5×5 blue sketch is another sketchbook for my creative journey into smaller formats.  This sketchbook was started in 2014 while I was left to my own devices outside of class. Those were done while attending “art gym” at SDAI in Balboa Park. I continued using this blue sketchbook on occasion in 2015 at “art gym”, at “My Art Shed” in La Jolla, and in my Life Drawing class ARTF210C at San Diego Mesa College.

This 2014 five minute eraser sketch of Rob (shown above) was updated with an addition of acrylic paint via a gel plate in 2023 (shown below).

I picked this little blue sketchbook back up in 2022 and “explored to create” with some of my flower, butterfly, spiral, and abstract creations.

This transitioned into use with a gel plate to apply acrylic paint to paper (that generally does not handle the moisture involved, but works when done just right with a gel plate). I added some to a previous sketch from the beginning of the book.

I had to go full circle at this point and venture back to life drawing now that I could apply some paint to this paper. From this point in 2023, this became one of my new sketchbooks for my photo reference drawing/painting with Instagram life models and from my model photography archive.

Apparently, I closed out 2023 with a flower spiral expression. Obviously, 2024 opened in this sketchbook the same way, with a flower spiral expression. Then, of course, back to photo reference.

I created this next image in September. Intuitively must have known this sketchbook was on hold with figure drawings until next year. I did continue to create backgrounds on several more pages as part of my preparation process for future drawings. A few of those abstracts are included next until new drawings are created. I’m looking forward to 2025 and where my journey leads.

The sketches in this book remain as shown unless otherwise noted.  These drawings are not exempt from inspired use in a collage. I have found these smaller sizes to be beneficial in my collage explorations lately.

Below is the end of the book with Jono and Meghan.

5×5 blue sketch Digital