I'd love to see a 'finish a sketchbook' type challenge. Maybe a page a day, a week or even one a month? It could be a long term series. I'd definitely enjoy watching you fill one ❤

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I hope to do something like this! I put them all on that shelf so I can prompt myself to work through them. It's most definitely a long term project, haha!

@Elvraie

9 ай бұрын

That was a lot of sketchbooks but some are nearly finished snd have great pictures in them. I used some of my sketchbooks paintung or drawing every day, but I still got a few. Have a great weekend Becky.

I am happy I’m not alone in my 1/2 to less than 1/2 done sketch books. Thanks for sharing 🎉

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

It's a common problem, I'd say!

I think it's as interesting to see the concepts and experiments as it is to see completed paintings. So, sketchbooks are the artist's stash of hidden treasures. Thanks for showing these!

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Some concepts go absolutely nowhere, but it's fun to look back on them and also have a laugh at the cringeworthy stuff! All part of the artistic journey!

I love all of your bird artworks!

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Thank you! They're a favourite subject for me.

Sweet Gandalf! My cats love to sit on anything paper.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Oh they just love paper! 😺

This motivates me to buy more sketchbooks. 😂 It’s amazing to see the progression of your artwork.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Buy more sketchbooks, so you can partially fill them and have a collection like mine, lol! It has been fun watching my progression (and occasional regression!)

I just watched Lindsay's review on all her unfinished sketchbooks. You'll love it. This seems to be a theme with everyone. I wonder if there is really anyone out there who picks up one sketchbook at a time and finishes it before moving to the next book. I'm thinking maybe no. I'm not sure what it is but I think this is just the way it goes. I guess we just have to make it a point to revisit our in progress sketchbooks on a regular basis to keep us accountable. I think it helps to really take inventory of what you have, gather all the partially used books in one place and then visit that shelf next time you go for a sketchbook. At least that's what I'm telling myself. Looking forward to watching you whittle down your shelf of unfinished.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

The comment above yours mentioned that they have to finish one before starting another; a rarity indeed I would say! But yes, I think when KZreadrs see other KZreadrs' videos on a subject, it prompts us to also think about it, and trends get started that way, lol. Mind you, this one has been on my mind for a long time before I decided to take action and organise my books. I'm glad they're all together on the shelf now!

@NelaDunato

9 ай бұрын

Artists that work sequentially in sketchbooks tend to stick to a certain medium and subject matter, at least from what I've seen. They have a favorite type of paper and size they like, and it just works for them. Those of us who hoard sketchbooks usually alternate between media and subject matter, and this often requires different paper, because there is no perfect sketchbook that works well for every single medium, and is reasonably priced. And then there's bloggers like us who take on testing different brands like it's our job 😂 so we end up with a graveyard of sketchbooks that just aren't very good.

that's a crazy amount but lovely that we could have a flip through ❤

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

A lifetime's collection or hoard, lol!

I love your channel. I love your art and I love this video. It allows a little glimpse into your creative mind, shows your different styles and your progress, how you try out things, how you return to certain styles and media. Very encouraging! Thank you for sharing! Oh, and give Gandalf a good cuddling from me!

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Thank you - I definitely have phases with art, and it's always fun to look back and remember the things I was into, like Zentangle, lol. Gandalf is currently in my cupboard rummaging around, because I left the door slightly ajar and of course he has to get in to see what's inside....like he hasn't been in any number of times before! 😂

Good luck on finishing your sketchbooks! Rather you than me LOL! 😉❤️

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I'll get there eventually! There are worse chores out there than drawing in a sketchbook - I just need to organise my scatterbrain!

@shadowguard3578

9 ай бұрын

@@BeckyTregear 🤩👍

Loool I am so happy I am not the only one with a stack of unfinished sketchbooks. I buy a one one thinking I will do all the art in it but get disappointed with the paper etc and move on to the next one. I am still searching for a sketchbook that is perfect for every media I use.

Oh goodness 😂 I can absolutely relate! I have as many sketchbooks as you and have a goal to finish them all as well. We are sketchbook soul floozies!😂🎉 I thought about starting a yt channel to keep me motivated and accountable...but then again I don't know. I personally don't mind having them all unfinished...I enjoy looking through what I've done and get new inspiration as the years go by and my art desires grow and change. I will definitely enjoy following your sketchbook completion journey and will be joining in on the fun!❤

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I think I'm going to be here a while, working on all of these! 😂 I hope you manage to get through some of yours as well - it's a goal we can all work towards, haha. Also, having a channel can make things worse, as it is so tempting to buy new things to review, lol!

