By Scarlett Rebecca

In this post printmaker Scarlett shows us that a sketchbook is for more than just drawing. It is a place to remember loved ones, to generate new ideas and to spend a few hours simply enjoying some mindfulness. Find out how Scarlett uses her sketchbook to set drawing challenges, write down recipes and to understand the world around her better.

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AccessArt is a UK Charity and we believe everyone has the right to be creative. AccessArt provides inspiration to help us all reach our creative potential.

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What We Like About This Resource….

“This resource is a lovely example of how words and text can generate ideas, which can then be transferred to paper. Working in this way with children is a great way fo them to engage with literature – and to have an individual response. Try reading poems out loud to a class and ask them to list all the images that spring to mind before exploring those images through drawing”. – Rachel, AccessArt

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What We Like About This Resource….

“The sense of journey and feeling of movement is such an interesting part of Cas’ textile work here. We love how location and place is communicated through the variety of fluid and meandering textile marks used. Cas’ Romani background as well as early experience living in Japan make for a rich cultural backdrop to her work. The themes here could be explored in the classroom by asking children to use memories of places they’ve visited to produce a creative response using fabrics and mixed media” – Rachel, AccessArt

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By Jo Blaker

Sketchbooks are powerful tools. Enjoy these three videos in which Jo Blaker shares why sketchbooks have secret powers.

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

Sketchbook Powers Number 1 & 2

Secret powers numbers 1 and 2: Jo describes how sketchbooks can be a door into a hidden world, and a place to explore what you feel like as a person.

Sketchbook Power Number 3

Secret power number 2: Sketchbooks can be a weapon; a weapon you can use to fight boredom, ease anxiety, and find gratitude.

Sketchbook Power Number 4

Secret power numbers 4: Sketchbooks can be a laboratory – a safe place to experiment, test and discover.

The AccessArt Sketchbook Journey is a series of resources designed to help teachers, pupils and learners of all ages navigate their way towards a greater understanding and experience of how sketchbooks can develop our creativity. Paula Briggs, Co-founder and Director of AccessArt explains the thinking behind the project.

AccessArt has been an advocate of the use of sketchbooks as a tool to nurture creativity for many years. Our aim is to enable as many teachers and facilitators as possible (including non-specialist teachers) to feel able to explore the use of sketchbooks with their pupils.

For over 20 years AccessArt has been asking the question:

What kind of mechanisms do artists use to enable their creativity to flourish?

The answers to that question contain clues; clues that might suggest to us new ways we can enable creativity in children and teenagers.

One of the ways many adults develop their creativity is through the use of sketchbooks, and we see that in schools where sketchbook use thrives, creativity thrives too.

The AccessArt Sketchbook Journey aims to share sketchbook knowledge and experience through the following steps:

Step 1: Understand. What is a sketchbook? What happen’s inside a sketchbook? Let’s lift the lid and better understand the potential.

Step 2: Practice & Explore. Make time for sketchbooks and exploresketchbook activities. Experience what a sketchbook journey might look like.

Step 3: Reflect & Discuss. Use sketchbooks as an opportunity to understand more about our creativity, and as a tool for sharing the creativity journey.

Step 4: See Sketchbooks in Action. Be inspired by the sketchbooks of artists, teachers and children.

Throughout all the above stages, the journey for teachers is simple:

We give permission. We show pupils what sketchbooks can be in the widest sense, and we give permission for pupils to embrace that potential in an aspirational way.

We create opportunity for pupils to practice sketchbook skills and explore exciting projects

We nurture ownership, by reminding pupils that they can take control of their journey in and through their sketchbooks.