Sketchbooks – A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Sketchbooks by Contemporary Artists

This qualitative research project aims to gain a theoretical and practical understanding of what role sketchbooks play in the creative practice of contemporary artists, and what their shared and individual sketchbook methods are. A comparative analysis of thirteen contemporary artists’ sketchbook practices is offered. During the course of the research the private and public nature of sketchbooks emerged as an important and engaging area of inquiry that helped narrow the focus of the research process and offered an entry point for the analysis. The methodology used was fundamentally that of artistic research that drew heavily upon the characteristics of artistic practice in the field of drawing; as well as from hermeneutics, (auto)ethnography, and phenomenological analysis, each of which informed my practice and processes. This research aims to be useful for those conducting research into sketchbooks, drawing, drawing and writing, the nature of artistic process, creativity and pedagogy. The outcomes of this research are presented in two parts, in the thesis text and the documentation of an exhibition. In the final analysis the outcome is a multi - layered and multi - voiced story that identifies individual and shared practices used by contemporary artists during the compilation of their sketchbooks. Both the research and resultant artwork aim to bring to the foreground the largely overlooked public aspect of the sketchbook and contribute to knowledge in the fields of drawing research, video installation art, archival research and interviewing in the context of artistic research. Throughout the project I used drawing and video practices as methods of investigating, interrogating and disseminating knowledge. Thirteen contemporary artists’ interviews were recorded as a core element of the primary research, then reconfigured as an artwork / video installation called Thirteen Narratives By Thirteen Artists About Their Sketchbooks.