyhocks turning into inky ghost blobs or moons that look like snowballs.

Experiments gone sideways.

In all journeys growth happens and lessons are learned. I found out that doing my daily painting in one book actually adds to the ability to be creative on a deeper level. I can take something from the earlier pages and expand them. By not switching between sizes and paper brands I am able to remove those variables and just play with the paint. Everything seemed more “honed in.”

The Cutest

Without a doubt, the cutest painting was the final picture in the book. Bear, whose human dad,

Nur Nadar

, posts adorable updates for us, was my first puppy painting. I have done cats, cows, birds, foxes, but never a dog. He was so fun to paint and I love how the pic turned out.

Bear being adorable (photograph by Nur Nadar).

What’s Next?

I am going to be spending some time outside the sketchbook developing some of the paintings into some larger pieces. Start small and then go big! I have many sketchbooks waiting for attention (and I bought two more while writing this post 🤭), however I think I am going to stick with one at a time. 🤗 🥰

For artists who are curious…the technical details:

My sketchbook of choice is the Traveler Sketchbook (landscape) by kovalshop.com … the company is a family owned business and their products are handcrafted. Check out the about page on their website and you will see why I love them! Arches is my favorite paper, and in cold press 300 gsm.

My paints are primarily Daniel Smith, with some shimmery ones from various brands. I have tried many different brands but really like this manufacturer. Also, they are a Pacific Northwest company so it just feels right.

I use many brushes but seem to always grab the following:

• #4 Paul Rubens Esprit round

• 1/2” Princeton Neptune oval wash

• #6 Princeton Velvetouch long round

• #1 Princeton Art & Brush Co. script

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Below is a link to the post that led to my recent epiphany to use one sketchbook at a time…