Hi Reader,

My son had a new pack of markers, so I convinced him to sit outside and draw with me. A few days before, I had started a mark-making sketchbook, and this was my chance to use it. All went as planned for about a minute, then devolved into us passing my sketchbook back and forth, drawing progressively wilder scenes. It's summer, so I'll take any moment of creativity I can find.

This had me thinking about all the many versions of sketchbooks I have stashed around the house.

From the early 2000's, I have my careful notes and samples from bookbinding and papermaking classes. It's awfully close to the 2026 version I'm having my students create in my upcoming Beautiful Mess classes. These are organized, purposeful records of what I'm working on.

Then there are the pages that aren't bound in a book, a mix of notes and samples created as part of my regular collage sketchbook practice. There's freedom here, where I learn about my materials and let my hands and mind work together without pressure.

This is the practice that changes everything. Because here's what happens when you skip it: you face a blank panel and freeze. Decision paralysis sets in. You make one piece, judge it too harshly, and don't come back for weeks.

The sketchbook solves this. Constraint teaches what unlimited choice never will. Working within a single color family, or using only one type of paper, or giving yourself fifteen minutes—these limitations force your eye to sharpen. You notice composition because you can't hide behind options. You learn your materials because you're forced to work with them instead of around them.

And something else happens: you build a record. Each page dated, titled, accumulated. A year of small collages becomes proof of how far you've come.

That's what a collage practice teaches: the confidence to move to the real work, the panels and canvases that will be shown and sold. Each sketchbook collage built that confidence.

If you want to build a practice that works for the interrupted days and the margins of your schedule, Scraps is here: an online, self-paced class, $57.00.

Paper, glue stick, begin.

Warmly,

Sarah

From sketchbook to art on a wall. © Sarah Z Short, 2026, Love me, Love my Books, 16" x 20", Paper, fabric, acrylic paint, pen, dry transfer lettering ($850.00)

James Trail Driftway, West Kingston, RI 02892
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