to sketch.
it's like a stretch, for the mind.
a large part of my art process includes sketching. i often mean this as physical sketching, with graphite on paper, though at times i’ll go straight into a program like procreate and get right into making a piece digitally. i find this digital first approach is rarer for me; the analog-time-off-a-device plays a large part in the creation of an artwork and/or a series concept.
i found myself wondering why this is recently as i don’t have a strong bias for, or against, artists coming at their process one way or another.
after some musing, what i chalk it up to is opinion. i find that i have the strongest sense of myself as an artist, and my art as itself, when i’m asserting that opinion on paper.
don’t get me wrong, i’m not an analog maxi by any stretch, i just have a love affair with the tactical process of creation. the mouth feel if you will of scratching out an idea on a physical surface.
when i get dazed and confused with the trends, hype or a given moment of the internet i tell myself to shake it off and get back on the page. when put into action this most often manifests in the form of a sketchbook session and a dalliance with sticky notes.
how many sketchbooks is enough?
when it comes to sketchbooks i have…a few.
one i write in (unlined) for posts like these
one i draw in most often (dot gridded) for art concepting
another i draw in less often (unlined) for journaling
another i write in less often (unlined) for journaling
still another i draw + write in (gasp!) that’s square gridded for generative art concepting
now i realize some people may say “half of these aren’t sketchbooks, they’re journals because they’re for writing.” okay, fair point invisible people in my mind. alas, i will still call them sketchbooks because to me a sketch is the equivalent of a brain stretch. the content type is irrelevant.
sketching is something that underpins nearly ~90% of the artwork i’ve put out in the world. as such, it feels natural to incorporate it into the art i mint to the blockchain, a bit of process provenance to go alongside finished pieces. so far i’ve done this two ways.
the first was with sketchbook, vol. 01. minted to the ethereum blockchain in 2021 and collected by gvg, i talked a bit about this piece in my post about the origins of monochrome minimals (below).
it’s titled vol. 01 because there is indeed a vol. 02 that will be brought to the blockchain eventually. beyond that, we’ll see if i continue to mint full sketchbooks. as you can tell above, i have plenty, i’m just not sure they’re all in need of digital immortalization.
why sticky sketches?
beyond sketchbooks i also spend my time getting smol and playing in the world of sticky notes. they manifest as a series i call sticky sketches. why stickies?
well, to put it simply, they're fun.
saying moar: i enjoy the constraint of a small, square, gridded canvas. sometimes a couple rules can unlock immense creative freedom. here i am drawing one of my first in 2016.
i ultimately decided to turn these into a series for two reasons…
i’m keen to keep myself coming back to paper + sometimes that requires multiple canvas options to keep the inner kiddo happy.
inherent constraints are a perfect place to explore compositional themes that i want extend to my generative art practice.
i'm working toward a set amount of sticky sketches, with the intention being 2/3 minted on tezos + 1/3 minted on ethereum. i'll create at least 50 total, more than that? i’m not sure yet, though i wouldn’t go beyond 99 total compositions. i'm currently at 17 minted and i'm not in a rush.
all sticky sketches are minted to my self-titled, m/branson, contracts on both blockchains. the difference between ethereum and tezos sticky sketch mints?
they sit alongside my best physical + digital based art to date. as i move into a more consistent generative art practice, i see their role as being both a unique analog process moment in my portfolio and a bridge to what’s next.
sketching will always be part of my process + i will always share it. that said, i won't always mint it. in some ways i find the beauty of the physical being its inherent ability to exist solely in its moment, however long that is.
hit the 🖤 to help others discover my writing + art. i appreciate you reading and / or listening this week! do you have questions or comments? i welcome them below.
see you wednesday!
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tune based reminder: a moment, whether physical or digital, is a beautiful thing.
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