How to Build a Daily Sketching Habit (Even If You’re Busy)

You’ve got five minutes and a pencil but what happens next?

You don’t need hours in a studio or a table full of paints to be an artist. Sometimes, all it takes is a few minutes, a cup of tea, and your favourite sketchbook. Daily sketching isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence. It’s showing up, putting pencil to paper, and letting your creativity stretch its legs. Whether you’re using an A5 travel sketchbook, an A3 all media book, or even a digital sketchbook tablet, those few minutes a day can transform how you see, draw, and create.

Let’s explore how to build a sketching habit that fits into your busy life, with real, practical art tips and sketchbook suggestions from the Artgecko team.

Why Sketching Daily Works (Even When You’re Short on Time)

Think of your art practice like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Sketching every day, even for 10 minutes, sharpens observation, builds hand-eye coordination, and boosts creativity. Artists throughout history have done this, from Van Gogh’s relentless daily drawings to modern sketchbook artists who fill pages just for the joy of it. Keeping a daily sketchbook helps capture fleeting ideas, test new media, and document creative growth over time. And here’s the best part: it doesn’t have to be perfect. A sketchbook is a safe space, a private art gym for wet media, dry media, doodles, and bursts of inspiration.

Choose the Right Sketchbook for Your Routine

The secret to a lasting habit? Using a sketchbook you actually want to open. At Artgecko, every sketchbook is designed for different ways of working, whether you’re a student filling a GCSE art sketchbook, a traveller sketching café scenes, or a professional artist testing out acrylics, inks, and mixed media.

Here’s how to pick your perfect match:

For travel sketching:
The Swanky Gecko Sketchbook is your stylish travel companion. Compact, durable, and beautifully bound, it’s ideal as a travel sketchbook or a creative journal on the go. Slip it in your bag for quick sketchbook ideas between meetings, on commutes, or while sipping coffee.

For all-media experiments:
The Classy Gecko All Media Sketchbook handles it all; pencil, pen, watercolour, acrylic, and gouache. Its 150gsm all media paper lets you switch from dry sketches to light washes without buckling.

For watercolour lovers:
The Splashy Gecko Watercolour Sketchbook is made for wet media. Its 300gsm watercolour paper absorbs paint beautifully, perfect for daily wash studies or expressive colour experiments.

For mixed media and paint marker artists:
The Freestyle Gecko Sketchbook offers heavier paper designed for paint markers, pens, and inks, perfect for exploring new materials.

For tonal studies and creative journaling:
Try the Shady Gecko Toned Sketchbook, available in Jet Black, Desert Sand, and Ash Grey, brilliant for highlights and shadow work.

Or, if you prefer to work loose or need studio-quality paper, the Artgecko PRO Range has you covered, with PRO Watercolour, PRO Acrylic, PRO Marker, PRO All Media, PRO Bristol Board Pads and more that share the same premium papers as our sketchbooks.

Build a Habit That Fits Your Life

You don’t need to draw for hours, consistency matters more than duration. Here are a few sketching tips to make the habit stick:

Start small. Just five minutes a day in your A5 sketchbook is better than one long session a week.

Stack your habit. Sketch while you drink your morning coffee or unwind in the evening, pairing it with an existing routine helps you remember.

Keep your sketchbook visible. Leave it open on your desk or kitchen table. Out of sight = out of mind.

Make it mobile. A smaller travel sketchbook or an A5 Swanky Gecko in your bag means you can sketch anywhere, bus stop, lunch break, café window.

Use digital tools when you need to. If you’re really short on time, digital apps can help keep the habit alive between pages.

The goal isn’t to fill pages, it’s to keep the momentum. In need of any more inspiration? We have a video on it that you can follow here!

Create a Creative Routine

See artists with a huge array of sketches under their belt and feel as though you just don't have the time? Really, they don't have the time too, they find the time with a sustainable routine. A routine that you can incorporate into you day too!

