Make Art by Making Marks | Sketchbook Journaling
January 2, 2026 / Helen Kachur
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- “I strive to give to others a sense of sacredness, because an art event is not just a formal fact, but also a moment where you put a mark on your dedication.” Enzo Cucchi
Last year The Art Guide travel crew celebrated several milestones in their journey across southwest United States to New Mexico where they visited the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, just north of Santa Fe. Our team was surprised to discover a large variety of very delicate O’Keefe sketches and insightful drawings that inspired her work, and often led to finished oil paintings. Encouraged by those drawings, our staff considers in this article a few new art projects for 2026 that begin with the importance of sketchbook journaling as a regular routine.
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- There are moments in life that are like pivots around which your existence turns – small intuitive flashes, when you know you have done something correct for a change, when you think you are on the right track. I watched a pale dawn streak the cliffs with Day-glo and realized this was one of them. It was a moment of pure, uncomplicated confidence – and lasted about 10 seconds” Robyn Davidson, ‘Tracks’
Sketchbook journaling is a casual commitment to draw, with less intention than that of thumbnail sketches prepared for larger canvases. Journaling as a hobby can easily be done during a break in the day, brief stop by a cafe, waiting room, train ride or simply sitting in your backyard. During those moments of undisturbed quietude, a quick sketch can later conjure special memories, made more interesting with punctuated notes and humorous doodles. An enjoyable practice is to take on the artistic challenge of master artists by exaggerating specific visual details, without the support of text.
If you’ve thought that journaling just isn’t right for your busy schedule, read on to learn about its ease and benefits, then see if it speaks to you. The materials are simple; a sketchbook with pencil/drawing tools or a mobile tablet with paint app and the below start:
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- First consider the sketch option that best fits your lifestyle, a portable small notebook or mobile tablet.
- Experiment with the best times of the week to spend a few minutes alone to reflect and draw.
- Start simply with a single sentence or few drawn lines, then stop and reflect without mental critique.
- For continuity keep to a basic template showing headings, dates and general location.
- Explore different styles of drawing and writing techniques.
- Avoid erasing or any corrections – be imperfect.
Sketching busy or large spaces is an drafting challenge that can easily be reduced to a single composition by following a few smart steps. First, Art Guide’s travel team recommends keeping visual design and materials simple. Purchasing a variety of modern-day art equipment is costly and often ignored. Rely on the basics to help enhance your focus in the moment and avoid distractions while capturing an image.
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- “Everything that is painted directly and on the spot has always a strength, a power, a vivacity of touch which one cannot recover in the studio… three strokes of a brush in front of nature are worth more than two days of work at the easel.” Eugene Boudin, notes
When sketching, the Art Guide travel crew would often organize a spacious vista into a few brief line movements to isolate key elements and define compositional space. At this early stage, it helps to plan perspective, direction of light for shadows and limit subject detail. Defining negative spaces while you work is an important and easy way to emphasize a subject. Written text descriptions are also a great benefit in later defining specific colors and gathering visual cues for a future art project.
While journaling, do hesitate and do stop for deeper study, but then move on. Your sketches are ideas without commitment or internal critique. A good artistic practice, that Vincent van Gogh used regularly in his drawing, is to incorporate a variety of directional pencil/pen marks to distinguish grassy fields from water or a jagged rock face. Your collection of images then become a valuable note keeping reference, best if not held precious, as your next insight could easily be lost to overspent details.
In time, journaling can become a very relaxing and welcomed reflection that offers the benefit of a quiet stress-free moment and creative confidence builder. Our team’s studies found that journaling can help to boost visual awareness, focus on personal goals and easily inspire creative thought for future art work.
Wishing our Art Guide readers – happy journaling in 2026!
