Draw Your Day: An Inspiring Guide to Keeping a Sketch Journal

by Samantha Dion Baker

An instructive guide to creating an illustrated journal based on artist and Instagram sensation Samantha Dion Baker's unique creative process, featuring information on materials, creative inspiration and instruction, prompts, and helpful tips and tricks. Samantha Dion Baker is a widely admired and followed artist on Instagram, where she shares her "sketch journal," an illustrated daily record of her life, drawn in a fresh, modern style. In Draw Your Day, Baker guides you through her inspirational practice and provides guidance for starting your own. Part instructional guide and part encouraging manifesto about how making art--even art that's not museum-worthy--can make your life more mindful and meaningful, Draw Your Day is ideal for both seasoned artists looking for fresh inspiration, as well as aspiring artists who need a friendly nudge to get started.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Drawing, Self Help, Crafts, Creative, Journaling

143 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2018

About the author

Samantha Dion Baker is originally from Philadelphia, where she grew up in a family of
artists. She graduated from The Cooper Union in New York City and spent over twenty years ' working as a graphic designer. Now a full-time author, illustrator, and artist, her favorite thing to do is wander the city streets and travel with her family, drawing all of the things she does, eats, and sees in the pages of her sketch journal. She is the author of Draw Your Day, Draw Your Day Sketchbook, Draw Your World, and forthcoming Draw Your Day For Kids! She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Am Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

There just isn't very much in this book. And of the little there is, it's not quite useful to someone who just can't draw. The author simply gives ideas on what to sketch: e.g. things from daily life that stand out, small moments, surprising details gleaned from mundane objects or occurrences, etc. There's a lot of motivational advice and tips, along the lines of "if you practise a little everyday you will end up improving a lot", "make sketching a habit and it will come naturally", "you think you can't do it but you actually can", blah blah. All this is easy for someone like the author - who's an artist - to say, and she also admits that she's had lots of practice because she not only spent up to 10 hours a day drawing at one point in her life, but it's also her current vocation. To the layman - someone who even has trouble drawing stick figures - this is just meaningless babble. I wasn't looking for a book to tell me what to draw (my head is already overflowing with ideas); I was looking for a book to tell me how to do it, given my extremely limited artistic skills. If you're like me, you're much better off picking a book that teaches proper sketching and technique, rather than this one, which I think was simply a lengthy blog post.

[Plateresca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of everyday sketching is not new to me; I remember reading Everyday Matters years ago. Years ago (when I was dogless and gardenless) I used to draw every day myself, and I did it for years. But over the last many years I lost the habit and I just couldn't get it back. I was starting journals and never finishing them.

This book really inspired me not just to start drawing again - that's easy; it inspired me to go on drawing (I have been drawing daily for over 7 weeks by now!). It showed me that any graphic imprint of my day is valid, and can be fun to look at later.

And it also made me buy some stuff. Now, I expected to be bored by the 'Tools and Materials' section, because I thought I knew it all. The only thing I already had that was the same as the author's was the watercolour box! I loved most of her recommendations. The pencil she uses, it really does stay sharp longer than usual! Shopping with her list was great fun.
The greatest drawback of the book is here, too, though: red sable brush? One definitely doesn't need to have an animal killed to express oneself in art. Minus one star for this recommendation.

The book also has lists of what you can draw if you really don't know what to draw on a particular day. So if you're even mildly interested, I would encourage you to buy it, - just ignore the brush part.

[Bry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Samatha Dion Baker on instagram for quite a while and love her journal pages and the glimpses into her creative day. So when this book came out I knew I had to have it and it is lovely! The book itself is a great size with thick, creamy paper that feels wonderful. The content is less a how to and more an engaging pep talk on how to get started with lots of images from her own sketchbooks to serve as examples and inspiration. The writing is open and down to earth and is quite relaxing to read. I would recommend this as a great starting point for someone looking to get into sketch journaling or travel journaling!

[Huyen Pham · Rating 3 out of 5]

#popsugar2020
30. A book that has a book on the cover

I decided to read this book because I wanted to learn to sketch from a long time ago but I haven't found a class for beginners and I'm just too lazy to learn it myself from videos on YouTube. This book is ideal for those who can draw and just want to find inspiration or want to start a sketch bullet journal. For those who know nothing about drawing like me, I wouldn't recommend it. I think I'll move to another book for beginners then come back to this one later.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should know better than to read books written by ‘Instagram sensations’. They too often lack any real depth and that’s the unfortunate case here. Dion Baker’s art and typography are stunningly gorgeous, but you can see that for free on her Instagram account. The text, while interesting in spots, was neither particularly inspirational nor instructive.