😅 glad its not just me!

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

We are many! 😂

I think you're not alone.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I'd agree with that!

Hi Becky, your art is so beautiful and colorful! I have a lot of unfinished sketchbooks myself. Not as many as yours, but i also haven't created as much art as you. It is good that you were able to organize your partially filled sketchbooks on one shelf. And then you will need another shelf for your completely filled sketchbooks. This was a fun video to watch. Thank you.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I was a little shocked at how many unfinished books I have, even though I knew it would be a lot, lol! The upper shelf has almost all of my completed books together - not as many, but actually quite a few, which I'm really proud of! Hopefully I can transfer more unfinished to finished....it's a long process for sure.

Lol, that's quite a collection! I don't feel quite so silly about mine now.😅 I find that if I title a sketchbook I am less likely to finish it, lol, the exception being a Stillman & Birn Beta - my childhood memories book. I pick this up whenever I have a nice little scene I'd like to paint from Christmas or birthday memories, or old family photos, or places we lived (with help from Google Street View).😊 I really love your latest Hahnemühle. The title page is so beautiful and the handbag paintings are stunning! 🌸❤

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Oh that's lovely, having a memories book! I don't really have one of those, but I am working on an art/junk journal which is kind of like that - I didn't show it in this video because I'm almost done with it and want to have that as a separate thing. I'm enjoying the Hahnemuhle, but it doesn't like a lot of water so heavy washes are off the table I think!

@anjapinkau3737

9 ай бұрын

A childhood memory book! That's a lovely idea! Today Inktober has started and some of my ideas for the prompts are about childhood memories. I'm using Inktober to finish my most advanced sketchbook (I'm too a sketchbook hoarder I'm afraid). If the idea sticks, I might start a childhood memory sketchbook myself. So thank you for this tip!

Oh yes, I can relate. I have plenty of unfinished sketchbooks. I am not really a sketchbook artist and rather paint or draw on a watercolour paper block. Most of your sketches are fantastic! Especially the urban sketches are great.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Thank you! I also paint on pads of paper, hence why I also have a whole bunch of folios - drawings and paintings everywhere!

@Bonnie10au

9 ай бұрын

@@BeckyTregear yes, same here. 😄

:) WOW Becky !!! ...time to recruit Nick and Gandaff.... All I can say is such fun ahead - hope we get to see lots of it 💙

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I will keep you updated!

Totally feel you on this. I need to collect all my sketchbooks into one place to finish them. Let's not talk about my blank (or mostly blank) writing journals, though... LOL Also, you have so much lovely art! It's a joy to see the bright colors you use.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I have plenty of blank books too, but those are another story, haha! Putting all the unfinished ones together is really helpful though, to see how many there are to work in. Thank you 😄

10:30 - me to, girl! There's some beautiful work in those sketchbooks.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Thank you! Some shoddy stuff too, bahaha!

@crafty_j957

9 ай бұрын

​@@BeckyTregear loved the video, now I don't feel so alone about all of my unfinished sketchbooks. I was wondering if you know the brand and where you got that one sketchbook near the end that's big and has two drawings in it and has the really textured watercolour paper. I absolutely love it and would love to get my hands on one

You never fail to make me smile, love your videos. Some great things in some of the sketchbooks. Love the A to Z you haven’t finished (yet). So my question is, just how many brand new not yet touched sketchbooks do you have?

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Probably about the same again in new ones, including old ones which I never started, lol! 😂

Yes I have the same story... The books with a lot of pages left... I rip out the drawings and put a date if available but put them in some order and then bind these all togethr in some box or dossier or whatever and then you have a whole bunch of "empty" books. It's good to do it now because when you 65 it becomes overwhelming and it's very hard to deal with... Good luck. Oh finish the alphabet book, it's a lot of fun when done. Oh. You can't rip out pages with you work double sided. Do the opposite and pull out the empty pages and have a stack of loose paper. I'm on a kick now of just working to finish a book... I have a water colour one and every day I work in it until it's full, fast things, slower things, one a day or 2 or 3, whatever. I have one for gouache, etc but usally I finish one before starting another. The idea is to keep going, and in the end there are some stupid things but also some beautiful things. Point is to absolutely not care about content but to work on filling the book. Fun.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Thank you, that's what I hope to do - fill 'em with anything and everything! I definitely want to get that A-Z book done soon - I keep putting it off, lol!

