In just a day or two I finished Danny Gregory’s book “An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers”. He sells it on Amazon here. Some of those from the USK group whose work I admire are featured in this book as they also do illustrated journals.
For the past year I’ve thought I wouldn’t like to do an illustrated journal. I write a page or more everyday in my “word journal”. Trying to draw illustrations every day would leave me no time to do anything else. However, I’ve gradually come around to the idea that an occasional illustrated entry would be interesting. Reading this book was inspiring.
There is a broad range of artists represented. There were several whose styles I did not particularly like. But Danny has chosen well the artists to showcase. Other readers interested in this subject will find styles they will like. I found particularly helpful the text in which each artist described their work, their methods and their tools in their own words. I didn’t actually count, but I was left with the impression that the most preferred sketchbooks were either Moleskine or self made.
I borrowed this book from the library. I’m glad I did as there really wasn’t enough in it I liked enough to keep in permanently. However, I’ll now follow the blogs and perhaps buy the books of those artists I liked best in this book. I am also going to get more of Mr. Gregory’s work.
I returned it today and picked up Cathy Johnson’s “Artist’s Journal Workshop: Creating Your Life in Words and Pictures”. I’ll let you know what I think. In quickly looking through the book, I like the styles of all the artists represented in it.
I also browsed the stacks in my library at the same call letters as Cathy’s book and chose two more to borrow.
I own both of the books you mentioned because I like them both very much. In fact, Danny’s book is one of several that eventually nudged me hard enough that I finally started drawing (after a lifetime of saying I couldn’t). Looking forward to your take on Cathy’s book. I find it very inspiring, although I rarely journal in the way she shows. I seem to do that only when I travel (words and sketches together).