For as far back as the historical record goes, mankind has been inspired to draw. From cave-walls in France, to tombs in Egypt, to pottery across the ancient world from the farthest reaches of Asia to the heart of the Roman empire, mankind has been inspired to draw things of importance in their world. Mankind has used the act of drawing to develop artistic concepts, to communicate ideas, and to understand the world around them. The reasons mankind has leaned on to draw are as varied as the materials we have adopted over the years.
Today, even with the rise of digital art formats, it is still a common sight to see artists sketching in notebooks of various shapes and sizes. Many artists who study professionally, or are trained through an atelier, are required to complete many sketches in these notebooks, from which ideas will later be mined for other “more finished” artworks. Artists of all disciplines are known to cart booklets with them in which they can practice their skills or pass spare time enjoyably.
But where did this habit begin?
This concept of the sketchbook as we know and understand them today began to really take root in the 1400s1. Prior to this, there were “model books,” or books of conventional templates (aka. formulas) for figure paintings and motifs that artists could work from2, but they certainly weren’t the spontaneous collections of visual information tied to an individual artist’s perspective in the world. Think of a model book as a small “library” of artistic traditions and accepted solutions to painterly problems, a reference manual of sorts.
That all changed in the 1400s, however. The concept of “sketching” as an art form in its’ own right was a bit of a novelty because previously, drawing was seen as merely preparatory work for painting3. But with the increased availability of paper (even though it was expensive!) and other drawing materials, suddenly the act of drawing took on more prominence. Artists sketched and sketched and sketched, and then either bound those papers into booklets, or created booklets of paper to fill with sketches. At last, in the 16th and 17th centuries, not only did drawing take it’s place of legitimacy in art, the sketchbook habit was forever ingrained in the daily life and work of the artist.
Today, very few of these prototype sketchbooks survive, having frequently fell victim to being cut up and parceled out, or even simply tossed out because they weren’t perceived as “valuable.” The ones that have survived are an incredible glimpse into the creative minds who lived among their pages. Like most who came before, I use my sketchbook to delve deep into understanding my world, give vision to my prayer life, and so much more. I encourage all of my students to explore, record, and play in their sketchbooks, and I remind them that everyone’s sketchbook is as unique as a fingerprint — no two look exactly the same or take the same form.
As an artist, it is quite a wild thing to consider that my Sterilite bins (yes, plural) of journals and sketchbooks may someday give strangers a unique glimpse into the daily struggles, successes, moments of beauty, and waves of inspiration I navigate on a daily basis. The thought makes me wonder: did Da Vinci know we would pore over his journals with fascination and scratch our heads at his backwards handwriting? Did Captain James Cook know that we would one day admire the artistry of his notebooks as much as we revere his contribution to the Age of Exploration?
It’s hard to say. All I know is that at the end of the day, it’s pretty neat to consider I’m engaging in a practice that has been around for a bit over 500 years, just by doodling in a small book of paper.
Clark, S.S.; Poorman, E.; and Takahatake, N. (2023). Sketchbooks at the Getty. https://getty.libguides.com/sketchbooks/introduction
Dr. Kren, E. and Dr. Marx, D. (n.d.). From Modelbooks to Sketchbooks. Web Gallery of Art. https://www.wga.hu/tours/gothic/modelboo.html
Britannica. (n.d.) Drawing: History, Techniques, Materials. https://www.britannica.com/art/drawing-art/History-of-drawing