Update May 28, 2024
I slammed this book on my first reading three years ago. Returning to it for a second read, I’m in a different place. I don’t need this book for instruction, just for ideas of what I might draw from my ordinary days. For that purpose, Dion Baker’s work fits the bill.

[Wendelle]

This book contains such a simple but comforting, cozy idea for emotion regulation and daily catharsis, namely, art journaling or sketching with colored pencils or pastels. This involves keeping a visual record of one's day, through simple traces of plants one has seen, flowers, fruits, leaves, people, pets, crisp architectural details or even snacks or coffee, outlines of fashion details that stand out. It seems like a good habit to maintain that also enhances one's perception and observation of surrounding details of one's daily life.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a random pick while browsing art books on Overdrive from the library. It was interesting to read about visual journalling/sketch journaling in a post-Instagram world (I was not familiar with the author when I went into this).

Lots of great advice, and I feel like this is one that it's about finding the person who speaks to you as a lot of the advice is the same advice in a lot of other books. Everyday Matters by Danny Gregory comes to mind. I love reading books like this and I bet I will continue to do so! I also should just get to my sketchbook.

One thing, there is several mentions of mistakes being okay, being learning tools, something you can alter into something else, etc. and it would have been nice to have more examples of that. I think there was only one.

Overall, I can totally see how this can be a great guide, especially if you are already a fan of the author. The examples and the tools and the suggestions are solid. I hope it gets many people to pick up a sketchbook start drawing their day.

Technical/Format Note: I got this through my library, and after it taking several months for the hold to come I was disappointed that the format was a bit persnickety to read (I used the Overdrive App, and read on a Kindle Fire). Sometimes the pages simply wouldn't load, or sometimes they would get stuck and not move forward at all. I tried reading online via computer and had some of the same issues. Eventually read it via Adobe Digital Editions, which isn't the best for something with visual elements as sizing the reading window changes the format and I had a hard time figure out when it looked like how it should, mostly in terms of being able to see headers/titles on the page with accompanying text.

[mai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well done... Twas not so bad book but idk, not really fascinating either

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspiring how-to manual for creating and maintaining a sketch journal. The author shares her own strategies and daily process for art journaling. The examples are plentiful and varied, and the narrative is well organized and informative.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in developing a daily sketching practice.

[Lastoadri · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best art books I read in a long time. I feel jealous of Samantha's amazing style of capturing her days. So tranquil and unique. I wish I can find my own style too.. I'll return again to this one soon.

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 3 out of 5]

çocukluğumdan beri kendi çapımda çizim yapmayı severken onlu yaşların sonunda bu sevgimi bir üst noktaya çıkarıp bir karakalem kursuna gittim. orada, atölyenin duvarlarında asılı onlarca çalışmayı gördüğümde gözüm öyle korkmuştu ki kursa başlamanın yalnış bir karar olduğu kanaatine varmıştım ilk dakikalardan. ancak hemen sonra harika bir resim öğretmeni sayesinde tüm bunları geride bırakıp elimde kalem tutmanın keyfine varmıştım.

orada ilk kalem tutmayı öğrendim, ardındansa baktığım şeyi görmeyi; ayrıntıları, ışığın ve gölgenin oyununu, küçük kusurların eşsizliğini... birkaç ay içinde hızla yol aldık, bu esnada benim kalemin verdiği güçle nefes almayı öğrendim.

elbette kurs bitince orada yakaladığım tempodan geriye neredeyse hiçbir şey kalmadı ama son dönemde bunun eksikliğini hissetmeye başladım. bu fikirlerin beni dürtmesiyle çizecek bir şeyler arayan ben (çünkü kafadan çizme benim henüz yapabildiğim bir şey değil, reproduction insanıyım bu aşamada) istediğim tarzda içerikler bulamadım bir türlü. bu dertle dertlenirken çizim üzerine gerek teknik gerekse adım-adım tarzı kitaplar bulup indirmiştim, bugün ne var ne yok kontrol ederken gözüme çarptı ve aralarından buna başlayıp bitirdim.

iyi ki de okumuşum diyorum!

uzun zamandır ilgimi çeken ama ne yapacağımı bilemediğim art-journal fikrini tekrar kafama düşürdü kitap. hatta bunun için kitabı okumaya ara verip bir plan/taslak bile çıkardım.

