Ms. Saeger's Daily Sketchbook Journal: September 2010

Welcome to Ms. Saeger's Daily Sketchbook Journal!

This school year (10-11) the artists at Buffalo Trail Elementary will be using Sketchbook Journals like they never have before. In the past we have used the SBJ to take notes on new artists, to document project requirements, to sketch out project ideas and to practice and explore new art skills. This year the whole sketchbook experience will be more personally meaningful and artistically enriching for our young artists.

In addition to the familiar uses (note-taking, practicing and planning) this year we will:
- explore subject matter in-depth through drawings and collage
- reflect on art experiences using creative writing
- create on-going, thematic threads of visual imagery
- find new visual modes of self-expression
- produce a collected body of work reflective of the individual as an artist

In an effort to model how artists use sketchbooks I will be posting digital scans of my own sketchbook journal. My SBJ will also always be in my classroom for students to hold and peruse up-close. I hope this blog will be a resource and inspiration for my students and for other young artists and their teachers.

Use your sketchbook journal!

~SBJ entries can be done fast or slow.

~Entries can be images you are looking at, from your head or just doodles and designs.

~You can write, but you don’t have to.

~SBJ entries are IDEAS, not finished drawings!

~You can use your sketchbook journal to practice new skills or plan a bigger project.

~NEVER rip out pages from your SBJ! Good or bad, you can always come back to look at, add to, change, or just remember the idea.

~When its finished your sketchbook journal will be something will enjoy looking through for years to come.

~Be nice to your sketchbook journal and it will help you become a better artist!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010