Text and Narrative in my Sketch Journal

Sketches and narrative to tell a story.

Journal as opposed to Sketchbook

I differentiate what I do from a sketchbook because of the use of text and narrative. The sketching is part based on my imagination but more often from observation and drawing what I see - albeit it ends up in a different context to where it originally came. And the narrative is loosely based on observations I make about the real world and my own experience - but again it ends up in an allegoric form in my journal.

However bizarre at time my narrative is, it all relates to some form of experience and reality - often through the use of metaphor.

It is this combination of sketching and narrative that enables me to tell a story and document events but not as a realistic record - I wouldn’t want to reveal all my thoughts about the real world (fantastical is better than cynical) so I create my own world as a framework to do this.

Fantastical is better than cynical

The Worldbuilding Element

The things I sketch and make notes on are in a place I made up - but only to some extent. The areas of the location where the narrative takes place are all different facets of my own personality and experience that are created as different towns in an imaginary place that is being explored by my alter ego Tom LeCarte (there is an explanation for this name). So what I sketch and journal about has a meaning - it may only be to me or it may have hidden meaning to someone else. Whether it’s a form of conundrum or not is appealing to me but it’s far more important that is has a meaning to me, and a way of getting things out on paper.

The process I use involves a few stages and the narrative can evolve during these stages. I will do a full breakdown of the stages soon.

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What’s coming?

This Substack is intended to expand upon the ideas of the pen and ink sketch journal, to provide examples and inspiration. It’s all about getting your thoughts and feelings out onto paper without any rules to follow - this is sketching with narrative - not drawing.

Thanks for reading this and coming on the journey with me. Enjoy the journey and the destination can just look after itself.
All the best,
Peter