how it all started....A.K.A. my sketchbook 'awakening'

coming from a family of artists, the idea of keeping a sketchbook was suggested to me from a very young age, but sadly, i wasn't able to bring myself to commit to anything cover to cover until it was posed as a school assignment. (hey, you know, sometimes you need a little bit of academic pressure to get things done!) so, in my sophomore year of high school, i was given a sketchbook in my art class to fill cover to cover during the semester. the key success here was the informality. my instructors presented the project informally and gave us very few guidelines to leave room for freedom of creativity.  that, in my opinion, was the most important part, since

SKETCHBOOKS ARE THE PRIME FRONTIER FOR EXPERIMENTATION.

this came to me as i was browsing over this article (the sketchbook-the creative diary) that gives a brief overview on the art of keeping a sketchbook. i jotted down a quick list of the 'pros' of sketchbooking and how they were applicable to my experience. most importantly, i noted the informality of a sketchbook, which takes off the pressure of 'having to create a work of art' and makes room for experimenting on a small scale. sketching, watercolor, writing, collage, photos, found objects, etc. i got so hooked on that sketchbook project, i've been keeping one ever since.

Here is my CURRENT sketchbook.

Here are some excerpts out of my current sketchbook, we're talking cartoons, fashion sketches, studies, quotes, and found objects.