Visual diaries: how artists think on paper

A finished artwork hides most of its story. Behind it there are usually dozens of sketches, failed experiments, colour tests and changes of mind. Many artists keep all of that in a visual diary, a sketchbook where thinking happens.

What goes in a visual diary

A trial is an experiment

Artists test ideas the way scientists do. Start with a question: 'Does a dark background make the symbol stronger?' Change only one thing, look at the result and write what you noticed. A trial that fails still answers your question, so it earns its place in the diary.

Think small before you build big

A maquette is a small model of a bigger artwork. Sculptors make them to test shape, balance and how the work will sit in a space. Len Lye's plans and models for kinetic (moving) sculptures were so detailed that engineers could build some of them years after his death, including the Wind Wand on the New Plymouth foreshore.

Concept boards

Designers and artists often start with a concept board: one page with the idea, the audience, the place, the materials, some influences and the success criteria. It keeps you focused when the making gets messy.

Critique and change

Halfway through, artists show their work to others and ask, 'Is it doing what I want?' Then they change it. Showing before and after photos of each change in your diary is powerful evidence of how your thinking grew. It is also what examiners and gallery curators love to see later on.