I'm drawing hands. I promise you I am.
See?
Everyone satisfied?
Good.
Let's talk about anything besides hands and digits and fingers and palms and fat pads and wrist joints.
Let's talk about notebooks and sketchbooks. Why? Because I love them and when the deluge of life's obligations are coming at me fast and threaten to overwhelm me, my notebooks provide a break in the torrent, a calm space to break down what I need to do, what I want to do, what I have done, and also just...fart around, you know?
If you don't keep a notebook, or maybe you tried and "failed" (which is something I hear regularly), and you're already rolling your eyes - stop it. Hear me out.
There's no right or wrong way to keep a notebook. If you're a messy notebook keeper - good on you. If you prefer order and bullet points, have at it. Recycled paper and pressed flowers? Lovely. Crisp digital google doc? Also valid. No notes, just sketches? Wonderful. Because this is the single most important thing you must know about a notebook - it is your space. Completely your own. Let me just say that again - a notebook is YOUR own space - yours alone. And because its yours, I insist you feel no shame for any bit of it. If you've got jam stains in the pages or you have beautiful careful doodles - its all fine. Its all great. Its all yours. Don't let anyone tell you how to keep it, how to share (or not share) it. A notebook is one thing and one thing only - it's your thing. And that means you decide what graces its pages, and who you let in to see it.
I have many notebooks with different purposes, and sections of notebooks that are more personal than others. I used to think my notebooks were like diaries (and some of them are!), too personal, too private, that no one could ever see them (and some are!). But I changed my thinking when The Bear House came out. Readers would ask about my process, how I kept world details straight, how I plotted. And the best way for me to explain was to show pages from my Bear House notebook. I was hesitant but I liked the doodles, and was fairly confident that my writing was illegible enough that it was ok to give a glimpse.
Hoo boy did readers have questions! Questions upon questions about my notebooks. And it wasn't just that they had questions - it was that they were interested. Because a lot of the time, they were writers too. And they either had notebooks of their own or wanted to start one. And all of a sudden I was connecting with writers and readers like never before.
So! I share pages from these chaotic scribbly little tomes for a couple reasons: 1. I have sections that are ok for people to see (other sections are mortifying and you simply aren't allowed in and that's my choice cus the notebook is mine). 2. Sometimes, a doodle has turned out better than I expected or it sums up the ideas in my head and I am excited to share that specific scribble. 3. I love seeing other people's notebooks and sketchbooks - sharing my own is the toll I decided to pay to see the work of others haha 4. By sharing my pages, maybe I help someone figure out how they want to fill their own.
And there's no end to the ways you can keep a notebook/journal/diary.
's Noted is filled to bursting with every type of way to keep a notebook, from collections of loose leaf paper and receipts (Eminem) to colourful plein air paintings (Snape, who knew!). Just poke around Noted for an hour and you'll see all types of creatives with different ways of keeping a notebook and each creator offering zero apology for that method.Because. It. Is. Theirs.
So with that, I share this about starting a new notebook:
My favourite way to start a new notebook is to head to the free shelf - the shelf in my office that holds every beautiful/fancy/too pretty gift notebook I've been given over the years from friends and family. These are the notebooks I used to consider too intimidating and pretty to write in. I'm sure you have the same ones. And if, like me, they scare you off - today is the day to be brave! Muster your courage and grab the prettiest one. I like to doodle my name, the date or a happy face on the first page - that way it's done. I've marked it up. There's no going back. It helps me push through the fear of ruining it. Because guess what - you CAN’T ruin it. Because it's yours and it will look however it must look. Stop being such a scaredy pants.
NEXT. I head to my ink cabinet. Oh, reader, my ink cabinet. If there's anything in this life that makes me feel like a mysterious witch conjuring a wicked story brew (as one must), it’s my inks. Shelves of glass viles filled with colourful - sometimes shimmery! - elixirs for story telling magic. Do I need this? No. Do I love it. GOOODNESS YES. It makes me feel happy.
And that's it. That's the crux of the notebook. It makes you feel good. Whether that's doodles and prose written in colourful inks, or scratches and jagged scrawl in simple ball point pen - if it helps you release your creativity, you are notebooking in exactly the right way.
And with that, I leave you so that I can go mess around in my notebooks. Happy notebooking!
DOODLE
This was drawn live during the Oscar’s Draw-Along in the Authorstrator chat. It took me FOREVER to decide which dress I liked best (I’m going to need to decide faster next time) but I ended up going with the dress worn by Anya Taylor Joy because of the mermaid vibes and I’ve got mermay on the brain! Check out the chat and see what you missed.
dropped an awesome collage at the start of the show! If you feel like adding a doodle even though the Oscars are over, feel free to drop it in the chat at any time!If you don’t know about the Authorstrator chat:
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Substack Chat is now available on both iOS and Android.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for the Authorstrator chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into the thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
What I’m Working On
Since we’re talking notebooks - I recently got a major project out the door to my agent, so I spent the weekend sorting out what’s next by going through my notebooks and making plans on my calendar. I’ve got a lot I want to get done, but I’m trying to focus more and commit to just two projects at a time.
Lava Cat Cruise Ship is on Chapter 4 - and the cats are showing up. Get ready for fangs!
And then there’s the hands…..I’m still drawing hands. 100 days is too many hands.
What I’m reading
I just received my Character Design Quarterly magazines from 3D Total and I am very excited. These magazines are the BEST for geeking out about drawing and admiring work from my fave artists.
The End of Reality by Jonathan Taplin which is getting my blood pressure up every time I pick it up.
And I’m realizing my fiction list has dwindled so if you’ve read any good fiction lately, bonus points for fantasy/fairy tale retellings, I’d love to hear your recommendations!
Stacks to Share
So many great stacks to share! My inbox was filled to bursting with amazing pieces from artists and illustrators so here’s some of my faves:
had a great post this week about writing animal books for middle grade readers.This cheeky post from
about gatekeeping in the arts made me lol.Loved this comic post from
And this comic from
was just really beautiful and transportive.
“Shelves of glass viles filled with colourful - sometimes shimmery! - elixirs for story telling magic”?! Hell yes count me in 🤩 I’ve felt the same way about my favorite journals, where I’m almost too intimidated to write in them. But one of the most valuable things I’ve learned is that I don’t need to be precious with my notebooks—I’m allowed to bring my art process as it is—messy and unfiltered and a little disjointed.
Those ink bottles! 😍 where did you find them?! My own ink collection has been growing this year and I totally that feeling of conjuring up entire worlds. Ink contains some sort of power in it doesn’t it?