Sketchbooks have been an invaluable tool for me not only to record moments in time but also to explore different styles, compositions, and techniques in a more experimental way. I think it’s the immediacy of sketching on location that makes it so powerful—there’s a rawness to it that often can’t be replicated when working from photographs or memory alone. It also allows for more organic connections between the subject and the work, which is something I always try to preserve.
There’s something special about being immersed in the environment you’re drawing, where the sounds, smells, and atmosphere can influence the marks you make. I find that it brings an energy to the sketch that can be harder to replicate in the studio. Sometimes, however, when conditions aren’t ideal, it’s just as rewarding to draw from the shelter of my car or, working from my photographs and sketches of the subject or scene, to then experiment with new ideas and techniques, in the comfort of my own home studio.