Observational sketchbook

Observational sketchbook informs a lot of my work. It’s my first step when tackling a new project. When possible, I try to draw references from real life. When that’s not possible, I try to find videos with the subject or places I’m depicting.

Since completing my MA in Children’s Book Illustration, I have developed a semi-regular sketchbook practice. This helps me build up a library of references for my imaginative work, but also brings me great joy in and of itself. I’ve turned some of my favorite drawings into zines and prints which are available for purchase in my shop.

Woman with curly hair and jean jacket sits in a park painting and drawing in a sketchbook
Sketchbook drawing in brown pencil of a Spanish beach. Women stand and talk in the sun, people lay under parasols.
Live sketchbook drawing of tourists in an Italian Piazza - Piazza Maggiore in Bologna.
Sketch made with colored pencils of mom cooking in her kitchen
Life drawing of an elderly couple standing outside a shop in London
Drawing made from observation of a windy day in Daytona Beach, Florida. A woman looks for something in her buggy as her toddle shivers in the cold. A woman sits in a foldable chair, looking out at the sea. Two people play in the waves.
Quick ink sketch of horse browsing in a Cambridge field.
Observational illustration of two old men sitting on a bench along the Cam river in Cambridge. A willow frames the men. One of the men has a foldable bike beside him.
Observational drawing of three young men in Italian piazza. Drawing made with watercolor, colored pencil and neocolor crayons
Observational drawing with watercolor and mixed media of a statue in London
Drawing from life in a sketchbook of a young couple with their newborn sitting at a picnic table in Bushy Park, London
An in and watercolor sketch of a young couple sitting under an archway, flirting. From Bologna, Italy.
Sketchbook drawing of a man and a woman chatting on a bench in a Buenos Aires park. Plaza Rodriguez Peña, Buenos Aires, Argentina
A man waits under the roof of a British bus stop on an autumnal day. The roofs of houses rise beyond a hedge and bare trees line the park
Quick observational graphite sketch of an intimate concert in Cambridge just after Covid. A woman plays her violin against the backdrop on an elaborate window. Spectators sit and watch.
Painting from observation of a beach in Barcelona, Spain. A woman looks at her cellphone under an umbrella. Another is coming out of the water. People play in the water. The setting sun reflects off the water. Boats sail in the background.
Observational illustration of a London street. Watercolor and pencil.
Observational drawing of a house in the outskirts of London