I went through and looked up all the times I’ve taken, or partially taken, Sketchbook Design. Every class with Liz Steel begins with posting one’s current sketch. A sample of where their style and skills are before beginning the course. I was curious what had I posted before each run, and it always is so interesting to look back and review.
These are from the years 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
This year, it seems I’ve mostly just made pages with weather cards on them, so that is most definitely my “current” style of page!
This is also one of those unfinished pages from my previous entry. Obviously another week passed, so I added yet more date and weather cards. Then I decided it was a good page to finish off by documenting this year’s planner season, and Hobonichi purchasing. Just like that, it’s a page about current life!
I finally scanned my sketchbook again. I hadn’t scanned pages since 27 June! I begin again. I did just post an entry for July, that I’d written the first paragraph in the beginning of July, then never finished. Now I fill in with August. These pages mostly just capture the weather information. Very, very little sketching. But even when there is very little, that says something when you go back and look.
Soft summer skies and a lot of hot days.Sunflower CollageSennelier Neutral Palette, and a selection of Luminance pencils.
I am rather loving that Neutrals palette by Sennelier and I hope to do more with it. Plus, I finally ordered some Luminance pencils. I’ve long resisted because I don’t generally love dry media, and the line is fairly costly. However, I just could not resist these percent tones in the neutrals. So I will now find out if these pencils are worth their hype. So far, they felt lovely to swatch them. And the ink wash over them worked out very nicely.
Sketchbook Design begins in September. That is by far my favorite course with Liz Steel at Sketching Now. I had hoped to get a strong head start and begin in August. I know the course load is hefty, and I’m a completist, so only doing some of it feels so wrong! However, the month has just flown by.
I do have a number of unfinished pages for the second half of August, which conveniently is something the intro week recommends we have, so I’ve scanned those. They are pretty barren, but that’s the intention isn’t it?
Unfinished page dated 14 August 2026Unfinished page with sketched UFO and Derwent Drawing PencilsUFO “sport model” sketch with Sailor Shikiori Suberakashi ink wash
Anyone else following the monthly PURSUE releases on the UAP files? Fascinating stuff! I have watched a few other documentaries on the subject. I used an ink wash for this flying saucer. I am pretty sure this is the Sailor Shikiori Suberakashi ink. It’s a black ink with a greenish undertone, which seemed perfect.
Unfinished sketchbook spread, The Grail Method and various notes. Ink sketch of goblet
I watched a video on You Tube called the Grail Method by Perry Daniels and I was quite inspired by it. It gives me the idea of perhaps a less perfect sketchbook, and including more life things, more notes in the same book, rather than keeping so many subject specific notebooks might be a great idea. This is the page I sketched after watching his trio of videos on the subject.
Ink sketch of notebook with baby dragon
I just have to mention these adorable little baby dragons. I’m trying to learn how to draw these. I had them on my bookshelf in June, and here is another one. I am currently copying these from AI generated art, as I know nothing about illustration techniques. But they add a light-hearted whimsy that seriously brightens my days. I hope to keep drawing many more of these little guys until I can actually draw them myself, instead of copy them. Can’t wait to get this guy painted!
Unfinished sketchbook spread with weather and notes on Write Away methodUnfnished sketchbook page with weather notes for 26-29 August 2026.
And here we are, back to scorching heat and breaking records. These temperatures are usually in early July, not the end of August! I’m hiding in the A/C while I prepare for the Sketchbook Design course. I’m ramping up some spreads, if not too many sketches yet. I am thinking of some abstracts for these empty spreads? More ink washes?
Speaking of ink washes, how about I just share the accumulation of swatches I’ve been testing as well. I don’t have much to say about these.
Ink swatches on handmade watercolor paperInk and colored pencil swatches on handmade watercolor paperInk swatches on handmade watercolor paper tinted Lemon Yellow, with colored pencil swatches
This catches me up and now I get to swing into Sketchbook Design again. I have a tag for previous courses at sketchingnowsketchbookdesign.
