Hi there. How are you?

I’ve been on a sketchbooking tear lately. I’ve been more prolific in recent months than I’ve been since starting my book in early 2024 and I’m enjoying every minute of it. I’ve been drawing almost daily, usually from the comfort of my couch, and in just 2 and a half months, I filled my tiny Stillman & Birn sketchbook.

When I say this sketchbook is tiny, I mean it. The pages are just 5” wide x 3.5” high, so it was easy to fill a page a night. It’s the first time in a long time (maybe ever!) that I’ve worked in a sketchbook with a horizontal format. Working it in was challenging in a good way. I was forced to try out new compositions to fill the long, skinny format.

I made it a point to really let myself play in this sketchbook, with less concern for the final outcome. My focus was experimentation; working to expand my repertoire of marks, color palettes and compositions. I’ve had the itch to go beyond ballpoint lately, so I added acrylic ink, white gel pen, and Prismacolor pencils to my spreads.

I’ve got my drawings arranged here in chronological order so you can see how my style and imagery shifts over time.

Started off with the basics

I started this sketchbook off just after Thanksgiving 2025 and worked just with my trusty ballpoint pen. In some of these spreads, I used only one color and in others, I layered two or more colors together. I usually photographed the pens that were used in each drawing along with the spread. I love the look of the multi-color sketches as they have so much depth. They’re super time consuming though, so I only did a few.

Most of these drawings feature floral motifs, which has been a go-to of mine for eons. Instead of shading in the floral shapes, I shaded around them, making the white spaces the focal point. It’s a bit different way of working than I have in the past.

Enter in: Acrylic Ink

I’ve been experimenting with acrylic ink again. (I posted a reel that shows a bit of my painting process.) I’m simply filling in blank areas of my drawing with flat color and it’s so much fun! I love how the ink glides across the paper and the contrast and color it brings to the drawing.

Gel Pen Accents

On a few of the spreads, I worked back on top of the paint with ballpoint or a white gel pen, adding another layer of dimension and texture. I love the way the white pen pops on the surface and it’s really relaxing to draw all of those stripes.

Colored Pencil Experiments

I continued to experiment with color, this time with colored pencils. I pulled out my Prismacolors and forced myself to use colors that I don’t normally gravitate towards. (I’m looking at you yellow, peach and violet!) I really enjoyed making these spreads and I’m pleased with how they turned off. Playing fast and loose paid off!

Video Sketchbook Tour

If you’d like to hear a bit more about my process, do watch my sketchbook flip through video. I talk a bit about drawing in the book. In just about 13 minutes, you’ll see about 3 months worth of drawing.