Last month I attended Workshop Week, a free week of live streamed courses on a variety of creative topics. I found some classes more helpful than others, but there were definitely a few sessions that energized my own practice. I especially found the idea of sketch-noting fascinating. As someone in a highly visual career, the idea of translating new concepts to designed or illustrated pieces was more engaging than simply writing. I've tried to take more opportunities to use sketching and illustration as a method/excuse to learn more about topics I want to educate myself about.
Inspiration for a sketch usually begins with a spark of curiosity. As a bit of a history nerd, much of my initial interest begins with hearing about forgotten contributors to history. I've also always been fascinated by mythology and folklore. I have a few go-to books for these topics and usually, they act as a great primer to wet my apatite for deeper research.
A Few of My Favorite Books
Beneath the Moon is a gorgeous book by Yoshi Yoshitani that compiles and depicts myths and folklore from cultures across the world. The level of care and detail put into both the writing and art make it a worthwhile read.
For a more historical exploration, I've really enjoyed Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie. The book chronicles women in history whose behavior was deemed "inappropriate" in their lifetimes and how that reputation was or wasn't justified. Some women in the book were radical and before their time, others made history for the wrong reasons. It's a fascinating read, not only for all the juicy historical information but for its examination of how women have been chronicled by history.
Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee highlights 52 women whose contributions to history have been forgotten by popular society. It's a great read, highly digestible, and beautifully illustrated by Petra Eriksson. This book actually inspired me to draw and learn about Edith Garrud and Fanny Blankers-Koen, 2 kickass ladies of history!
Sketchbook page about Edith Garrud
Sketchbook page about Fanny Blankers-Koen
I encourage you to seek out books on topics that fascinate you and peruse them as a means of sparking deeper curiosity. If a topic sticks out to you as interesting, use it as the creative kick-off you need to start sketching!
Once you're ready to immerse yourself in a topic, begin your research process. Find online resources or check your local library for more in-depth information. As you do this, keep a small list of facts or quotes you might want to incorporate. My list is usually contained on a single sticky note and it's really only for things I want to have at my immediate reference (important dates, verbatim quotes, or specific names of awards).
Try and find photos of the person or event you're researching. If you're going to illustrate them it's good to make sure you've got accurate reference photos! Even if you're planning on using more of a cartoon style, you should still have an idea of the person's likeness.
Once I feel that I've got enough information, I'll get to work in my sketchbook. Personally, I like to pencil my composition first, so I can plan out where my written elements are and balance them with illustrations. I also try to do a more precise penciling of any fonts or typographic flourishes. With things like hand-lettered typography, it can take a few tries for your kerning and leading to look right, so the freedom to erase is important.
If planning ahead of time isn't your jam, feel free to go back and forth between your sketchbook page and your research. Build out a composition as you learn more. The point is that the illustration process flows with the way you think and learn. If it feels like a chore, think about why and what would make the process more fun for you.
Similarly, work as fast or as slow as you want. Traditional sketch-noting moves pretty fast, but I really don't enjoy being rushed in my illustration process. Rather than lose the fun of the exercise and push myself to finish within a time limit, I typically take a few days of on-and-off drawing to get my piece to a place I feel good about. Work in a way that meshes with your brain. Follow the spark of curiosity that got you here in the first place.
You may find that a topic spans beyond just one sketchbook page. If it's either too complicated or too interesting for you to compress or distill that way, consider making it into a full collection. Use each piece of the illustration series to add to the full picture of your understanding.
Recently, I've wanted to learn more about the place of trans people in human history. This initial point of curiosity led to me learning about so many cool and interesting people, that I didn't think I could fit them all on a single sketchbook page. Instead, I decided to make a portrait of each person as I learned about them. Each illustration acted almost like a bookmark or a bench marker as a progressed my way through trans history.
This was the method of illustration that I thought best fit the topic I was representing. As you make your own research-inspired pieces think about the format that will best help you learn and enjoy the process. The goal is to come out of these kinds of exercises more educated and energized.
For more frequent updates on what's going on in my practice, you can follow me on Instagram or simply check out my Sketchbook Round-Ups here on this site.