I’ve just come to the end of a sketchbook that I’ve kept for the last 18 months, so thought I’d post a few pages here. Ironically, when I was in the thick of being a children’s illustrator, I didn’t keep sketchbooks – the last thing I needed in my spare time was to be drawing. I had to rest my overstretched tendons and tunnels (I had recurring RSI). In recent years I’ve started to carry one around with me again. I’ve also included some pages from other sketchbooks – I have them of varying sizes from a tiny one that fits in my purse to an A4 book at home in which I do comics workings-out.
I don’t often attempt to do finished drawings in them – they’re more for practising looking, and planning (comics). I like to draw in cafes, on journeys, on beaches, and in waiting rooms etc. In these situations, people are in varying degrees of motion, which means fast drawing is required to get any sense of form. I like that challenge, and the results are very gestural lines – mere essence of movement or character.
My reasons for sketching are varied, and include: taking the opportunity to practise drawing when I’m not doing anything else; an attempt to be ‘in the moment’ and record it for posterity; on occasion, to escape from the moment or thoughts, or from boredom; note-taking at talks; and I also sketch in the wee hours when I can’t sleep – this tends to be when comics idea emerge. They can seem very urgent and important in a dozy half-slumber but often appear pretty rubbish later in the day. Like dreams!
Some lovely sketches there! Pleased to have come across your work, I’ll follow with interest!
Cheers!
I agree! Wow, you are so talented! Love your drawings, I wish I could draw like you! You really deserved to bee on the freshly pressed site! Amazing work!!!
Well deserved as a freshly pressed blog. Your work is beautiful Paula xxx
Thanks Jody! 🙂
Very cool sketches. I like your illustrations too. In reference to to the wee hours point, I get that urgency to write many late nights. And yes, sometimes I’m not sure how much I like what I have written later in the day. But I try to get up every time the moment hits.
Please visit our family blog: http://www.Cop-A-Squat.com
Your sketches are so lovely. They really capture the little day to day moments of life, and manage to portray movement within stillness (if that makes any sense!).
Yes it makes perfect sense – thank you!
Wow, they’re really good, you’re brilliant at sketching!
Those are some really nice sketches. How long were you a children’s illustrator?
Thank you! Children’s illustration is still an ongoing concern but I mainly earn money from proofreading to enable me to concentrate on my graphic novel at the moment. I first illustrated a children’s book in 2000.
oh, a graphic novel! what’s it about?
Love love love this. I have just recently taken to really keeping track of my doodles and cartoons, and as I look back in the book from time to time, it is heart warming (and comical) to see what you feel the need to doodle down! At the time it feels so incredible and inspiring, and then I sometimes look back and wonder if a 12 year old snuck into my book and drew it. Nope – just me. I am totally in love with your header images too – beautiful, heart warming and happy. So thank you for the inspiration and now this access to your beautiful work. Keep shining x
Thank you! I wasn’t keeping my doodles on purpose – I just had a year’s worth of recycling in a box and noticed them. But yes, it’s very strange, because I don’t remember doing many of them!
Beautiful!
What a cool blog!
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Are you familiar with a project called Passages For Lost Clouds by Ken Wong? Your sketches remind me of it…in a good way. A good thing to google if you need a quick weird idea.
I’ve never heard of that, no, but will take a look. Thanks!
Nice sketches here, Paula. There’s several established themes through your work, so I guess you enjoy creating them.
I enjoy discreetly sketching the faces of fellow coffee drinkers at one of our local waterfront cafes.
It’s good practice, and the coffee is always good.
http://cartoonmick.wordpress.com/humorous-illustration/
Cheers
Mick
Love the mice! It could be a children’s book 🙂
Likewise! I also liked the presentation of your work on your blog. How do you do that? Congratulations on the FP!
Thanks! Do you man the carousel? You upload images all together from a folder then ‘save all changes’ then ‘insert into post’ – a box will appear on the edit screen but you can’t see the images unless you ‘preview’ before posting. I think…
Thank you, Paula. I have a serialised cartoon story planned, and the carousel is probably the most suitable way to display it. I still have a lot of drawing to do!
Great – good luck with it.
Thanks! I just used the Columnist Theme by Ben Martineau.
Btw, What’s FP?
