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I take my sketchbook with me everywhere I go. Whether I'm traveling, in a class, or just out with friends, I try to sketch whatever I find interesting. Sometimes I'll take a quick picture to draw from later, but I always try to capture moments as they happen. My process is all about having fun, practicing my skills, and telling a story with my drawings.

Two Types of Sketchbooks

I find it's important to have two different kinds of sketchbooks. One is my "nice" sketchbook, and the other is for practice.

• The "Nice" Sketchbook: This is where I create more finished illustrations and practice my style. I intentionally try to make these pages look good, with compositions that feel complete. It’s my space for having fun and experimenting with ideas.

• The "Loose" Sketchbook: This one is for grinding and studying. It’s filled with looser figure drawings, observational sketches, and incomplete ideas. It’s less about creating a beautiful page and more about the practice itself. This book is more for me, while the other is more for showing.

My Tools and Techniques

You really don't need expensive materials to create great sketches. I mostly use simple, accessible tools.

• Ballpoint Pens: This is my primary tool. They are cheap, available everywhere, and versatile.
• Tombow Markers: These are water-based markers that don’t bleed through the paper. I use them to add color and create thick, graphic outlines around my figures, which is inspired by Art Nouveau artists like Mucha.
• Smudging: For a quick way to add value, I sometimes wet my finger and smudge the ballpoint pen ink. This creates a soft, darker tone that works well for shadows.
• Brush Pen: When I want to draw big or warm up before a large piece, I use a brush pen. It’s great for life drawing and forces you to be decisive since there’s no underdrawing.

Capturing the Moment

When I'm sketching from life, my main goal is to capture the energy and feeling of the scene, not to create a perfect copy of reality.

I always start with a loose, energetic underdrawing to get the main shapes and proportions down. I can always correct and refine things later with cleaner lines.

Don't be afraid to alter reality for the sake of a better composition. I often move elements around or add things that aren't there. For example, I might add a person to a scene to create more overlap, or even draw a tiger in a classroom just for fun. A quick sketch on location can be the foundation for a more imaginative illustration that you finish later.

The "Feels Right" Mindset

It’s easy to get intimidated by the idea of drawing perfectly. However, drawing a full, complex scene can actually be less stressful than drawing a single character. In a busy scene, the overall vibe is more important than any single detail. Viewers are more forgiving of small mistakes when they are engaged with the entire image.

I live by the motto: "It's probably wrong, but it felt great to me." Don't worry so much about perfect perspective or anatomy. If the drawing is cool and has a good feeling, the technical mistakes don't matter as much.

Embrace your mistakes and use them. If a drawing isn't working out, just draw over it. Think of it like jazz music; you respond to what's already on the page and build on it.

How to Start a Drawing

I don't have one single way of starting a drawing. My background in storyboarding taught me to be flexible.

• Foreground First: For scenes, I usually start with the most interesting object in the foreground and work my way to the background. This helps establish depth from the beginning.
• Build from a Focus Point: If I don't know what to draw, I'll often just start with a person or a head and let the rest of the scene build out from there.
• Piece-by-Piece: For detailed studies from a photo, like a portrait, I build it piece by piece. Instead of using a construction method like the Loomis head, I focus on comparative measurement. I'll measure the distance from the eye to the nose, compare that to another feature, and slowly build the likeness. This helps me avoid drawing generic faces.

Your Sketchbook is Your Diary

Ultimately, a sketchbook is more than just a place to practice. It’s a visual diary. When I flip through my old sketchbooks, I remember exactly where I was, what was happening, and even the people I was with. Each drawing is tied to a memory, making the act of sketching a powerful way to document your life.

Learn more about sketching in my Ultimate Sketching Course!