My one and only New Years Resolution this year was to draw or paint every day.

I started on the 3rd of January, and so far so good! But this is not the first time I’ve tried such a resolution, and previous attempts have failed. However, I have always kept sketchbooks or notepads with me, when I have an idea or thought I put it into a book.

These are just a few of my art journals, I also have notebooks for craft ideas, aromatherapy recipes, dream journals, creative writing, jewellery designs, meal planning and more. I have to admit, I am addicted to books!

Sometimes I get so caught up in the big picture, of creating art, that I forget to unwind, and that’s where my sketchbooks come in. In them, I am completely free to play, to unleash creativity, to draw or paint whatever comes to mind and who cares how it turns out. It’s about the process, rather than making something beautiful to hang on a wall.

These are some random images from one of the books that was actually an old copy of the Baghavad Gita. I had taken pages out of it to decoupage a table with, and turned the remains into an art journal. Some of the sketches and things were pasted in, some drawn directly in.

I have another that is for sketches of plants- fruits, flowers etc. some of these are ideas for artworks (I primarily paint botanicals), some just observations of the natural world.

My daily drawings are in a beautiful hand-decorated sketchbook with a unicorn on the front, sent to me by a fellow artist friend from Chicago.

I keep my paint boxes on the coffee table so I am reminded daily to draw!

I love looking at other artists’ sketchbooks, and I’m not the only one, there are countless websites and blogs on the subject, and fantastic books like this one which I find inspiring every time I read it!

I’m sharing a weekly collage of my daily sketches on my Facebook page if you want to see more 😊