Friday 29 November 2013

Documenting the Madness....Journals


I started a Masters in September, one of the big things the tutors talk about is the importance of keeping a journal. Here are my current journals (I can't keep one entire book for everything, I have many). I thought I would let you have a look at how I am managing my thoughts!



These are B5 size (smaller than A4 but bigger than A5), I have a writing journal and a drawing journal (not a sketchbook! I'll get to that later), the writing reflects on thoughts and issues within my work.

The drawing book I don't consider a sketchbook, even though it's full of sketches!





A sneaky peek inside, we had a crazy life drawing session in which Breaking Bad was projected onto a screen behind the model so have a close look in the background to spot who's there!



This is the outside and inside of my 'taking notes' notebook, I have a HUGE reading list and a terrible memory, so I have to write lots of notes. I usually sit in the living room and pretend I am a clever scholar from the olden days.


Look at this little beauty, and it has a magnetic closing mechanism. This book is for keeping notes on books that are not on my reading list, the ones I read in my spare time. These can be things I've discovered from the reading list, that I need to read up on such as ancient Greek myths and Norse legends that I know little about or fun books I've read and want to remember. Mainly these notes are one page summaries on graphic novels and comics, just incase I go back to work at www.megacitycomics.co.uk again where I was advised to keep a little book on all the things I've read or yet to read. This was such a handy tip, especially if there is a book you have never heard of, note it down, then look it up later, it really expands your comic knowledge. Thanks for the tip Martin!



I hope you are keeping up! The red notebook is for primary source information and research, here are interviews with miners, excerpts from books, quotations, and stories from family members. The black notebook contains story arcs and ideas for my graphic novel memoir using the research.



Faces is a visual reference journal, or is it a sketchbook? When does a journal become a sketchbook? Basically its a book full of drawings of faces, but you knew that!





This journal is a beautiful moleskine, when I get a lovely book like this I am afraid to draw in the front for fear of ruining it. So I start in the back first and work from right to left, yes I know it's silly, MOST of my sketchbooks are drawn this way too. What is it about that first page of a new sketchbook that puts the fear into so many artists?

I use this journal for making thumbnails of comics, it's rough and scrappy but I love it. I always think my drawings in here are more interesting and lively than anywhere else. 



  And finally!! Gold star if you have read this far folks! This is my mini notebook (A6) that goes in my bag everywhere and is just for quick notes and ideas. 


These are just my notebooks and journals, I also keep sketchbooks of different size and content but I 'll keep that off the blog!












1 comment:

  1. Nice to see some of my books I bought you! Do you remember my journals I kept when I was at derby uni? It's so nice to see some of your work, sometimes I think the work looks more special and interesting in its unfinished state. You must have a big bookshelf to put these on!

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