It doesn’t need to be a grand ritual, just part of your normal day, like making coffee or scrolling your feed. When you stop treating sketching like a “task” and start seeing it as something you actually want to do, it becomes second nature.

Most artists will tell you the same thing, once you open your sketchbook, time disappears. You might plan for five minutes and end up filling a whole page (or two). The hardest part is picking up the pencil.

Quick tip: Leave your sketchbook open on your desk or table. When it’s already waiting for you, it’s that much easier to add a few more lines next time you pass by.

Quick Sketchbook Ideas for Every Day

Ever sit down and think, “What do I draw?” We’ve all been there. Try these daily prompts to keep the ideas flowing:

Draw what’s on your desk.

Sketch your coffee mug, every day, in a new style.

Capture your outfit, breakfast, or the view from your window.

Try a 10-minute portrait of yourself or a friend.

Fill a page with patterns or lettering.

Make a “mood map” of your day in colours.

Recreate an old sketchbook page and notice how your style has evolved.

Draw your pet as if they were in a comic strip.

Use your watercolour sketchbook to paint the weather.

Try a weekly “art challenge” (like #SketchbookSunday) to stay accountable.

Your ideas sketchbook is the place to play, there are no wrong answers, only creative ones. With a routine and your pen on the paper, your creative world is your oyster.

The Power of Paper (Why It Matters)

A sketchbook is only as good as its paper, and that’s where quality counts.

If you’re sketching daily, you’ll want paper that can handle dry media and a splash of water or ink. Artgecko’s range uses premium, acid-free, FSC-certified papers that resist yellowing and stand up to everyday use.

From 150gsm all media paper in the Classy Gecko to 300gsm cold-pressed sheets in the Splashy Gecko, each sketchbook or pad gives your tools the surface they deserve.

Good paper encourages confidence. You’ll draw more boldly when you trust your sketchbook to handle every experiment, pencil, gouache, acrylic, or even collage.

Sketchbook Habits for Every Artist Type

Students:
Turn your school sketchbook or GCSE art sketchbook into a visual diary. Document your process, tape in photos, fabric swatches, and experiment notes. A well-kept sketchbook tells a story, perfect for exam submissions. Shout out to the Classy Gecko for students books as they come in many different sizes!

Travel artists:
The Swanky Gecko travel sketchbook is ideal for sketching street scenes, landscapes, or quick café doodles. Durable, portable, and ready for mixed media.

Digital artists:
Even if you love using a digital sketchbook tablet, keeping a real sketchbook reconnects you with texture, paper, and pressure. This is something screens can’t replace.

Mixed media lovers:
If you like working across dry and wet media, grab a mixed media book like the Freestyle Gecko, Classy Gecko or the PRO All Media Pad, perfect for blending techniques.

Painters:
Watercolour and acrylic artists will love the Splashy Gecko and the PRO Acrylic Pad, each designed to take on washes, texture, and layering with ease.

Whatever your medium, there’s an Artgecko sketchbook to match your rhythm.

Embrace Imperfection

Every sketchbook tells a story, not just of your art, but of your growth. Some pages will shine; others will make you cringe, that’s the point and that's okay. Messy pages show progress. Half-finished drawings reveal curiosity. A sketchbook isn’t a portfolio, it’s an honest reflection of you, your ideas, and your evolution as an artist.

Don’t aim for perfect pages. Aim for filled pages, by naturally without the feeling of it being "a chore". Art should be explorative and fun!

Final Thought: Just Keep Sketching

Whether you’re using an A3 sketchbook in your studio, a compact A5 travel sketchbook on the train, or a digital sketchbook app on your tablet, the habit is what counts. Sketch daily, even when you don’t feel like it. In fact especially when you don’t feel like it! With time, your sketchbook becomes more than paper, it becomes a record of your imagination, resilience, and creative joy. So grab your favourite Artgecko sketchbook, maybe the Swanky for travel, the Classy for everyday, or the Splashy for watercolour, and start today. Remember, creativity isn’t built in hours, it’s built in moments.