Sketchbook Themes to Keep You Inspired!

Imagine: the time has come; you’ve finally found a moment to sit down and draw. You’ve wrangled your supplies, and your favourite beverage is at the ready. Pencil in hand, you open your sketchbook, and there it is… a blank page. You stare at it and wait for an inspiration to come… surely inspiration will come, right?!

Close-up of a hand drawing a portrait using color pencils on paper.

Blank page paralysis: It happens to everyone sooner or later: when you want to draw, but deciding what to draw feels daunting. Sometimes, when we have the freedom to do anything, we end up doing nothing.

Setting a theme for your sketchbook can help! Deciding what to draw on a blank page can feel like trying to answer a question that no one asked, when you set a theme in your sketchbook you are asking a question, each time you return to your sketchbook you are responding to that question. A theme transforms our sketchbook into a conversation that we can easily jump back into anytime.

How to decide on a theme: there are plenty of ways to approach sketchbook themes; we can set themes that are topical, procedural or both.

A topical theme tells us what to draw. You select a topic and then choose things to draw that relate back to the topic. For example, you could create a sketchbook called “Botanica” that focuses on plants. The subject of every drawing in “Botanica” would relate to plants in some way.

When setting a topical theme, you should consider how broad or specific you want your topic to be. Setting a broad theme like “good things” can allow you to tie together a large variety of subjects that may not be obviously related. A broad theme offers a starting point while leaving lots of freedom for interpretation. A specific theme is more categorical and casts a narrower net into your pool of potential subjects, it could be something like “animals” or narrower still “animals of Ontario”. In a narrow theme, the subjects are often obviously related, and choosing what to draw next is pretty straightforward. How wide you’d like to cast your net is up to your preference. Before committing to a theme try taking it out for a walk, list out ideas that come to mind for the theme in question, if you feel adrift, try narrowing the scope, if the ideas that come to mind feel too repetitive, or peter out after a only few, loosen your constraints. A good theme should be interesting to you and generate a steady flow of ideas.

A procedural theme tells you how to draw. You can set a procedural theme by setting rules about how your drawings must be created. Setting rules might sound stuffy or restrictive, but every game starts with rules. Setting constraints encourages us to think creatively and approach our drawings in new ways. Your rules can pertain to the tools you can use, the techniques you must employ, the style you work in, how much time you can spend, or what kind of reference you can use.

An example of a procedural theme could be: “monochromia” a sketchbook that focuses on monochromatic colour schemes, the subjects in that sketchbook might not be related to each other in any way, but every page is created using only one colour.

Procedural themes are a great way to practice a skill, learn a new medium or develop personal style.

It is also possible to keep a sketchbook that has both procedural and topical themes, where you’ve set “rules of the game” for both what you draw and how you draw it. We could combine our two sketchbook ideas above and create a sketchbook called “Botanica Monochromia,” a sketchbook that focuses on drawing plants in a monochromatic colour scheme. Combining both topical and procedural constraints will assist us in creating a body of work within our sketchbook that is cohesive and can help us communicate a larger story. It can make the creative process more approachable by reducing friction, because we already have an idea of what we’re going to make and how we’re going to make it, before we’ve even started.

Assigning a theme offers us a chance to examine our interests and set intentions for what we wish to accomplish within our sketchbooks. Themes are a great way to playfully develop our skills and find our creative voice all on our own terms.

Check out the list below for some ideas to get you started!

22 Ideas for Sketchbook Themes to Get You Started:

Topical Themes:

Reflecting on a season: a sketchbook dedicated to a particular season (winter spring summer or fall) filled with what you did/saw that season, your favorite things about it, the unique challenges, treats and routines that season brings.
The farewell tour: A sketchbook filled with objects that you’ve been meaning to get rid of, but have been holding onto for sentimental reasons.
A place for silly faces: Each spread must have a face, human or otherwise.
Critters: A sketchbook dedicated to critters; it could be all critters or a specific kind of critter.
Environments: A sketchbook focused on places; you could do outdoor scenes, buildings, or interiors.
Travel journal: A sketchbook dedicated to documenting a trip, the places you saw, the things you ate, ticket stubs and notes about your experience.
Thumbnails: A sketchbook where you make small test illustrations that you can use to plan larger projects.
On the menu: A sketchbook filled with illustrations of your favourite meals, and their recipes.
How was your day?: A sketchbook where you draw something, someone or somewhere you saw that day, along with a little blurb about what happened.
I’m a fan: A sketchbook dedicated to fan art of your favourite characters, celebrities, or master studies of artwork you are inspired by.
Familiar places: A sketchbook dedicated to sketches of scenes in your home, or places that you know very well and you spend most of your time.

Procedural Themes:

One tool: a sketchbook where each page is completed using the same drawing tool (Pen, pencil, marker, etc.)
No eraser: No erasing allowed; the first pass is the final pass.
Locked colour scheme: Select a limited colour palette (1-4 colours)and use those colours and only those colours for every spread.
Stopwatch: set a specific amount of time that each sketch must be completed within; once the timer is up, pencils down.
One line: the entire drawing must be completed with one long line. No pen lifts allowed
No tan: all shapes must be simplified into either light or dark. No middle tones allowed.
Blind contours: you’re only allowed to look at the reference. You have to complete the entire drawing without ever looking at what your hand is doing.
From imagination: No reference allowed; everything must be drawn from imagination or memory.
From life: No photo reference allowed. Everything must be drawn from something you see in person.
Blocked out: Do your initial rough sketch using only solid, simplified shapes (works best with a chisel tip marker or paintbrush); you can add contours and linework afterward.
Unique coloured paper: A sketchbook on paper any colour other than white.

Your turn!

In the table below, brainstorm some ideas for sketchbook themes you could use.

Topical Theme Ideas:

Procedural Theme Ideas:

Topical/Procedural Theme Ideas:

Choose your favourite theme idea from the table above and test it out in the table below. Repeat for as many ideas as you’d like to try.

Theme Title: Theme Description: 10 Image Ideas Inspired by This Theme:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

The Bracebridge Library’s Sketchbook Collection is inspired by the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project. It was a collective art project that ran from 2009 until 2023, housing 50,000 sketchbooks by creators from around the globe.

The library’s collection features sketchbooks that have been donated by patrons. It is located at the front of the library near the Circulation Desk.

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