And how that varies between formats.
The answer is well that depends……
On location my pages develop almost organically, I choose a starting point and “grow’ my spread from there. my pages are usually filled with “vignettes” – small sketches with no defined edges.
I have to admit that the hardest thing is knowing when to stop!
In the studio I can be more organised and do some rough layout plans, though often I just wade in there the same as if I were on location.
I’ll show you some different pages here, in several different formats of sketchbook and as you will see there are endless possibilities.
Zig zag, or Leporello sketchbooks, my choice for traveling.
These are such a joy to use, light to carry around, and make for great panoramic sketches, or multiple vignettes.
A5 Portrait
My day to day choice, easy to handle, easy to layout the pages, and easy to photograph.
“Italy” on the left is a series of multiple sketch “vignettes” added as the day went on. The village houses on the right hand page are just one sketch. The A5 works for both.
A5 Landscape
This format is more of a challenge for me, harder to use and a bit tricky to photograph. But works really well for several sketches, or a panorama. These are very uniform and aligned, unusual for me.
Square 20 x 20
Another favourite, I love composing my pages with these books, lots of possibilities for a double page, or two separate sketches.
Or, as here, connecting vignettes with a theme.
A4 loose sheets
Simple to transport, easy to use portrait or landscape. Again I use these for multiple or single sketches.
If you want to learn more about layouts I’ll be covering this is my Morocco workshop next March
Susan Knapp Sketches 