Anatomy of a Page: Introduction

For one of my student sketchbook workshops a few years ago, I presented images of a typical sketchbook page at various stages of completion. For the participating students, it was a guided tour of my creative process: where my ideas come from, how I create images, my favorite materials and techniques, and the ways in which those things intermingle.

For me, it was an opportunity to analyze my own work from inside the process of making it. This is a tricky endeavor because analysis is dangerous if it comes too early in creative work. Potentially good but underdeveloped ideas too often melt under the harsh light which benefits a more finished piece.

Of course, now I can find neither the images I showed nor a copy of that original presentation. So throughout the upcoming days and weeks, I'll chronicle the development of a typical spread of sketchbook pages, explaining my thoughts and process along the way.