Starting a brand new sketchbook can feel oddly stressful. Clean pages, no marks, and the sense that the first drawing needs to be good can make it surprisingly hard to begin.
This is a very common feeling.
One of the best things you can do with a new sketchbook is to deliberately lower expectations. The first page does not need to be impressive. In fact, many artists find it helpful to “ruin” it on purpose.
Try making marks without thinking too much. Scribble, test materials, draw something ordinary or even make a mess. Once the perfect page is gone, the sketchbook becomes much easier to use.
A sketchbook is not a portfolio. It is a space for exploration and learning. Some pages will work better than others, and that is exactly how it should be.
If you are hesitating to start a new sketchbook, remind yourself that it is there to be used, not protected. Blank pages do not teach you anything – used pages do.
If you are looking for a reason to open a fresh page this week, our Weekend Art Challenges, posted here on the blog every Friday, offer simple themes that work well for sketchbook practice.
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