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THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT - VOLUME 17

LEAVE YOUR LEGACY AT A GLOBAL ART LIBRARY

 
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WHY DOES THE PROJECT COST MONEY?

Brooklyn Art Library is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that has been completely funded by participation since 2006. By buying a sketchbook, you are helping us to ensure that we are fulfilling our mission of encouraging creative storytelling within a global community by keeping our physical library space free and open to the public, our digital library accessible worldwide, and making our collection as accessible as possible to people of all ages and skill levels through robust education programming.

STANDARD SKETCHBOOK $30 / DIGITIZED SKETCHBOOK $65

We’re doing curbside pick up!

Based in NYC? Order online and pick up at Brooklyn Art Library! Please note that curbside pick up orders must be placed through the link below.

 

Order a sketchbook, fill it up, and send it back to us to be a part of the world’s largest collection of artist sketchbooks! Every participant is sent the same 5x7'' blank custom sketchbook. Each book will be given a unique six-digit barcode so we can easily catalog it into Brooklyn Art Library's system.

Once we catalog it, you’ll be able to track where your book travels and how often it is viewed - we want to make sure you can stay connected with your sketchbook!

Anyone - from anywhere in the world - can be a part of the project.

Make art with friends + Save 20%

We offer discounts for pack of 5 or more sketchbooks! Click here to order a pack.

You are signing up for Volume 17; Looking for past volume information instead?

STANDARD or digitized?

$30 :: Standard books live permanently within our brick and mortar exhibition space, Brooklyn Art Library.

$65 :: Digitizing your sketchbook is an add-on to the standard sketchbook. The sketchbook lives within our library in Brooklyn, but we also photograph each page in the book and add it to our online Digital Library. Over half of our collection is on display in our Digital Library and it's accessible to anyone.

QUICK FAQ'S

SHIPPING

Due to COVID-19, there may be a slight delay in shipping your order. Though, we try and ship as fast as we can! Thanks for your patience, and stay safe! All orders will ship within 10-14 days.

Wanna gift the project?

Please put in your information when ordering. The artist will have the opportunity to add their own information when they catalog their book. Your name will not be attached to the sketchbook.

Do you acceept returns?

We are not able to accept returns at this time - sorry about that!

IMPORTANT VOL. 17 DEADLINES:

Order your sketchbook by: November 14, 2020
Return your sketchbook by: February 15, 2021

Yes, you can submit a book after the deadline. It will just miss the traveling part. Purchase a Vol. 18 sketchbook beginning on November 15, 2020.

LEARN MORE

FEATURES OF THE PROJECT

What you get by joining The Sketchbook Project:

  • Contribute to a time capsule library, where your work will be preserved indefinitely.

  • Become a part of a global movement of creatives.

  • Stretch your imagination in terms of what you thought a sketchbook could be used for.

  • Continue to engage with, track and promote your work no matter where you live.

  • Watch your work travel to popups, exhibitions and installations across North America.

 
BECOME PART OF AN ART LIBRARY

More than just filling up a book - you are funding and contributing to a massive global movement. This library and project have existed for over a decade and have continued to act as not only a creative space, but a living time capsule for stories.

Yes, it’s a 5x7” sketchbook, but you’re participating in an experience that is being replicated across the world, by thousands of people of various backgrounds, ages, occupations, challenges and accomplishments. You are all coming together as a collective resource, sharing the moments, secrets and stories that are specific to you and only you.

TEXT MESSAGES FROM YOUR BOOK

We offer free notifications via text or email, every time your book is viewed - whether it’s through one of our traveling experiences or right at Brooklyn Art Library. Getting a text that someone in the world is looking at your work right now is a million times better than a like.

AN ALTERNATE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR WORK

Our checkout process fuses digital and analog ways of discovering artwork. After searching our catalog, visitors select books to view in an interactive experience. Make sure to add your social media handle or URL to the back of your book so visitors can follow your work.

YOUR BOOK IS UNIQUE AND TRACKABLE

Your sketchbook will be given a unique six-digit barcode - this allows us to keep track of your book and record who views it at every tour and while it's in our library. You can log into your account and see real time statistics about your book.

