Sensational Sketchbooks

A sketchbook is a tool used by artists the world over; it is a space to innovate freely, experiment and work things out, document ideas, make mistakes and, most importantly, have fun.  At the Art Room we are big believers in encouraging children to take their art in ways that are important to them.  We provide a starting point but love it when individual ideas can be nurtured in imaginative and surprising directions.  So, this week, we all got busy making our own sketchbooks to create a special space for all our young artist’s ideas to land and grow.

Our preschoolers had a fabulous time making concertinaed picture books which they filled with brightly coloured images to tell their own stories. First off, everyone got creative decorating book covers using vibrant paints and balloons to print swirly, marbled patterns across long strips of paper. Then, with the help of their grown-ups, each child drew their own picture cards of characters and places that they chose to include in their personal story boards, which, once assembled, were a joy to read and share!

After school, the children made simple, pocket-sized sketchbooks from paper, card and string.  Personalising the outside covers of their books encouraged everyone to take ownership of their projects: bright, eclectic collage, shiny, graphic patterns, bold, colourful name badges and intricate, mindful doodles emerged throughout the afternoon and provided a fascinating and kaleidoscopic glimpse through the windows of their imagination. 

To boost their creative journey, everyone made their own little sketching prompts to tuck inside their books.  Some captured ideas about the people, places and moments that are important to them, others dreamt up exciting challenges to explore new things and get the creative juices flowing. ‘Think of a special day and celebrate it 🎉’ was the spark of inspiration captured by one of our 10-year-old artists. Fab advice. Happy sketching everyone!