Category: Sketchbooks

Rainbow sketch 5 x 7 is an active sketchbook. I started this sketchbook in 2007. I used it as a sort of doodle pad for my flower, spiral, and butterfly expressions.

Blue

The blue pages of this sketchbook are exactly as mentioned above. I revised a few of the images in this section in 2024 and 2025.

Red

I continued with those same expressions in this red section and then shelved the book until 2023 when I started adding figurative art. Life models found in the red pages include the following:  @lifefigure_, Anonymous One, @vivastra_life_modelling, @mistry.3y3z, and Yoni.

rainbow sketch 5 x 7 – Yellow

This section has seen very little activity with either of the previous expressions. As abstracts are creeping in, I’m sure more is to come for this section. Life models found in the yellow pages include the following: @malemodelmtl.

Orange

With the exception of the model above, all other model work stems from my own photography at local venues and events. Life models found in the orange pages include the following: @gjthefiguremodel, Earl, Donovan, Scott, and Rob D.

Green

In the green section, only one of the figurative images stems from my model photography. All other figurative work is photo reference from images provided by the model via Instagram. Life models found in the green pages include the following: @lifefigure_, @artmodelstl, @giovanniortiz6151, and @stuinsd.

rainbow sketch 5 x 7 – Purple

This section is the same as above with only one image created by referencing my own model photography. All others are created using photo reference provided by the art model via Instagram. Life models found in the purple pages include the following: @maxexhibiart, Glen, @ayax_moon, and @mrkendonagasaki.

rainbow sketch 5 x 7 – Digital

I’ve included this gallery to show images that have had image editing to create these digital art versions of the sketchbook images.

Be sure to check out some of my other sketchbooks and journals.

Blue sketch 5 x 5 is another sketchbook for my creative journey into smaller formats.  In 2014 and 2015, while I was left to my own devices outside of college courses, I started this sketchbook. I attended SDAI’s “art gym” at the Museum of the Living Artist in Balboa Park. At My Art Shed in La Jolla, I also utilized this blue sketch. I created a few images in ARTF210C at San Diego Mesa College, as well.

Life models found in this section of the sketchbook include the following: Jono, Sabrina, Joel, Zoe, David, Rob D., Anonymous Three, Yoni and Meghan.

After that humble beginning, I shifted into other projects and shelved this sketchbook.

I picked it up again in 2022 and my spiral, flower, and butterfly drawings started getting peppered in. For more of those see my site fluerdecie.com.

I started adding in abstracts and gently exploring with wet media.

This 2014 five minute eraser sketch of Rob D., (shown above) was updated in 2023. I added acrylic paint via a gel plate (shown below). This transitioned into use with a gel plate to apply acrylic paint to paper (paper that generally does not handle the moisture involved with acrylic paint, but works when done just right with a gel plate).

From this point in 2023, this became one of my new sketchbooks for my photo reference drawing/painting with Instagram life models. I also started utilizing images from my own model photography. And, of course, I continued my exploration with abstracts and wet media.

Life models found in this section of the blue sketch 5 x 5 include the following: @luniversphotos_de_p, @giovanniortiz6151, @lifefigure_, Anonymous One, @artmodelstl, @vivastra_life_modelling, @vlad.uvarov.cg, @mrkendonagasaki, @stokesjaronalex, @mistry.3y3z, @gjthefiguremodel, @malemodelmtl, @lifemodel.rach, and Harry Covair.

Well, that was a wrap on 2023. I noticed at this point that I started a habit of closing out the year with a flower / spiral drawing and starting the next year with another.

Life models found in the 2024 section of the blue sketch 5 x 5 include the following: @maxexhibiart, @stuinsd, @ayax_moon, @brocktonwarwick, and @lorent_live_model.

Well, that was a wrap on 2024. Fewer photo reference drawings were added into the blue sketch 5 x 5 this year. I started 2025 off with a spiral. It seems I stopped the habit of ending and starting the year with a flower / spiral.

My focus had shifted to other projects and other sketchbooks. Life models found in the 2025 to 2026 section of the blue sketch include the following: Earl, Donovan, Scott, Anonymous Three and Glen.

The following is the remaining state of the sketchbook with some of the abstracts that were created in the process.

I’ve included digital images in the gallery below to show the continued evolution and process of work from this sketchbook.

This post has been linked to Sketchbooks and Journals. You will find more of my sketchbook and journal creativity linked there.