Soo much beautiful art!! 😍😍

hahahahaha lovel your collection of All you books . your drawing and paiting is fun and exciting Lovely thank you for sharing xxxx Happt swatchingxxxxxx

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I had a laugh looking through them! 😆

@bethmegansmith4642

9 ай бұрын

@@BeckyTregear Nice happy Swatching xxxxxx

I'm still working in very old sketchbooks from art classes. Let's see.... those classes were in '05 to '07. 😂 Those sketchbooks are usually for doodles and studies of various subjects. I'd say I have under ten unfinished and a few new ones on deck. I think having so many does cause a little anxiety. My problem is deciding what to draw. Challenges help, but when I get behind I feel the pressure to catch up. Ugh. I think that's why I gravitate more towards collage/mixed media in my art journal. I can be messy and still get some creative energy out. I enjoyed the glimpse of your artwork. I loved the pages of different designs. I'm guessing the zentangle art? Really nice. Thanks for sharing! And Gandalf! What a handsome boy! Such cute kitties. 😊

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Ah yes, I went through a very intense Zentangle "affair" around the time it first became popular, haha! 😂 I know what it's like; the anxiety caused by having unfinished books - it was pretty bad when I was pulling them out and stacking them up, and there were more than I expected. I actually feel better now that they're all together on the one shelf now though. I can keep track of them!

I've been finishing my old sketchbooks and it's really fun to compare my old work with my current style 😊 it's a slow process but I'm making progress nonetheless 👏🏼

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Progress is always the most important part! Progress, not perfection. 😊

Wow! What a fun flip through! Loved seeing both the finished pieces and the rough sketches! I also have a stack of sketchbooks, and I’ve been firm about not starting any new ones this year. The stack hasn’t gotten any smaller yet, but it hasn’t gotten any larger either! 😅

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

That's a win in itself! I have quite a lot of empty books as well - am trying to work through some of these unfinished ones first, but we'll see how soon it is before I cave in and start a new book, lol.

I was thinking of doing the same after Lindsay mentioned it 😅😅 thank you for sharing Becky !

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

It's a good thing to do, putting all the unfinished books together in a pile...though it's pretty daunting seeing them all together! 🙈

Well done on getting the sketchbooks together. That is a solid body of practice and a lot of fun to watch. I always date my sketches. It id a good way to see how the painting or drawing style evolved. Have fun filling those books!

@BeckyTregear

6 ай бұрын

Sometimes I remember to date them, haha!

😂😂😂, I found eight and thought that was a lot, why do we do this lol

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Haha I don't know! I'm good at leaving things unfinished...not just sketchbooks. I'm trying to improve on this!

Love seeing your pile of unfinished sketchbooks, makes me feel better about the 10-12 that I have on the go 😂. It’s just soooo hard to resist starting a shiny new sketchbook 😅.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Oh my gosh it totally is! I have new sketchbooks as well, just waiting for me to start them! 😂

Ooohhh Celtic cover book! If it makes you feel any better, I have just as many music books of tunes I wanted to learn... and still haven't! lol ❤

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Haha we all have our hoards! And I need to do more drawings in that book. ❤️

@FourInchCats

9 ай бұрын

@@BeckyTregearI like to think of it as "curating" 😄

A few seconds in and your art is AMAZING. Looking forward to seeing each and every page 😊

@BeckyTregear

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! 😊

It was so fun seeing all your sketchbooks! I know my collection would be similarly sized or maybe even large, lol. I just this moment saw that Lindsay Weirich posted a very similar video today that I'm going to have to go and watch now! Should be fun. Now I really want to do a video like this - hahaha!

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

It's funny how hers came out at the same time - I had no idea, lol! You should do a video too; it's fun (and somewhat confronting) collating all unfinished sketchbooks together. 😆

@MirandaWatsonArt

9 ай бұрын

@@BeckyTregear I just this moment finished filming mine, lol.

I tend to have books for different purposes. Once I finish it, I start a new one. tfs.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

A nice, logical way to do things! ❤️

Haha it's so easy to keep using new sketch books 📚 I loved looking through them all and seeing the variety of your beautiful drawings

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Very easy to start, so much harder to finish!! 😂

@chaosinthecraftroom

9 ай бұрын

@BeckyTregear Absolutely 😆😅🤣 sometimes I need to start crafting on another table as I need to start a new project and the old project is taking up my whole craft table 🙈🙉🙊 at least you can put the book away

I spent all of last year finishing up my half done sketchbooks so I only have a couple now. Yet I keep buying new ones. My stack of never started sketchbooks is filling all the available space on my bookshelf.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

It's great that you managed to finish up a bunch of books; a huge achievement in itself! I have heaps of blank books too, but I thought I'd tackle one problem at a time, lol!