ABOUT

ABOUT THE SKETCHBOOK

 
 

Each artist is sent the same 5x7'' blank custom SBP sketchbook. We've only got a few rules: first, your book must be used in some way - no sending us back an empty book or a completely different book! Second, your sketchbook must stay within its original dimensions. Last, please don’t use glitter or acrylic/gesso paint as these may cause the pages to stick together over time.

Your book is unique to you. Each book will be given a barcode so we can easily catalog it into Brooklyn Art Library's system. Once we catalog it, you’ll be able to track where your book travels, how often it is viewed and how many times someone pulls it from the shelf - we want to make sure you can stay connected with your sketchbook! The more search terms you add to your book when you register it on our site, the more likely someone will check it out!

VOL. 17 THEMES:

SUNSET HUES / MARKS AND MARKERS / TRANSPARENCIES / WATERCOLOR WHISPERS / ERASING EVERYTHING / DOODLE A DAYDREAM / PROMISES WITH PENCIL / GREAT STORIES IN GRAPHITE / ART ACCIDENT / ZIG ZAG / CITYSCAPE ESCAPE / MASK AND TAPE

 
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Sketchbook residencies

SEND YOUR SKETCHBOOK ON A TRIP OF A LIFETIME

 
 

While The Sketchbook Project at its core is about teaching everyday people to be creative and to share their value, Brooklyn Art Library is about teaching people to interact with art and their community in new and approachable ways.

We travel the country hosting pop-up residencies, drawing events and school visits, all using our core principle of ‘anyone to participate in creativity’

Your sketchbook is not just part of a global collection, it will be a part of a physical exhibition that may inspire a group of second graders, while simultaneously bringing together an entire town.

Our Bookmobile is not just cute (though it sure is), it’s also versatile. It travels inside of buildings, fits perfectly on the courtyard of major museums and institutions, but also fits inside our van for easy transportation.

Throughout the year your book will travel to be featured in an exhibition while also being a part of different learning experiences, major art fairs and even the occasional music festival.

There is no other way to share your story, help fund a global creative community and inspire yourself to create, like submitting your legacy to The Sketchbook Project.


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Bookmobile @ Ponce City Market
Atlanta, Ga - 2018

 

SKETCHBOOK Examples

JUST A QUICK LOOK AT .00065 OF THE COLLECTION

 
 
 

RULES and FAQ’s

A lot of answers to a lot of questions.

GENERAL

 

Can anyone participate?

Yes! All books are accepted into the collection. We do not jury any of the work.

After you order a book, we'll mail you a package containing an official SBP sketchbook with a unique 6-digit barcode on it and detailed instructions about the project.

How do I gift someone a sketchbook?

Easy peasy! Even if you order a sketchbook with your personal credit card, have it shipped to your personal address, etc., the sketchbook can be registered to whomever you choose. Each sketchbook comes with its own unique 6-digit barcode that is registered by its author regardless of who originally purchased it.

A few basic rules for creating your sketchbook.

Your book must remain within the dimensions of 5 x 7” inches. It can open up to something wonderful (of any size), but it must fold down to the original dimensions. You are welcome to unbind, rebind or alter the book in (almost) any other way. If you want to use a thicker stock of paper, go for it! Your book must stay thinner than an inch when closed.

Your barcode sticker must remain in place on the book - no moving or covering it. An altered or unreadable label means we have to disqualify you from the project. Please contact us if you damaged your barcode.

Don't forget that your sketchbook is traveling and being held - please try to avoid the use of ties that can come undone, random plastic things that may fall off in transit, art materials that could smudge (like acrylic and gesso paint), glitter and any hazardous materials. Your book should be durable and be able to withstand normal wear and tear.

Tell me about the blank sketchbook that I’ve ordered.

Your book comes with a six-digit B number on a sticker found on the back cover of your sketchbook that is unique to you!

Each book has 16 pages. 32 back and front.

Each book is offset printed using vegetable-based inks, and 100% recycled papers sourced from American mills. Our covers are made with 18pt Chipboard that contains 85% post-consumer recycled content and 15% pre-consumer recycled content. Scout Book pages are made with 70# text weight paper containing 100% post-consumer recycled content. Scout Books, our book makers, power all of our presses and production machinery with renewable energy. PLEASE NOTE: You CANNOT send in previously made sketchbooks. All books must start with our blank book. It's part of the challenge!

