I just cleaned up around the apartment and put the pile of sketchbooks that had been kicking around the studio into the shelves with the other filled sketchbooks. One pocket-sized one has been kicking around since March 2011 or so and still isn’t full.
I really don’t fill sketchbooks up like I used to.
Admittedly I think that one taking forever to fill is a function of its tiny size – it’s not much bigger than my phone, and I like more room than that. I put away filled sketchbooks with later starting dates.
There were actually about 15 books at various places about the apartment, in various stages of fullness. To fit them onto their shelf in the studio closet, I had to do some rearranging – first I pulled off the handful of empty sketchbooks and various notebooks waiting there, then I pulled out the hole punch lurking way in the back of the closet and put some of the empty books back. I just kinda… chew through paper, and turn it into art. These days most of the stuff on paper isn’t even finished images; I mostly do a lot of scrawlings to plan my big projects now.
I am now down to four in-progress sketchbooks. Two of them will take forever to fill since they’re marker paper and I’m reluctant to draw in them with pen and pencil; two of them will probably be ready for the shelf in a couple of months.
I find that I while i do fill up sketchbooks, but I find often I use a sketchbook till the point where it’s almost done… and I just get a new book and start with that one. I don’t feel compelled to finish, as much as I feel compelled to feel out something interesting…
… and with my new years resolution to not save the good paper, I’ll probably have like more half finished books lying around… because I love buying paper.