daily sketchbook: by gardega

It is most important to keep a sketchbook. I know a lot of artist who gave up on keeping one because they got too busy or became a computer hack. I have recently forced myself to keep a sketchbook with me at all times again. It is hard to carry one everywhere but life isnt easy. I am working out some new etched window designs I have to make. What I normally like to do before I start doing my "work" is I will copy a figure or dome old master drawing to get my hand up to speed and get out the rust. Here is a copy of Michelangelo. Just because it is your sketchbook doesnt mean you should be sloppy, keep it sacred and neat. 

Dont be afraid to use it for everything, including your shopping list. Da vinci kept everything in his book in cluding his shopping lists etc. I write backwards in my sketch books, not because leonardo did this but because I started doing it as a kid when I discovered I could write backwards without having to think about it. Leonardo wrote backwards to keep the spies at bay--

he also intentionally made his drawings of inventions with certain flaws (his famous tank had the front and rear gears reversed) so if people copied it they wouldnt succeed. People are thieves in this world, I have had many an idea and invention stolen (even from my blog) I dont need to steal people's ideas, I like my own ideas. Writing backwards also does something to the brain I cant explain, it sharpens you up a little bit..By getting up at 4:30 I was able to get a real jump on my day, cleaned my entire apt before 9 and now I have a whole day to work on art. I f I got up late by the time I cleaned it would be noon or later and the day is shot.  Cleaning up for me before I work is like a zen exercise. I work better when its clean an organized but it is a battle because my brain is a creative non-linear little tasmanian devil who makes a lot of mess.