An art diary, art journal or visual journal is a daily journal kept by artists, often containing both words and sketches, and occasionally including

mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes work of art, artwork in which more than one Art medium, medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different List of art media, media. M ...

elements such as

collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

s. Such books will frequently contain rough workings, in

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

form, of ideas later to appear in finished works, as well as acting as a normal

diary A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digita ...

, by allowing the artist to record their day-to-day activities and emotions. These diaries not only give

art historians The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetics ...

a valuable opportunity to explore the creation process of these finished works, but they are a useful biographical tool. Many famous artists are known for their art diaries – the

sketchbook A sketchbook is a book or pad with blank pages for sketching and is frequently used by artists for drawing or painting as a part of their creative process. Some also use sketchbooks as a sort of blueprint for future art pieces. The exhibiti ...

s of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

are probably the best known example. Other artists to have used art journals include

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...

. The concept of the art diary is also used by people working in related creative fields such as music; musician

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

, for instance, is well known for his use of art diaries, excerpts from which were used in the Eno and Russell Mills book ''

More Dark Than Shark ''More Dark Than Shark'' is a 1986 book by Brian Eno and Russell Mills. It features the lyrics to Eno's songs, each accompanied by an artwork inspired by the song's lyrics by Mills. Most of the lyrics and artworks are accompanied by notes by Eno ...

''.Eno, B. and Mills, R. (1986) ''More dark than shark.'' London: Faber and Faber. Photographers Peter Hill Beard and Dan Eldon, and artist Sabrina Ward Harrison are three other people noted for their art journals.

References

Visual arts media Artists' books Art {{book-art-stub

See also

Further reading

References