How to Start a Sketchbook (at Any Age)

My grandchildren, Noa and James, spent this summer with their Hypatia sketchbooks tucked under their arms. Beach days, carousel rides, Farm Institute visits with the alpacas, afternoons at the library, a museum trip, an evening fishing off the pier — every stop became a page. Now they're off to Tennessee for more adventures with their cousins, sketchbooks in tow.

Sketchbooks give them a reason to be in the moment, paying attention, and - not a phone in sight. This summer sketchbook will become a record of their observations and memories.

Image caption: Two of my favorite artists sharing their summer adventures and drawing practice in their Hypatia sketchbooks.

If you've been wondering how to start a sketchbook, for yourself or for a child in your life, Noa and James make the case better than any how-to guide: you don't need training, talent, or a plan. You need a notebook and a reason to open it.

How to Start a Sketchbook: The Short Answer

Starting a sketchbook is less about technique and more about habit. A few ways to make the first pages easy:

1. Pick a sturdy notebook you're excited to use. A sketchbook that invites you in - one with a durable cover and paper that can handle pencil, watercolor, glue, or even finger painting!

2. Give it a job. Rather than "draw something," try "draw what you saw today." Noa and James didn't sit down to make art — they sketched the alpacas because they'd just met them.

3. Bring it along, don't schedule it. The sketchbook that lives in a beach bag or backpack gets filled. The one that stays home for "the right moment" stays empty.

4. Not sure what to put in a sketchbook? The answer is: anything you want to remember, notice, explore, or simply make. Ticket stubs, pressed flowers, a few lines of writing next to the drawing — a sketchbook is a record, not a portfolio. Use it however inspires you.

5. Let the pages grow naturally. Some days you’ll use your sketchbook in the field, other days during an inspired morning, and some days not at all. Find a rhythm that works for you.

Starting a Sketchbook with Kids

A common question from parents and grandparents: what age is right for a first sketchbook? There isn't one! Noa and James proved that theory throughout the summer — carrying their sketchbooks with them the same way they'd carry a favorite stuffed animal, filling pages between lunch and library visits without anyone assigning it as homework.

A few things that made it work:

• No correcting. The sketchbook isn't for getting drawings "right." It's for noticing what happened that day.

• Let the outing lead. A farm visit, a pier, a museum hall — kids draw what's in front of them. You don't need a prompt list; the summer provides one.

• Encourage it, don't manage it. Noa and James didn't need direction — they just needed a good book and space for imagination 

There's something particularly joyful about watching a child's sketchbook fill up — not with finished art, but with the record of an actual summer: a farm, a pier, a museum, a library, a cousin's house in Tennessee. That's the real reason for starting a sketchbook as a child. It isn't about developing as an artist, necessarily, but about learning, growing, noticing, and experimenting with new interests.

What to Look for in a First Sketchbook

Not every notebook holds up to that kind of use. A sketchbook worth starting — for a child or an adult — needs a few things:

• Durability. A hardback cover holds its shape through months of use.

• Paper that opens flat. A sketchbook that won't stay open fights you on every page. Look for a binding designed to lie flat so drawing across the spread is actually possible.

• Enough pages to build a habit. A slim notebook fills up — and gets abandoned — too fast. A generous page count means the habit has room to take hold.

• Paper that can handle more than pencil. Smooth, substantial paper takes pencil, pen, and light watercolor without bleeding through to the next page.

The Sketchbook Behind This Summer

A sketchbook that's beautiful enough to make you want to pick it up, sturdy enough to take everywhere, and generous enough to grow with you makes the habit of keeping a sketchbook that much easier.

Noa and James have been using the Cambridge Imprint Very Large Hardback Notebook throughout the summer and it passes all the tests as a perfect sketchbook for beginners.

Each cover is litho-printed in England using hand-mixed inks on uncoated stock, giving the patterned paper a richness and hand-printed character that's hard to describe until you see it in person — I’ve wanted to include Cambridge Imprint's papers in the Hypatia collections for years and I'm so glad they're finally here. The notebook is available in three colorways: Songbird Moss, Songbird Bramble, and Songbird Rosehip.

Inside, 80 pages of smooth cream paper open flat for drawing across the spread, bound with a durable bookcloth spine and a hardback cover that can handle a summer of beach bags, backpacks, and pier-side sketching. 

At roughly 10.5" x 8.5", it's equally suited to writing, sketching, planning, or collecting ideas — for a child filling it with a summer's worth of alpacas and carousel rides, or an adult starting the habit for the first time.

It's a book built to be used, not preserved. Which, if Noa and James's pages are any evidence, is exactly the point.

Keep drawing and exploring, Noa and James. I can't wait to see what fills the next pages. ❤️