Tell me about the Themes.

The list of VOL 16 themes are found on your direction leaflet that comes with your book. The themes are supposed to be a starting point, not a restriction, so don't feel smothered by them. You will have the option to select your theme later when you connect your book, or opt not to use one of the themes we have given you. It's all up to you!

Do I retain the copyright?

We have a major respect for artist ownership. By submitting to the project, you still retain ownership of your work. We own the physical sketchbook, but your work is your work. You do grant a license to use it as needed for the project, but we do our best to make sure you are always credited. We have NO plans to ever sell the original work, however, if that ever did come up, we MUST contact you with a responsible amount of time for you to respond. PLEASE REVIEW THE FULL TERMS.

When do I connect my book?

You can connect your book anytime between when you receive it and before you send it back.

An account is not created when your book is ordered, you get to create one at:

www.sketchbookproject.com/register

You will then be prompted to connect a book. Use your unique six-digit B# under the barcode on the back of your book to connect it.

If you have already created an account in the past, you can connect your book here:

www.sketchbookproject.com/connect

I’m part of a (school, art, bookmaking, etc.) group and we want to order a pack of books together.

Well you’re in luck! Sketchbook packs of five or more automatically come with a 20% discount! Order your preferred amount here:

www.brooklynartlibrary.com/packs

I'm ready to send my book back.

Make sure to create an account and connect your book first! Feel free to send your book back earlier than the postmark deadline. Late books will not be a part of the traveling experiences but will be added to the shelves of our permanent collection at Brooklyn Art Library. We promise we'll let you know when we have received your completed sketchbook at Brooklyn Art Library when we are able. Please don't email us asking if we received your book. We receive a veritable ton of books in the mail every day, and checking them in by hand can be a very long process! We recommend sending it with delivery confirmation or using UPS. We do our best to be available to sign for packages, however we cannot guarantee it.

What happens after I send my book back?

After the postmark due date, we'll catalog all of that challenge’s books and exhibit them both at the library in Brooklyn and out of town at pop-ups and exhibits around the country. Everyone who sends their completed sketchbook back in time will have their book included, and later cataloged into our permanent collection at Brooklyn Art Library. All dates and cities for the pop-ups, tours and other exhibits are subject to change.

DIGITIZING

How long will it take for my sketchbook to be digitized?

Due to the size of our staff, we tend to digitize all the books at once after the postmark deadline has passed. We cannot promise your book will be digitized prior to then.

If you ordered digitizing separately after sending in your standard book, we will digitize your book with the next batch that we digitize. For example, if you send us a 2020 book after the deadline, it will be digitized with the first batch of 2021 books we digitize.

We’re a small team (of five) and every digitized sketchbook is processed manually and scanned by hand, so we really appreciate your patience!

Can I add digitizing to my standard book later?

You can add digitizing later, however, we recommend getting it when you order your book. Depending on the amount of books we have, your book will be added to the end of the queue so it may be digitized when we digitize the next challenge’s batch of books.

Digital Library FAQ's

All the books that have been purchased with digitizing are digitized after the deadline. We cannot digitize your book earlier than that. We are a small staff and need to do it all at once. Please allow 10-12 weeks after the deadline for your book to appear online. Please don't email us about it until after that time.

We are unable to digitize books vertically due to the way our digitizer is processed. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue refunds for vertical books. All of the sketchbooks in the Digital Library are displayed horizontally.

Though it seems high tech, our digitizer is old and tired. Just let us know if something looks off, we don't do it on purpose, things happen, we are only robots, I mean people...

SHIPPING

How do you ship?

We ship in the US via USPS to help lower shipping costs and allow for free shipping to our domestic participants. That means, we do have a small % of books that get lost in transit. We will happily resend your book at no cost to you after two weeks of ship date for domestic orders and six weeks after ship date for international orders. For all international orders, we typically ship via DHL - a tracking number will be sent to you in your confirmation shipment email so that you can watch where your package is on its journey to you!

I just got notified that my order shipped. Where can I track the delivery status of my package?

You will receive a tracking number in the email confirming that your order has shipped!