Prepare to be inspired.

Sketchbooks are on my mind as I am participating in both Sketchbookery with Mary Ann Moss and Sketchbook Skool Semester 2: "Seeing." So after I complete this post, I'm drawing some toast and sketching some teacups. I have other things I should do (clean out the car, hammer out some tiles, clean up the studio, blahblahblah), but drawing seems like more fun right now. I'll post the results soon...

Meanwhile, in response to Mary Ann's call for some of our favorite sketchers, I revisited my Sketchers page on this blog.  I wanted to stop at 4 or 5 and already found those in the first half dozen of the list. There are so many talented artists out there!

I cannot choose a favorite.  It's like choosing a favorite child or book or European city or cat. But in the top five is this one: 4ojos.com. Enrique Flores will keep you busy for hours if you let him. I could send you directly to his sketchbooks (there are many there) but then you would miss the octopus. And his blog. Hit the glasses for Enrique on the link here; it will take you to the octopus. His sketches of places are loose and journaly, often with an expressive limited palette. He uses value beautifully. And does cool buildings. And crowd scenes. And MAPS! He does complete sketchbook page flips on You Tube. Subscribe to acuarelista. 

Enrique Flores

Enrique Flores

Liz Steel

I'll skip Liz Steele in my list but only because she's mentioned on the forum already. But only for that reason. Another prolific sketcher who does amazing buildings, reflecting her architectural background. But her teacups sing.

Cathy Gatland of Johannesburgs sketches and paints little vignettes of life in A Sketch in Time. 

Anita Davies, United Kingdom. Sketches from her journals. Close-ups of everyday things are especially charming. Blog is loaded with her work.

Amanda Kavanaugh

Amanda Kavanaugh

She has a wide range of subjects, but I especially love Amanda Kavanaugh's travel sketches. A Brooklyn artist, her small thumbprints cram so much visual information in them. Mary Ann, you surely must have noticed this one before. Note her URL!

They Draw and Cook (kristin youdesignme) above,
They Draw and Travel (Lena Umezawa) below

If you have not discovered the entries on They Draw and Travel and They Draw and Cook, where have you been? The maps in Draw and Travel are so much fun. These are blogs but a book is also available of They Draw and Cook. 

Andrea Joseph

Finally, although their work is hardly in the "sketchbook" arena, please look at the drawings of Andrea Joseph and Paul Madonna. You will not be disappointed. Au contraire, you will be astounded. 

(Andrea is a featured instructor this semester at Sketchbook Skool, but for the record, folks, I discovered this gem a LONG long time ago. So there.) 

Paul Madonna....(but you haven't seen anything yet!) 

and, oh gosh, I haven't even mentioned Nina Johannson yet.