kitap teknik bir kitap değil, çizim ve art-journal ile uğraşan yazarının deneyimlerini paylaştığı, bunu neden yaptığı, neye nasıl yaklaştığından bahsettiği bir içerik olmuş. kendi çizimlerinden de ilham olması adına bol bol paylaşmış hakeza. nereden başlayacağını bilemeyen benim için gerçekten ilham veren bir okuma oldu. kendimi bildim bileli günlükçü biri oldum ama şimdi biraz tarz değiştirme vakti diyorum.

bu arada evet, vizeler için nefes almadan çalışmam/okumam/inceleme hazırlamam gerekirken günümü resimle geçirdim. vizeden sonra ağlayacak omuz arıyorum 😇

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

What this book is about is clearly defined by the title. I've followed the author's Instagram for a couple of years, and find her artwork inspiring. This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I enjoying flipping through her lovely illustrated journal pages, but the text and how to wasn't as inspiring as I'd expected. This isn't a book I'd recommend for beginners, but if you already keep a journal and want some inspiration, you might like it too.

[Angie Robles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro es muy inspirador no pude evitar tomar mi cuaderno y comenzar a contar mi propia historia. Tiene aparte tips y sugerencia de materiales que van desde los más básicos a los más profesionales.

[Alison.A.Bellbtinternet.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped me with my new hobby of Art and great for self care.

[Jyotsna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating - 4.5 stars
NPS - 9 (Promoter)

If you’re looking to pick up art as a hobby then this is the good guide for beginners. Especially on what to draw and how to document your life.

I have been doing food and urban sketching for some time now and this read helped me put the hobby into perspective.

[Melissa Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book not only for the eye candy, but also for anyone wanting to begin a visual journal or, for that matter, anyone beginning to draw. While this book doesn’t have any drawing how-to’s, I’d still recommend it to beginner artists. All the author’s advice on drawing is very encouraging and inspiring. I read this a couple years ago and made a few visual journal pages even though I couldn’t draw well at all. I love those pages though they aren’t technically “good”. Recently, I started making a visual journal again and I wanted to revisit this book. I found the advice, tips, and recommendations on subject matter to be really helpful. My visual journal spreads improved as a result of the author’s advice. This is the second time I’ve read the kindle version and I plan to buy a physical copy I can peruse again and again.

[Beth]

Samantha Dion Baker keeps the journal I've been trying and failing to keep for years. Reading her text and seeing her illustrations is a delight and always makes me wish I were locked in a room with her "real" journals so I could lose myself in them. This book offers practical information about tools and topics and ways to put together a journal page without going into so much detail that you get bogged down. She offers the perfect amount of "you can do it" and "here's something to try" to keep the reader enthused, whether that person is a professional artist or someone who has never picked up a pencil.

This book will appeal to people who like sketch journals, the work of Danny Gregory, Dan Price, Vivian Swift, or even a more chic/less quaint Susan Branch. The accompanying journal is fun to play with as well.

[Robin Pelletier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been noticing many students turning to pen and paper lately since we went online. It’s a nice break from screen time. I started a weekly sketch your day office hour for students and this book helped inspire ideas for us. It’s been amazing seeing who comes to office hour and what they’ve drawn. I may extend it to all my classes at some point.

This novel gives examples of pages from the author. It gives suggestions for what to draw, how to draw it and what supplies you’ll need. If you’ve ever been wanted to get started on sketching, this would be the perfect book to use. I got the ebook. While I don’t know if my art will ever progress or if I will start to sketch my day every day, I still loved this little bundle of inspiration.

[Charlotte Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most inspirational art books it was a quick read with lots of pictures. It has made me want to draw more, so it's work is done.

[Ary アリ · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are thinking about starting a daily sketch journal, but don’t know where to start, this book might be for you. There is a whole chapter talking about the recommended materials to help you get started (but not as detailed as what people often wrote in blogs).

In my case, I already have my preferred material. I draw sometimes, maybe not frequent enough. I thought I could find some inspirations from the book, perhaps from the author’s sketch journal. But there are just not as much as I hoped for.

On second thought, I am not sure on the intended reader for this book. You might be thinking to start a daily sketch journal, but you don’t know how to draw. Unfortunately, this is not a book to learn how to draw. It’s ‘an inspiring guide to keeping a sketch journal.’

The gist of the book is to just pick up the pen and draw. Maybe a sharing of experience on how the author does it. That is all there is to it. Don’t expect too much.

‘I know that drawing can be humbling and sometimes frustrating when you first begin. But if you practice a little bit each day, you will see gratifying improvement.’