Time is moving swiftly this summer, isn’t it? We are in the Dog Days of Summer now. I love that phrase. The Romans and Greeks considered a time of madness and insanity. Here in Phoenix, when the temps are over 110F, people do indeed go a little crazy. Me? I’m just hiding the in the A/C. And buying way, way too many books!
I had written the above paragraph ages ago, and then… the summer happened. So here are the July Pages:
Americana collage for the 250th 4th of July celebration.Collage with Americana and Magical Herbalism images. Weather and Collage for July.Pencils, and Draw Your Day style page.
(Posted on 30 August 2026. Backdated to 28 July 2026.)
So the question comes up, how do I document that I’m buying books, when I buy ebooks, and don’t really have anything to actually sketch? I could sketch the covers. I could sketch the kindle or the kobo. Or I could venture out of the world of observational sketching only, and venture into illustration. Gasp!
Well, if I’m going to venture into illustration, might as well add soot sprites and dragons then! Ha! So here is my illustrated bookshelf. the books are real and purchased, and I really am working on Homestead and Haven. The shelves, the vines, the flowers, the soot sprites, and the baby dragons are just for delight.
Midsummer Bookshelf with baby dragons, June 2026
Done with ink and watercolor wash, using my standard watercolor palette.
I think my favorite is that poor soot sprite trying so hard not to fall off that weather card! He is having a struggle moment, for sure!
If nothing else this month (or two), I finally attempted to draw little aged note cards to give my weather pages a bit more design. Even when I’m not sketching, or doing much of anything else, I like to keep the weather notes and dates in my sketchbook to mark the passage of time. They serve as a record of when the going was more pitted gravel than smooth highway.
Weather diary, May 20–26.
I’m currently working in a new Stillman & Birn 7.5″ square Alpha. Remarkably, this page marks only the fourth spread in volume 30. Thirty!
Recently, my printer stopped working, (too old for modern networks!) which forced me to pivot. I ended up getting a new one, and since I had a junk journal kit on hand, I decided to test print with it. When I didn’t end up sketching anything else to capture the days, I used those pages for collage. I became captivated by that specific shade of aged paper and wondered if my Gansai Tambi paints could match it.
Gofun White 101: A perfect match for the natural shade of the Alpha paper.
Flax Beige 401: Has great potential for an “aged” look, but didn’t quite match these specific printed sheets.
Shifting Plans & Playing with Color
Weather diary, May 27–June 7.
I had plans for sketching, but as the days slipped away, I simply played with watercolor and stencils. I used the Holbein watercolors that I assembled into my Travel Sketching palette (which I talked about in my last post). The dark blue spots were stenciled with watercolor over the color blocked background.
Crafting the Aged Look
Weather diary, June 8–19.
Really diving into how to make these note cards look aged, I used the Holbein palette:
Yellow Ochre: Used for that weathered, historic feel.
Eurasian Jay Rose Grey: The moody background complementary color to make the cards pop.
Jaune Brilliant 1: The yellowed wash on the facing page.
I originally intended to sketch something specific for the summer solstice, but I suspect now that this solid wash of color will remain as my tribute to the day.
Solstice Collaging
Weather diary, June 20–25.
Fortunately, this junk journal page felt incredibly fitting for the solstice, so I collaged it in alongside the Jaune Brilliant 1 note cards.
That opacity gave me some trouble over the text. With opaque paints I should probably paint my background first, or stick to a much more transparent paint!
Even when energy is low, keeping a visual record, an illustrated diary is important to me. I miss it, but at least I’ve captured this era in these small ways.
Once again the autoimmune adventures hit hard, and life piled on. I ended up just not doing any of the Travel Sketching class work except the intro kit building, and the current sketch. Now for the hard work of forgiving all the things I cannot control and just accepting the losses. I have, however, decided that I’m going to rest this summer, and not try for the Watercolor on Location group run. I’m obviously needing the recovery time.
It was hard to let go this time. But so be it. Back to the days and days of just listing the dates and the weather to mark the passage of time. I left some white space. In one of those half pages, I did a watercolor abstract like I used to do, and that turned out really well! (See below.)
Before I lost all oomph, I did get the color charts done for the Tombow Dual Brush Markers:
Tombow Dual Brush Markers in Travel Sketching Palette
The Tombows do not seem very reactive to water. The second half of each circle was activated with water, and it shows in a couple colors, but not in most of them.
