I don't have a patient hand when it comes to drawing. I tend to move the pen quickly and skip the details. My perspective is off, my lines are crooked and the drawing is typically made on something ephemeral, like a random scrap of something. And then I move on.

The sketchbook of Mattias Adolfsson is the opposite of mine in every which way. There's tons of detail, patient lines, and incredible depth and perspective. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how this is all done within the confines of a Moleskine sketchbook. Below is a selection of my favorite and it goes without saying that you should visit his site and see them in even greater detail.

BONUS time-lapse video after the fold »

Do you have pasta boiling on the stove right now? If yes, stop reading this and come back later. Really! Same with any half-sleeping baby that might need your attention soon, or that thing scribbled in your diary to do in ten-minutes. Come back when your schedule is wide open, because this is my favourite sketchbook find so far! Ever!

Bryce Wymer is an artist (and creative director) based in Brooklyn NY. He has two hands (I'm making assumptions) that can do very cool things with paint and scissors, and here's the best bit. We all score front-row seats to watch him work! Yep, he made a bunch of time-lapse videos that start with a blank sketchbook page, and finish with... well, go see. Trust me, it's worth delaying dinner for.

Watch the videos after the fold »

I first found out about Carty Sewill when an insanely bright portrait of Marty McFly popped up on my tumblr feed. Thankfully the image linked back to Carty's website and I spent the next couple of hours eagerly clicking the next page button until I came to the end.



Carty has the wonderful knack of being able to put a subtle fantasy spin on his otherwise realistic artwork. I'm so hungry for some multicoloured bacon right now.

I love the fact that Carty still produces so much work in his sketchbook. It was really difficult to pick out just a few examples to represent his work here, so if you still have a taste for sketchbook envy (and multicoloured bacon) head over to his website to check out the rest of his work.

Imagine we're in a real-life gallery right now. You rush up beside me, grab my hand and pull me over to these sketchbook doodles by Russian artist Vladimir Smokov. You say "amazing, huh!" and I nod with a certain kind of stink-face. That certain kind of stink-face that only happens when something is just too good for words.

Then maybe afterwards we'd get a toasted sandwich at a cafe nearby. It'd be a nice day, don't you think?

Spend enough time on Tumblr and you're bound to find a mountain of treasure ("El Dorado" be darned!). One such treasure is Robert Alejandro (aka The Sketching Backpacker) whose book is filled to the brim with locales from his constant travels. Even more interesting though, are his Leave Sketches, in which he takes ordinary, unnoticed-leaves and makes them the spotlight of the drawn page.

Wherever the work of Melissa Castrillón may take us, we are never far from her delightfully rotund subjects. Melissa has a light hand that is slightly unsteady, which gives the feel that there is constant motion in her illustrations.

She’s able to translate many of her sketches into finished illustrations, which can be a hard middle ground to find - you want it to look finished, but still want to maintain the spontaneity and freshness that comes from sketching and creating on the fly. I think for Melissa, she’s able to communicate a sense of control (in her compositions, handling of graphite) yet with her mark-making still retain the qualities that make sketchbooks so wonderful.

Check out more of Melissa: Tumblr and website.

The drawings in Sophie Roach's sketchbook are intricate, colorful, and slightly reminiscent of artwork by Mike Perry and Will Bryant, but a touch more austere and feminine.

It's been a while since I've seen a sketchbook this filled to the brim with goodness. I literally want to tear out each spread and frame it for my walls. If you're interested in process, be sure to follow Sophie on Instagram, where she does a great job documenting her drawings prior to adding color and for those of you into ping pong, scroll down for the loveliest paddle you've ever laid eyes on.