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dion Baker is instructive, inspiring, encouraging, and enthusiastic with hardly an exclamation point in sight. Countless tips and ideas for sketch journaling, with obligatory mouth watering illustrations.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book. The illustrations are marvelous. It is well-written and the author encourages the reader to keep a daily sketch journal. As I am only beginning to draw this is a tall order and a huge reach for me. However, she convinced me that it would be a good experience. I decided to try to add some sketches to my existing journal to see how that goes. I highly recommend this book to any artist interested in keeping a sketch journal.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Samantha Dion Baker, is clearly a professional artist, but her sketch journal pages are inspiring, even to beginners.

[Christina Vourcos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended Reading for Inspiration!

I already have some knowledge about drawing, from classroom instruction, but this book has inspired me to draw more, especially moments of my day. I look forward to receiving the sketchbook, that is created by Samantha, soon. For additional inspiration, but this book is filled with a lot of inspiration that you can get started with whatever you currently have.

[Silvia Quesada · Rating 2 out of 5]

El review completo (y las lecciones que aprendí con el libro) están en mi blog:
https://www.soysilviaquesada.com/post...

Andaba en busca de inspiración para mejorar mis sketches y encontré el libro Draw your Day, una obra que promete ser una guía e inspiración para dibujar nuestras experiencias diarias en lugar de llevar un diario escrito. La portada me enganchó, así que lo saqué de la biblioteca y comencé a leerlo con libreta y lápiz en mano.

Si ya estás involucrado en el mundo del arte y del dibujo, creo que este libro no es para vos. Como yo ya había empezado a explorar esa parte artística, el libro me aportó poco (se comienza desde lo básico, como tipos de papel, lápices y borradores recomendados para hacer sketches), pero creo que puede ser útil para quien tenga curiosidad por comenzar en el sketch journaling.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork with a little practical guidance at the very end.

[Devin Redmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are two really great books that I bought before I found out we wouldn’t be in school until April 13 so I am extra happy I purchased them. When I read books like these, I realize that I’m not as nutty as I often feel.
Samantha Dion Baker’s Draw Your Day and Austin Kleon’s Keep Going are very similar but also different.
Both artists would agree that you have to put in the art time and have a schedule. Kleon suggests building a “bliss station.” Dion Baker has one, too, but doesn’t name it this exactly. Both authors notice the small things and keep lists. (I can’t help but be reminded of Naomi Shihab Nye saying that life is really one big poem if we let it be.) Both artists enjoy the act of writing words as part of their art, but Dion Baker strikes me as colorful while Kleon seems like a black Sharpie kind of guy.
Both artists say you don’t need fancy tools (though Dion Baker does suggest some) or a super exciting life to make art.
Kleon looks for scraps on the floor and talks about David Sedaris picking up litter on long walks and how that act allows him, as part of his art, to “collect discarded debris from the chaos of life.”
Both creators talked about the beauty of nature and how it makes them better artists.
Austin Kleon felt a little darker in his sentiments than Ms. Dion Baker. Not in a bad way and actually in a way I appreciated….probably because that’s how I think. Kleon talked about the pitfalls of society but also told people to be kind to themselves and be okay in not knowing all the answers.
Both books are written for adults but aren’t inappropriate for kids.
5/5 stars for both
@austinkleon @sdionbakerdesign

[Andrea Huelsenbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to look at art journals. I dream of being outside, pulling out my sketchbook, and drawing what I experience. But I have no idea how to get started.
Draw Your Day is, of course, illustrated with pages from Dion Baker’s own journals. I love her style.
She tells a little about her own life, and how she first started journaling, and how over time the artwork disappeared from her journals. She missed the drawing, and needed to purposely reinstate it into her life.
I really appreciate her discussion of tools. She explains the numbering system for pencils, which I really never understood before. She recommends certain brands of art supplies, some pricey and some not, and explains the reasons behind her choices.
But most of all, she explains how to make a sketch journal part of your daily routine. She suggests multiple ways to use one, and leaves it up to you to come up with your best way to adopt the sketchbook habit. I love this book, and I can’t wait to make sketching a daily part of my life.

[✨EJ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was discouraged by a mean-spirited person so many years ago that it's taken me 25 years to come back to creating art. Most recently, I've begun dabbling in doodling, drawing, and watercolor. Like others, I also started following the author on Instagram and am inspired to take on a daily practice of drawing my day. Taking pleasure in the everyday is an indulgence I can savor. This book is open-hearted and encouraging. I recommend it to anyone with even the slightest inkling of drawing. Start your daily practice :)

[niceu_a · Rating 3 out of 5]

What was inspiring for me were the illustrations, not the narrative, but I think they were few. I still had to check out Samantha Dion Baker's Instagram for more. I love her style though. She's a pro but her works are warm and friendly.