Holbein Watercolors in Travel Sketching Palette
Still in the grip of my obsession with recreating this Travel Sketching Palette (I blame the brain chemistry from the allergen hits!) I bought these Holbein Watercolors. Aren’t these lovely?
Holbein Watercolors in Travel Sketching Palette: Permanent Lemon Yellow W235, Lunar Eclipse Red WG605, Verditer Blue W295, Green Grey W352, Yellow Ochre W234, Grey of Grey W353, Indigo W298, Shell Pink W226, Jaune Brilliant No 1 W231, Lavender W316, Davy’s Grey W355, Eurasian Jay Rose Grey WG661.
Abstract Watercolor
Last year I was doing some of these watercolor abstracts. They are such a lovely way to play with color. I had to test this palette with one. I rather like this one. It ended up looking like an abstract landscape. (Also note: I cannot for the life of me get Posca pens to work! Is my climate just too dry? But there is a hint of white showing my attempt!) These abstracts are so good for capturing mood, or a moment that I find they fit documenting life surprising well. They hold memories and feelings quite well.
The complete spread in my sketchbook. A bit more thought on page design than I’ve used in a while, which feels good.
As for this summer, I have a few half pages with white space along with my dates and weather. Perhaps I will be able to sketch items or scenes. I will definitely make more abstracts.
I want to return to illustrated journaling, and documenting life as it happens. That has always been my primary goal, and what drew me to keeping a sketchbook in the first place. I am missing that in my influences and in my own work, so when I regain some oomph, I shall revisit my old inspirations.
I’m looking forward to the run this upcoming autumn of the Sketchbook Design course. Every time I’ve done it, I end up capturing more life and making pages I love. My sketchbook ends up feeling like me.
13-19 May 2026 with Abstract Watercolor, and Holbein Travel Sketching Palette swatches.
I had to add Tombow Dual Brush Pens and the Holbein Watercolors to the palette family! And I had to open Volume 30 with all of them as my frontispiece.
The Travel Sketching palette in nine media — Inktense, Holbein Watercolors, Tombow Dual Brush, Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers, Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils, Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens, standard watercolor palette, and Neocolor 2. Volume 30 frontispiece, May 2026.
The concept is simple: same limited Travel Sketching palette, nine different media, arranged sudoku-style. Little nine patches of each medium. The first three nine patches are Inktense, Holbein Watercolors, and Tombow Dual Brush. The second three nine patches are Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers, Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils (the original palette, in the center, and Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush. The bottom three nine-patches are Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens, my standard watercolor palette, and Neocolor 2.
The big surprise? How close in hue I was able to get each medium. The Neocolor 2 are nicely rich and creamy. Without labels you’d have a hard time telling most of them apart in a sketch.
This is the perfect way to really see how the different media work, and feel.
I have thusly begun Sketchbook Volume 30! I have been in a landscape format sketchbook for over a year, testing various Stillman and Birn papers in the 5.5 x 8.5 and 6 x 9 inch books. I am SO glad to be in a bigger book. This is the 7.5 x 7.5 inch Stillman & Birn Alpha and I can already feel the difference. With a little more space, I’m thinking about sketchbook design more and hoping to keep that in mind for this book.
The Travel Sketching palette in nine media — Inktense, Holbein Watercolors, Tombow Dual Brush, Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers, Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils, Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens, standard watercolor palette, and Neocolor 2. Volume 30 frontispiece, May 2026.
What do you do with a bag of many different types of markers, all in the same palette? Draw food, of course.
Well, I draw the food anyway. I’d been loving the Sailor Shikiori markers for food sketching — those gorgeous watery effects! But I’d also just finished building the same Travel Sketching palette six ways. Or eight. (What? I got obsessed.)
I knew the palette worked for landscapes and cityscapes. But food? I had to find out.
Food sketches in Shikiori and Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Markers, 5–8 May 2026
Shikiori markers for the first few days as I had been doing previously, then the Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Markers, then the Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers, and finally the Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens — my first time ever using those in color.
