Hunter | Gatherer: Illustrators’ Sketchbooks, Pt. I

The sketchbooks of illustrators can provide a look at the process of creation, documentation of daily life, or a peek into an illustrator’s private musings. For some, there is a strong visual link from sketchbook to published art. But for others, these personal journals reflect visual experiments quite unlike their commissioned projects. Three more illustrators will be featured in Part II tomorrow!

An illustrator who frequently fills sketchbooks with his colorful drawings, Yann Kebbi (France) has started using larger sheets of paper to document his travels. These live drawings allow him to try new techniques he might not otherwise incorporate in his commissioned assignments. These spreads from a trip to New York reveal nimble drawing skills with an untamed energy, a distinctive use of color, and his often exaggerated perspective.

Brooklyn-based Irishman Oliver Jeffers is well known for his children’s books and his paintings, but his fabulous sketchbooks reflect a very different sensibility. A prolific and multi-talented artist, Jeffers’ large body of work reflects a keen observational style and a clever wit. Working in a broad range of media, he has also worked in video, installations, and on countless personal projects (how I would love to see this sketchbook created in 2004 between Jeffers and three other artist friends who sent the book back and forth across the Atlantic over a period of thirty-six weeks!). Here are a few of my favorite samples from his layered sketchbooks.

These sketchbook samples from American Lisa Adams come from various sailing trips and other personal adventures. Here you can see more casual examples of her signature style: hyper-realistic renderings embellished with quirky collaged elements and hand-lettered text. Lisa has worked both as an editorial illustrator and as a fine artist.