How To Finish a Sketchbook you Hate…in 7 days

Hate is a strong word (but I really don’t like you)

Now, I should probably preface this by saying I’m sure EVERY artist has a sketchbook they hate/hared. This is meant as a bit of a humorous look at what you can do to overcome the horror that is opening the white-whale of art supplies and is by no means a dig at any particular brand. With that being said, I’m not mentioning the brand of the particular sketchbook I hate, I’ll just reference the ‘skills’/techniques I used to fill it in an effort not to waste money or paper :)

This is possibly an age old consideration for most artists who work in sketchbooks.

Multiple methods can be employed in this situation. You could, as I had done on MANY occasions, just put it on a shelf or in a box and hope you never see it again. You could just throw it out or donate it. (But at a time when most people are actively mindful about every penny spent, it’s not wallet friendly to just ditch a whole book.) 

So, as in my case this week, you could TRY and finish it, put it to bed and never buy another one ever again. A point I’m going to have to remind myself of next time I see this particular sketchbook on the shelves in my local art shop/T K Maxx…

…but let’s start at the beginning. 

I have been influenced. Or, at least, I WAS influenced.

Like most of us, I sit and watch these spectacular artists on YouTube and covet anything they use. Even those supplies I know I don’t like. 

So, after one of these sessions, I did find myself in T K Maxx. I did find myself in the stationary aisle opposite a mix of random cheaply priced art supplies, most of which you can avoid because they’re not useful…but there it is, that sketchbook. The one everyone says is their favourite. And, even though I’ve used it before, I find myself buying yet another one. Buoyed by a false sense of hope that it’ll be better than I remember it to be. And it's purple. Winner.

...but...

Half way through it, and I’m seconds away from trying to make a Time Machine in order to go back and slap past me before I bother spending £5 on this monstrosity (all opinions my own, of course). Then I did what I always do. Sadly it isn’t actually building a Time Machine because I can barely build Lego. But I do find myself shoving to the back of the art shelf in my lounge. With only 1/3 left to finish, I resign the wretched thing to the bottom of the 'unused art supplies box' because I’m a watercolour based artist. And this paper can’t handle a drop of water without crying and running back to its mum. No matter what anyone else says, this sketchbook cannot handle watercolour. 

Then, at the end of last week I made a decision. Instead of avoiding the elephant in the room (or the small purple sketchbook), I was going to force myself to finish it.

Part of that, then, was accepting the limitations of the paper. 

Taking some tips from other artists, I just took some pencil based supplies and split the pages up. 

After all that prevaricating, that’s my first tip, split the pages up and pick the right materials for the job. I had to drop the heavy reliance on watercolour and go back to something that wouldn’t tear the paper up and turn it to mush. 

Pencils it was, then.

I ended up with 45 pages to complete, so I threw a quick drawing of my dog on a couple of them and split the rest equally between seven days, leaving either 6 half pages or 3 double page spreads to complete each day,

Second tip; don't overcomplicate it all. 

Easy for me to say. 

Working full time, I often come home and lose myself in my sketchbook and, of course, I'm my own worst enemy. During 2025 I completed the 'draw every day' challenge. I posted religiously on Instagram (for my 6 most important followers) and finished several sketchbooks. I watched hundreds of videos, took as much advice as I could from many different sources and found my favourite paper and supplies to work with.

This made working with paper I despised...challenging. It meant sitting and judging every mark made because it wasn't going down like it did on my favourite sketchbooks. It meant shelving the desire to just throw this sketchbook in the bin. Instead of doing that, I ditched the idea that you can convert the paper into something more than it is, and scrapped anything that didn't work effectively. Sometimes, no matter how much you'd like it to, adding layers, excessive detail and multiple mediums to sketchbooks unsuited to such things just will not work. 

Which brings me to my third tip; don't give up (you can sing this in a Kate Bush voice if you have the skills, I don't...).

If all else fails, just throw some colour and do a line drawing over the top. A tip I took very seriously on the last two or three days of this mini challenge. Although I knew the paper wasn't made for watercolour, I could add a bit of a splash of colour, let it dry and then use inktense or Derwent drawing pencils over the top. Eventually, I gave up aiming for perfection, I was never going to be that artist that completes the perfect drawing in a sketchbook (though I admire those who can). 

And, after a lot of fumbling, cursing and persistence (plus NOT tearing the pages out to pretend it's finished)...I can happily say that, to my extreme joy, I put my last mark on the page, tugged the elastic over the cover and shoved it back on the shelf with all my fully completed sketchbooks. Happy. Days.

Anyone would think I'd just completed a long distance trail with the huffing and puffing. Whatever creative genius you have hidden in your toolbox, employ it when you reach the end of your week. You'll need all that internal artist strength to finish...but...I believe in you, you can do it! Mainly I know this because if I can do it, anyone can. I'm the queen of giving up and giving in. 

Never Give In; Never Surrender...maybe...

So, in conclusion, how can you finish a sketchbook that you absolutely hate? Easy, just blast through it and use it as a learning curve. Let yourself hate it, but don't let that defeat you (only if you fancy the challenge, obvs). If the supplies you're using don't work, change them out (if you can). Take it back to basics if needed and just use a pencil in it. 

Or, you know, just bin it, if you really want to...

It's your art, your way.

Oh...and NEVER...ever...buy it again. Period.