drawing from life

Feeling exhausted and under the weather today so I called in sick and spent my day on the couch alternately napping, reading and sipping emergen-c. The good thing is I finally had time to make my way through Drawing from Life: The Journal as Art by Jennifer New which gives a behind the scenes look at the visual journals of a broad range of contributors.

I love this book. It looks and feels like a journal; the cover is firm yet flexible with a waxy veneer and the hefty grid-lined papers have the look of a scientific notebook. The contents have been organized logically according to the journals’ perceived function: observation, reflection, exploration, and creation. Every section shares some background about each journalist and then shows examples from their books. This glimpse into the processes behind journaling is what makes this book notable and inspiring enough to compel me to drag out one of my many sketchbooks and start making journaling a daily practice. Starting tomorrow when I can muster the energy to look for them ;)