Travel Sketchbook Tips – Number Seven: Bring your sketchbook to an art museum — Kristin Link (2024)
I’m not the type of tourist who wants to see every museum that a place has to offer, but I do love to go and spend a couple of hours walking around an art or natural history museum. Often when going to a new museum there is so much to see that I get overwhelmed. One of my favorite ways to slow down and appreciate what’s in front of me (instead of worrying about trying to see everything) is to bring a sketchbook or journal and take some time for focused observation.
On our first day in Cambodia, my sister and I walked to the National Museum in Phnom Penh. The museum houses a collection of Khmer cultural material including sculpture, ceramics and ethnographic objects from the prehistoric, pre-Angkorian, Angkorian and post-Angkorian periods. It has perhaps the best selection of free-standing Khmer sculpture in Cambodia since much of the sculpture left at the temples have been looted or degraded from exposure.
Drawing and sketching sculpture can be really fun and I highly recommend trying it. I am not sure why I enjoy it so much—maybe because the forms are so dimensional (obviously) but also because it’s fun to draw someone else’s artistic interpretation. I find that drawing sculpture also helps me to notice details I wouldn’t have otherwise. In these sketches it seemed like I noticed a lot more phallic objects then I did at first glance.
Something else I really loved about the National Museum was the architecture and the floor plan. The whole museum had giant windows and doors that opened onto a central courtyard. This was nice since it was our first day in 90 degree heat. It felt good to sit in the shade by the pools and get a break from the intense sun. The museum also has the classic Khmer roof design and decoration.
The National Museum was closed and abandoned from 1975-1979 during the years of Khmer Rouge control. When it was reopened a colony of bats had to be removed and much of the roof was rotten. They also lost most of their staff in the genocide. However, it is a welcoming and rich place to visit today and they have been able to recover multiple lost cultural artifacts from around the world that were looted from Cambodia. The museum states that one of their achievements is:
“Playing an active role in the restitution and subsequent care of looted artifacts. Supported by the efforts of UNESCO’s International Council of Museums (ICOM) and their Publications One hundred missing objects: Looting in Angkor, eight objects have been successfully returned to Cambodia since 1996. A further two are currently under investigation. Some of the pieces have been returned by private individuals while others have come from international institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Honolulu Academy of Arts.”
Also before you plan to bring your sketchbook to a museum it is wise to check and see if they allow it. Most museums do, but many also prefer you to only use dry media, like pencils.
You might practise some calligraphy on that first page, your name, the dates of your sketchbook, a favourite quote you have read during the period of time you sketched, a photograph, or even a cut out of a sketch or insert that sets the tone or themes of your sketchbook.
How many sketchbooks do you use at the same time? Some people have one sketchbook they do all their projects in, fill it up, and once it's finished, they pick up a new one. It may give them more focus, that one sketchbook gets all the attention rather than dividing it over different projects or purposes.
I usually fill up a 60 page A4 size sketchbook in a little over a week when I'm travelling, and have been known to have a similar pace when I'm at home at times. My preference for an everyday sketchbook is to have 90-120 pages so that they last longer than a few weeks.
You'll need a long-arm stapler, 5-8 sheets of 12″ x 18″ white sulphite paper and some acrylic paints. Fold the paper in half and create a good crease. Use the long-arm stapler to secure the book together in 3 spots. Fold the sketchbook well and use a hard tool like a ruler to really crease the fold.
The age-old debate of whether to learn drawing or painting first has puzzled many aspiring artists. However, the answer is clear: learning to draw should be your first step on the artistic journey.
I've felt like I didn't know what to do on the last page of my sketchbooks, remember that it's just another sketchbook page, and if it's too intimidating you can just move on. I would say draw something that inspires you or motivates you to do another wonderful art journey in a new sketchbook.
Small is good if you're planning on carrying your sketchbook with you. I like an A5 size here in the UK. It's big enough to be useful but small enough to fit in my bag on a walk to the beach. I've gone as big as A3 but this didn't suit me on my small table.
Draw still lifes of everyday objects. You can start by drawing a simple bowl of fruit, or arrange a collection of objects like pencils, cups, or books.
Keeping a regular sketchbook practise has a lot of benefits. As well as getting pressing ideas down and trying out new things, it can help unlock our creativity. Sometimes sitting down to make something on a beautiful piece of paper can feel quite intimidating, but in a sketchbook all bets are off.
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