Sketchbook at cons?

[chriskay99]

I was thinking about making a themed sketchbook and taking it to cons with me to get all sketched in and whatnot. I know I saw a few posts about someone on the board starting a Valiant themed sketchbook. I stopped at the art supply store this morning and liked a few sketchbooks, but I think the paper weight was a little weak. I definitely want to get a sketchbook that is square bound versus one that is spiral bound or has pages that tear out, because I have zero plans of reselling the sketches, and want the artists to know their work isn't going to be resold.

So, my questions - does anyone have a themed sketchbook they're working on? Do you have recommendations on paper size or paper weight? I was looking around online and some seemed to recommend watercolor paper, or mixed media paper - definitely want something that can handle marker without bleeding through. I was looking at bigger size sketchbooks (like 80+ pages) but that might take me forever to get completed so perhaps starting with a 30-something page sketchbook is better? I figure I can get maybe 2 or 3 sketches in one day of a convention, depending on how busy the artists are? Would I ever need to provide sketching materials (besides the book)? I know pricing varies per artist but just looking for general tips and feedback here. Thank you so much in advance.

[Jace]

I have 3 sketchbooks I am currently working on. They are the black square-bound type. The paper is pretty heavy duty, but I always carry something to place behind the page the artist is working on so there is no bleed through. I believe it is 100 or so pages, it will take quite awhile to fill them, but that's ok for me. I go to 3 or 4 cons a year so they should last me 5 years or more. How fast you want to fill them is really a personal preference. Just because they aren't full doesn't mean you can't still look at them or show them off! The three I am working on are Legion of Super-Heroes, a Justice League and a Valiant one. I hear a lot of people say they prefer the smaller sizes 7x7 or 8x8 but I like the full 8 1/2 by 11. This way I feel the artist has plenty of room to work, this again is personal preference. 2 or 3 sketches in a day is certainly doable. Though there have been times I have gotten only one because an artist was busy. I have also gotten as many as 5 in a day. It really just depends on how many people are there getting sketches, how fast the artist is and what level of detail you are asking for, inked, not inked, shading, color etc. My advantage is that by having multiple sketchbooks if one sketch book is stuck with a particular artist I still have others I can get commissions for. As far as providing other materials ... this almost never happens. I have given an artist a gold sharpie before because he lost his gold copic marker and needed that color to finish the sketch he was working on for the guy in line in front of me. But unless you are asking for a colored sketch with some particular shades of an uncommon color you are probably good with just bringing whatever you want to get the sketch drawn on. Although these artist are often stuck at their tables for hours at a time, so a small snack, water, juice or soda is usually appreciated. Oh one final thing to mention is reference material. Most artist have smart phones and access to google at the shows so this isn't as important as it used to be, but if you are asking for a more obscure character having reference material for the artist to work from is a good idea just in case. Otherwise you might not get something you like or will have to choose a different character that the artist is more familiar with. Hope this helps!

Found this on Amazon, it might not be the exact sketchbook I use but its very close.
http://www.amazon.com/Pentalic-Sketch-H ... sketchbook

[chriskay99]

Thank you so much, Jace. Exactly the type of info I was looking for. If anyone else has tips, please chime in. This is incredibly last minute as I'm hoping to get it started at the C4 / Ventura comic show tomorrow. Off to the art supply store to seize the day!