FP is the abbreviation for “Freshly Pressed”. The congratulations were meant for Paula Knight. I am sorry to have confused you maitchd. I was simply agreeing with your comment made to Paula…oh, dear!
Oh that’s alright, I was a little confused. 🙂 Thanks for clearing that up.
Kind of embarrassing lol! Maybe I shouldn’t be reading comments first thing in the morning!
Nice. I particularly like the beach one. Congrats on the FP.
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Awesome blog! I loved the layout so I wanted to try something like it too. I used it as a response for my English hw.
Have a look: http://kierstentoye.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/blog-response-2-sketchbook-pages-by-paulaknight/
Thanks fr the inspiration. Keep up your illustrations. They’re freaking amazing 😀
Thank you so much – I’ve left a comment on your site. Means a lot to feel like this has inspired someone 🙂
omg super awesome! i like drawing on binder paper too.
Really amazing illustrations thank you for sharing!
That’s exactly why my daughter keeps little books to sketch in all over the house and carries one with her when we’re out. She always says, “Just in case.” What a great way to handle life. Beautiful sketches.
That’s really sweet – I’m glad she’s starting early! Hope she keeps drawing – lots of people stop as they grow up/older when they are told they ‘can’t’ draw at school etc.
You are very talented!
Such a wide variety of stuff in here. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely work….Do Check out a creation for love :
teddyandchubby.wordpress.com
Wonderful sketches and art! Awesome! http://www.segmation.wordpress.com
wow your sketches are amazing! I wish my sketches were like this for my GCSE art 😛 x
Love your sketches! I’ve always been too shy myself to bring my sketchbook to draw in public – I suppose it’s the fear of someone noticing I’m drawing them or coming over and saying “Why are you drawing him/her?” I like the way you capture everyday scenes in such a short space of time 🙂
Beautiful sketches! I must remember to carry a sketchbook with me. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Reblogged this on hello from me to you and commented:
amazing illustrations here!!!
Great job! Very creative!
fabulous, Thank u for sharing 🙂 You have a very natural ability. I’m glad to have found your site via Freshly Pressed.
Reblogged this on whearvon.
Thank you for sharing lovely work.
I love your work, it’s very beautiful!
It must be wonderful to look back at the last 18 months through your drawings. Your illustrations are stunning, so heartfelt. 😀
So lovely.
Nice doodles. 🙂
amazing sketches
Awesome!!!!!
It would be my pleasure if you follow my blog…….
I just love your Illustrations:)
I thought I’m to only one who doesn’t finish my works. I have a sketchbook too, but I did not draw from a long time now, because I never finished them. Your post encouraged me to draw again, without any second thoughts, just because I like doing it. Very inspiring! Thank you 🙂
It’s this sort of reply that makes me think blogging about my work might be worthwhile. Before I was ‘freshly pressed’ the response to my blog posts were waning, although one or two supportive people kept me going. So – thank you!
Great sketches! Thank you for sharing
I can’t sketch at all! Admire those who can. Nice post!
Nice sketches. Movement. Ideas. Images. I´m freshly impressed. 🙂
Beautiful work! I love seeing an artist at work. 🙂
Great sketches, and it’s such a good idea to bring a pad wherever you go to sketch or to write. Thanks for the reminder.
Love the pieces you posted. I’ve been working on my recent sketchbook on and off for a year now. I used to do graphic design so that thought of drawing on my free time seemed absurd to me. But when I switched to a writing profession, I found a new love for the sketchbook or maybe just the mere act of doodling. Thanks for the post!
Really cool sketches 🙂
Very pleased to have come across this blog of yours. its amazing .
Some lovely artwork here. I also keep a sketchbook and wondered how you transfer the images to maintain good quality – is this via scanner or a good camera?
Thank you. I use a scanner. I use Photoshop to clean up the image and for colour balance but for the sketchbook images I just scanned them and darkened the lines so they were properly visible.
So lovely. I think I must do a blog post of just some of my sketches to share with the blog world. Thanks for sharing!
These are awesome! I wish the size of the scan versions was bigger though, would be easier to look at all of them.
Thanks for looking – if you click on them you should get a carousel where they appear bigger.
Love, love, love sketches! Great work!
I fully agree 🙂
Great sketches! Way to go .
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