Ink on Paper — Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers, food diary, 9–10 May 2026
Not too bad, actually! The water-based markers end up more similar than different — the palette mostly wins. Except those tomatoes. You have to think about it to realize they’re tomatoes, because the sanguine is just not red enough. Every single person who looked at my sketchbook squinted at them. Sorry, tomatoes. You deserved better.
Food Sketches in Albrect Dürer Watercolor Markers, and Pitt Artist Brush Pens, 9–12 May 2026
In other news — I started indexing all my sketchbook pages. Can you imagine? A searchable index so I can find when I last sketched a particular subject, or when I sampled a paint color and then never used it again. Oh yes.
On Monday evening I walked over to Stonecreek to check on the goslings. They’re at that awkward adolescent phase where their down has turned brown instead of green, but their tail feathers are not yet coming in. I chickened out on drawing them.
The sky, however, was putting on a show. I captured the soft pastels while the geese were eating. But I could tell the color was going to be spectacular so I raced to the other side of the pond, to catch the reflections. This extraordinary fire-red-orange rewarded me. What a stunning sunset! I found out the next day there was a wildfire to the west of town. That might explain the stunning color.
Bloodstone Genuine and Transparent Pyrrol Orange direct watercolor. Sunset at Stonecreek, 4 May 2026
I used Bloodstone Genuine and Transparent Pyrrol Orange. Even the frame is all watercolor. My first “Darks” drawing for May’s Patreon theme by Liz Steel.
Beltane comes and you can feel the season changing. I needed a week off. (Burnout persists!) I tried to clear the decks. I ordered a soft peachy floral display with sage colored leaves for the soothing soft vibes. (The order promised peach roses, white Asiatic lilies, peach miniature carnations, and white stock, accented with pitta negra, dusty miller, and a soft green echeveria succulent.)
I printed my Coloring Book of Shadows Beltane images and the start of May as well, and distributed them through the remaining 12 pages (six spreads) of sketchbook volume 28. So close to the end I can taste it! I’m eager! I’m ready to move out of this year plus long series of landscape sketchbooks, testing the various Stillman and Birns papers. It’s been great, and I learned a lot about the papers. I am ready for a bigger page! I left room for sketches and hoped the spread-out collage pieces would create harmony on the pages. (The jury is still out on that.)
Direct watercolor, Beltane bouquet, 1 May 2026
My flowers arrived, and I received vibrant orange and dark green instead. “Flowers may be substituted.” (Tropicana roses, white Asiatic lilies, orange carnations, and white stock with leatherleaf fern and salal, and a dark green echeveria succulent.)
Well, I guess we’re doing Transparent Pyrrol Orange today!
Beltane Flowers. 1 May 2026
These are the flowers I received, so I’ll paint them as they came. I tried to capture the white Asiatic lilies and the white stock flowers. White flowers are hard to paint! The Transparent Pyrrol Orange was the perfect shade for the orange flowers, with no mixing needed. I did not paint it as bright as those Tropicana roses, though. I carried that color palette over to the Beltane collage sticker, as the new color story of the day.
Ink Wash Bags for Declutter, 2 May 2026
Naturally, the weather threatened a crazy heat wave coming, and working in a hot garage is a bad idea, so I pushed to finish the garage declutter while the cooler temperature held one last weekend.
Robert Oster Graphite ink wash sketch, 2 May 2026
I love doing these Robert Oster Graphite inky chromatography garbage bags to document the decluttering. They are so expressive, and that color separation is delicious. Another big day of decluttering, and that settles the garage for the next eight months.
Book Still-life — ink and watercolor. 2 May 2026
The Start Your Sketchbook Journal course by Danny Gregory is exactly what I want to be doing with my sketchbook practice, but I keep putting off the course. Maybe because I’m terrible at taking time off, and when I need a break, I end up decluttering garages, so the self-paced courses get put off so easily? Yeah. That.
Notebooks still life, 2 May 2026
But I sketched the new delivery of composition books and Aries Journal from Coloring Book of Shadows. I even sketched one of the corner designs by hand! I really need to practice illustration-style sketching!
Jamie's Sketchbook 