You are so very talented. Good job!

@BeckyTregear

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

Very enjoyable and motivating. Thanks for posting!

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

thank you so much for sharing these... Im in love with your drawings in the strathmore toned grey book , the hahnemuhle books (the urban sketch really is incredible) and the portrait you drew and are proud of is absolutely stunning! not surprised you are proud. Loved seeing the various styles and your progress in them all and you inspire me to start a sketchbook... ive been too scared to ruin them🙈 Would love to see a flip thru of any books you complete in the future. I have to start a sketch book now... thank you!

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! When (if!) I finish any books I'll definitely do a flip through. It's hard to keep up with it all, but....one page at a time! 😆

I'm currently down to 17 unfinished sketchbooks and trying to finish at least a few more before I start any new ones 😅 One of them is the red Hahnemühle D&S like yours (but upright). I have the same issue with it and many other sketchbooks that you do: they're not good for wet media, and I simply don't use pencils alone often enough to make use of them. I've been testing so many different brands and types of paper over the years in order to find what works best for my mixed media combination, and I'm left with so many that just aren't satisfying to use. I had a few "ink accidents" (one happened on camera 😄) and at first I'm irritated and disappointed when it happens, but eventually I get over it and it becomes just another sign of a "well-loved" sketchbook.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

This is so true, if the paper is disappointing then it is very difficult to continue using it, or be inspired by it. Ink accidents do take a while to get over....I've had another one which will be featured later this month! 🙈

There are categories of unused sketchbooks. Some are specific to a certain style or medium, some are great and might be a work in progress or just forgotten and then I find I have some books that are just so terrible and frustrating to use, that I should just put them in the bin. I'm guilty of wanting to try something and kind of losing interest quickly, as something else new comes along and I want to try that. I've been on an experimental journey these last few years. Yet that doesn't stop me wanting to try certain things. I see all the toned pastel papers and I want them. Yet I would use a page and that's basically it, just because I don't have the time to do everything I want to do.

@lozantoninocreations

9 ай бұрын

I want to add, the book with the a to z animals had my favourite art from you. Not just the animals, but the pieces at the start too ❤️

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

This is so true! Some books have terrible paper! I have a couple which will probably end up as junk journals, glueing stuff into them, lol.

I have a few too, I should count them. I have a few active ones for different media, some which I don't use often because I hardly ever use that kind of media ( like pencil). And a few of which I hated the paper. I now use those to write notes and stuff in ( I'm way worse for starting new notebooks lol). Honestly, I think it's OK to abandon those ones I don't like, or treat them like scrap paper. I want to enjoy making art, not force myself to use paper I hate. So don't feel like you have to finish them all. Maybe change your goal from finishing the book, to learning what you need to enjoy the process? ❤ I learnt I'm a paper snob 😂 Life is an unfinished book after all ....

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

You've really nailed it; some books have the WORST paper and are a nightmare to use. I don't mind using 'em for quick sketches and ideas, scribbles etc. I was just curious to see how many unfinished or abandoned books I actually had - a lot more than I thought, lol.

Love it

I'm guilty of having a couple of sketchbooks unfinished. One is a Stillman and Birn Zeta book with 2 pages left in it. I was using it for a Skillshare course and when it finished I couldn't think what to put in the last 2 pages. Then I have a small A6 Daler Rowney sketchbook that I've only used about 6 pages in. The paper isn't good for watercolor, it really buckles and that's what I'm mainly doing right now. I had a 2nd one of these books and I filled it with ideas and poems and a bit of sketching, so I can finish it if I put my mind to it lol. At least you have a good reason for having so many part filled books. You can say you were testing the paper for your channel 😉

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

It's hard to know how to finish a book when there are only a few pages left, and you've finished a course or whatever idea had filled the rest of the book. "The End"? 😂 The shameful thing is that I was "testing" some of these books long before I even thought I start a channel, lol!!

@zenlife1200

9 ай бұрын

@@BeckyTregear Shhhh I won't tell if you won't 😂

You wouldn't think it but Spotlight gets stuff on special for drawing on that I just buy a bunch of when I see it. Got some pastel pads last time.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Yes, they have some good art supplies now! I'm always tempted by something. 😂

its great you still have so many of your sketchbooks, so many drawings and memories 😀

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I'm glad to have them, even if they do take up a lot of room, lol.

