A look at Sketch book Sunday

Every Sunday I try to do a few sketches that are in my head. This is great if you have so many ideas buzzing about and don’t know what direction to take, because when you look back at them, if there is a theme of your designs that is usually the direction I take.

It’s like I don’t have to decide what designs to do, as they are already done.

I thought I would go through what I use and have been using for the past ten years or so, I always come back to the same method and tools.

I have provided links to everything so you can see exactly what I am talking about.

Sketch book - personally I ma not fussed whether the sketch book is A4 or A5. If you don’t like starting on a blank page then A5 is a winner, if you are want to use heavy colourful pens then paper that is 160gsm is perfect, if you are just using black pens then the weight of the paper doesn’t matter as much.

Fine line black pens - I use different width ones, usually 0.5 I don’t go past 1 and occasionally use 0.1, the whole number are thicker width pens, so 1 is thicker than 0.7, and 0.7 is thicker than 0.5. My favourite is the brand Staedtler.

I use waterproof pens so I can go over with coloured pens and the lines doesn’t bleed.

Coloured pens - there are many brush markers you can use, my favourite are Windsor & Newton, they are doubled ended, with different thickness, and I’d had mine for years and they are yet to run out.

Pantone postcards - I love these, sometimes I’ll draw on these to get a feel for the colour I want to design in.