Art trips in the sun-My tradition of painting sketchbbok’s

Hand painted sketchbooks for Art trips to the Coast, Summer 2026

Every year I head to Woolacombe in North Devon for my camping holiday. "What, just down the road?" I hear you say! But with its long stretches of golden sand, fascinating rock pools, and vast expanses of National Trust land carpeted with wildflowers, I never tire of returning.

This is the fourth year I've continued a tradition of personalising sketchbooks to take with me. I paint and collage the covers before the holiday, making each one a little project in itself. This year I've chosen three themes: coastal rocks and formations, rock pools, and seascapes with seabirds. In the photograph above you can see the first two completed sketchbooks.

I also collect vintage Observer pocket books, which are a constant source of inspiration and the perfect companions when I'm planning new sketchbooks and gathering ideas.

If you'd like to make your own, it's very simple. Buy a sketchbook with a card cover and paint directly onto it using acrylic or matt household paint. Once it's dry, add details with a fine liner pen.

If your sketchbook has a black plastic cover, give it a coat of gesso or white matt household paint first. Once that's dry use acrylic paint to decorate it with shells, fish, seaweed, or anything else that reminds you of the coast. I've chosen tortoiseshell limpets as the theme for my rock pool sketchbook, but the possibilities are endless.