Why I Started Keeping Sketchbooks Again as a Professional Artist

In this video, I take you with me on a journey into the marshes of Northern Ontario to reconnect with nature through a sketchbook practice. As someone who struggles with perfectionism, and who fell victim to increased phone usage during the pandemic, the sketchbook practice is teaching me to ground myself, be in the moment, and experience art not just as a practice, but as a way of life.

Sketchbooks are the stories of who we are as people and artists. They document and chronicle our growth. They are not simply a tool to scratch out an outline for a painting; they are a place to visually dream, and to ask ourselves, "what if?"

Sketchbooks require courage. For artists, it means being willing to make mistakes. I struggle with accepting failure sometimes, because I get angry when I think that I've wasted my time. But holding on and preserving those little failures isn't a bad thing; it means we have a logbook of our progress and development. We can look back on our journey and truly see how much we have improved.

I am currently taking Dina Brodsky's 21 day Sketchbook Habit workshop, and I strongly recommend checking her out. She is an incredible person and artist, and I have been beyond grateful to learn from her expertise and spirit of generosity. I have linked her below.

I am so fortunate to have been able to work with my friend, Ed Regan of Regan Pictures, to create this video. He saw what I wanted to create and made it so much more. I am excited to see what future stories we will be able to tell, as northerners and creatives.

My brand new course, "Painting Flowers in Acrylic," is now available! As a special thank you, you can use code YOUTUBE30 at checkout to take $30 off the course! https://courses.mariannevanderdussen....

Let's connect! 🎨
Follow me on Instagram:   / mariannevanderdussen  
Link to my free 36 page Introduction to Acrylic Painting eBook: https://tinyurl.com/42ye4srx
Art Incubator Facebook Support Group:   / artincubatorwithmarianne  
Follow me on Facebook:   / artbymariannevanderdussen  
My website: https://www.MarianneVanderDussen.com
Link to purchase original paintings, includes free shipping within the Canada and USA: https://mariannevanderdussen.com/coll...

Artists referenced in this video:
Dina Brodsky:   / dinabrodsky  
Link to Dina's Sketchbook Workshop: https://www.dinabrodsky.com/sketchboo...
Elena Limkina:   / limkina  
Gizem Bozkurt:   / gizembozkurt_art  

Materials used in this video:
Strathmore Watercolour Sketchbook: https://geni.us/TBlz (Amazon)
Liquitex Professionals Hard Body Paint: https://geni.us/uNkrGqS (Amazon)
(Note: for the paint colours, I used my typical limited palette of alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, ultramarine blue, phthalo blue, titanium white, and burnt umber. However, if you're looking for a set to get you started, these are all fantastic colours)
Full sketchbook shopping list: https://geni.us/weu09v (Amazon)
My camera: https://geni.us/N2XnzO (Amazon)
My lens: https://geni.us/BaEHcuH (Amazon)
iPad Pro 12.9": https://geni.us/KPPjas (Amazon)


Filmed and Edited by Regan Pictures