Sketch Book for the Artist Book: My Review

I’ve owned Sketch Book for the Artist by Sarah Simblet for a few years now, and it still earns a permanent spot on my shelf. If you're searching for a foundational drawing guide that feels like part masterclass, part museum tour, and part personal sketchbook, this is one of the most well-rounded books you can own.

As someone who’s spent a lot of time nature journaling, urban sketching, and just generally trying to stay creatively engaged with the world around me, I think this is a fantastic gudie for the artist who wants both inspiration and technical depth.

The book blends drawing instruction, art history, master studies, and personal observations in a way that’s both ambitious and approachable. It's not a linear “how-to-draw” manual; it's more like an immersive studio experience you can revisit again and again.

Sketch Book for the Artist: My Experience and Takeaways

I first picked up Sketch Book for the Artist when I was feeling stuck in my own sketchbook practice. I wanted to get better at drawing, but I didn’t want to follow a rigid step-by-step system. Sarah Simblet's book offered something richer: she shares her process, invites you into the mindset of drawing, and gives you practical exercises without dumbing anything down.

I remember flipping through the pages and being immediately pulled in by the incredible variety of sketches—not just polished work, but scribbles, early ideas, contour studies, and all the raw material that leads to finished drawings. It felt like she was saying, “Here's what it really looks like to be deep in the drawing process.” That honesty was what kept me coming back.

The chapters are organized by theme—things like the body, nature, urban spaces, imagination—and each one includes studies of master drawings, close-ups of tools, and original work from Simblet herself. It’s the kind of book you can read slowly, sketching alongside it, or just flip through for ideas when your creative energy is low.

Key Points

• Structure your practice in themes: Simblet’s chapter organization (e.g., drawing the body, abstract lines, imaginative monsters) makes it easy to follow a loose structure in your own sketchbook without feeling boxed in.
• Repetition matters: One reviewer said to spend a month on each chapter, repeating exercises and reviewing previous ones daily. I tried this method and noticed a big improvement in my eye-hand coordination and confidence.
• Use it as a reference, not just a read-through: It’s tempting to just read this book, but it’s most useful when you draw along with it. Set up sketching challenges or drawing prompts based on the chapters.

What Makes This Book Different

If you’ve read a lot of drawing books like I have, you start to notice patterns. Some go deep into technique but forget to inspire. Others lean hard into creativity but don’t give you enough tools to actually improve your skills. Sketch Book for the Artist finds a rare middle ground.

I wanted to give this book a proper spotlight because it helped me reconnect with my sketchbook in a more grounded and imaginative way.

Here’s why I think it stands out—and how it’s shaped my drawing habits.

Combines Technique and Imagination

A lot of drawing books either lean hard into technical skill or get lost in airy inspiration. Sketch Book for the Artist manages to balance both. You’ll get instruction on contour, tone, perspective, and materials, but you’ll also be encouraged to draw from memory, invent your own creatures, and combine observation with storytelling.

Simblet includes studies of famous artworks and then breaks down how those artists approached their subject matter, often with her own reinterpretation. That blend of historic and personal approach is rare. It gave me permission to reinterpret master studies in my own sketchbook—something I had previously avoided because I didn’t feel “good enough.”

If you enjoy the overlap between technical skill and creative exploration, you might also like diving into expressive drawing or experimenting with drawing with ballpoint pen techniques.

Great for Nature Journaling and Observation

While it isn’t a dedicated nature journaling book, a lot of the observational exercises can be easily adapted to outdoor sketching. I’ve paired this book with exercises from nature journaling basics and how to sketch crows to create my own custom sketching curriculum.

Simblet includes anatomical drawings of plants and animals, and those sections encouraged me to dig deeper in my nature journaling adventures. Her drawings aren’t always about precision—they’re about capturing character. That made me loosen up and enjoy field sketching more.

If you’re interested in using your sketchbook as a way to slow down and observe nature more closely, I recommend checking out nature journaling prompts alongside Simblet’s book. It’s a powerful combo for improving your eye and hand coordination outdoors.

Who Is This Book For?

I think this book is ideal for:

• Beginners who want to go deeper than basic how-to books
• Intermediate artists who feel stuck or need inspiration
• People who enjoy sketching from life but also want to develop imaginative work
• Anyone looking to build a solid drawing practice that covers classical techniques

It’s probably not for someone who needs a very linear, straightforward tutorial-only approach. And if you’re looking for a book solely focused on one subject—like how to draw animals or urban sketching—there are more focused options out there. But if you want to blend observation, invention, and technique, it’s a standout.

You might also get a lot out of this book if you’re trying to build a regular drawing habit. I’ve used it in tandem with some of the prompts from sketchbook tips for beginners and drawing prompts for beginners to stay consistent even when I only have 20 minutes to draw.

How I Use It in My Own Practice

One of my favorite ways to use this book is as a warm-up tool. I’ll pick a random page, copy a master drawing or one of Simblet’s pieces, then try to re-create it from memory. I’ll also adapt the lessons to fit into my nature journaling excursions by sketching leaves, birds, or even cloud forms with some of the compositional advice she gives.

Some of the most useful sections for me have been the ones that include step-by-step breakdowns of a concept, like how to draw negative space, or how to understand the structure of a bird wing. I started keeping a mini version of a nature journaling bag with me, and I’ll sometimes bring this book along just to read a chapter while out in the field.

It’s also a surprisingly helpful companion for group activities like nature journaling workshops or sketching meetups. The short chapters and variety of topics make it easy to pull an exercise or idea to match whatever we’re exploring.

What to Expect from the Chapters

Each chapter is broken into compact two-page spreads, which is one of the things I love most about this book. You don’t need to commit to reading for hours—you can dip in and get a small, satisfying dose of drawing insight.

The spreads often include:

• A theme or concept (like “Drawing from Memory” or “Skeletons and Movement”)
• Art from both the author and historic masters
• A few insights about materials or mark-making techniques
• A soft prompt or idea you can try out on your own

Some standout chapters for me included the ones on “Gods and Monsters,” where she encourages the use of myth and imagination in drawing, and “The Body,” which helped me get more comfortable with sketching people in motion—especially when urban sketching.

Building a Daily Sketching Practice With It

Using this book as a daily practice companion helped me avoid that “what should I draw?” question that stalls so many sketchbook sessions. It gave me just enough structure to keep going, but left plenty of room to improvise and make it my own.

A simple practice I recommend:

• Choose one chapter per week
• Spend 5 days working through related sketches or prompts
• On day 6, do a master copy or reinterpretation of a drawing in the chapter
• On day 7, draw something from your own life using one of the ideas or techniques

This type of loose routine pairs well with resources like simple daily drawing prompts and can be a great supplement to anyone enrolled in online sketching courses or working through their own self-paced learning plan.