Thanks for sharing! (I have the same Winnie the Pooh bookends 😂😂😂)

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I found that one a few weekends ago in a charity shop! I love collecting cute/tacky bookends and ornaments. 😂

@Grognardlass

9 ай бұрын

@@BeckyTregear fyi. There are two. ;-)))

This is me but with journals and datebooks lol

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Oh those are so difficult to finish as well! I have loads of them too, lol.

Hi Becky, so enjoy your videos. Will you be doing drawloween Oct 1st?.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I won't be doing any prompt challenges in October per se, mainly because my mum is going to be here for three weeks so I won't be able to spend as much time in my studio. I don't need that added stress, lol! 😂

I don't really have a connection to any particular sketchbook. I just use one until it is finished although only one side of the paper due to the media I worked in. I do have different ones to different media though.

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Paper is definitely a key issue; if it sucks, I wont use it! 😂

This is really interesting to see actually, because do finish my sketchbooks all the way before starting a new one. But i also don't start them with any grandiose plans, so maybe thats the trick?

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I think some of it is my inability to focus on one thing for any length of time....I'm easily distracted!

Oh my days!! What a lot of unfinished sketchbooks you have! My anxiety/OCD really kicked in watching this, I would have a panic attack knowing that there were unfinished books before I started a new one lol, I totally have to complete mine before I even take the wrapping off of a new one, but I loved the flip through, very interesting to see how far your art had come on since you first started, I love looking back at old ones to now thinking 'oh wow I have improved' because you don't always think/see it, I have no ideas on how to fill them all in though...maybe prompt lists are the way to go? got Inktober on the brain lol :D

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I had a significant amount of anxiety during the making of this video, when finding all the sketchbooks and having them in a huge pile.....that was bad! 😱 But I feel a lot better now they're all together on one shelf, and I can find them easily. Now I can just work my way through them over time. Prompt lists may well come into it, lol!

This was a great video and reassurance that having multiple unfinished sketchbooks is a normal part of the art process. After everything that you’ve tested and tried, if you could only pick one sketchbook going forward, which would it be? For me, it’s the Strathmore 500 Mixed Media journals (or the Strathmore Visual Journal which has the same paper) because the paper is 100% cotton and somewhere between cold and hot pressed. It has just enough tooth to handle colored pencils beautifully and watercolors are lovely in it because of the high cotton content. Also, even though the paper is only 90lb, it’s sturdy enough for all wet media. What’s yours?

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Well it was going to be the Etchr paper, because when it's new I really love how much water and paint the paper will take without any warping. Sadly my books lost their sizing quality too quickly, so I'm reluctant to buy more at the moment. I also like Fabriano paper so maybe I'll try out their Perfect Sketchbook range. To be honest, I'm probably going to try and make my own further down the line, haha!

i draw too

You're usually quite good about hyping yourself up and telling yourself you did a good job, but in this video I heard a lot of negativity and frustration with your work. I've tried my hand at sharing my art on KZread and Instagram in the past so I understand that we only want to share our best work. For me there was always the fear that someone would see a bad sketch and think it's all I can do. But who judges an artist by a few bad pages in a sketchbook?! I certainly don't because the fact that it's in a sketchbook and not in a frame already tells me that the purpose of the sketch was not to create something presentable/finished. It could have been practice, to try out a concept or just to warm up. When we have such high expectations we are no longer free to explore in our sketchbooks. Sometimes exploration leads to finding something that you don't like, something that you're not good at. It can also be about exploring the limits of certain media. Like that one page where color bled through and you're upset about "ruining" a drawing. You can take away a lot from that situation! Don't beat yourself up over mistakes because every single one teaches you something. And having your mistakes archived in sketchbooks ensures you won't forget what you've learned. Happy little trees and all that...

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

I appreciate your thoughtful comments! I wasn't feeling particularly negative other than being a bit annoyed at myself for having accumulated so many unfinished books. It set off my anxiety considerably, so you're probably hearing some of that in my voice-over. Thankfully, now that all of the books are together on a single shelf, I feel a lot better and I can now reach for them a lot more easily. Including the ink-stained ones! 😂

....just use them up

@BeckyTregear

9 ай бұрын

Easier said than done, apparently! 😂

@katsmith8263

9 ай бұрын

@@BeckyTregear then give them ALL to me, I don't have them