Some tips on keeping a sketchbook.(Arts & Literature)

Byline: The Register-Guard

Here are some ideas Ken O'Connell uses with his students to help newcomers and veterans in creating a sketchbook:

Feel guilty if you haven't made a mark in your book in seven days. We spend a lot of time trying to avoid guilt in our lives, he says, but guilt can also be a healthy motivator. Use it.

Divide the page into two or three parts, so you don't feel obligated to fill the page or complete something. The worst stumbling block people have is fear of failure. The sketchbook will be full of fragments. Accept that.

Pick something you like to draw and sketch it in your sketchbook again and again. It could be a …