Lola Stong-Brett is a Margate-based artist whose work draw on reminiscence, nostalgia, and her environment. Her work explores human contradictions, which initially floor as spontaneous concepts in her drawings. These take the type of glimmers of reimagined traditional cartoon characters, alongside her private pursuits and native environments, painted together with her attribute summary ambiguity. Lola visited the Jackson’s Studio to present us a glimpse contained in the pages of her sketchbooks and discuss to us about her follow. She discusses the big variety of varieties a sketchbook can take, how the common-or-garden pencil encourages experimentation, and the significance of embracing probability.
I exploit one most important sketchbook at a time. It’s normally a Moleskine; I just like the XL dimension and the thinness of the paper as a result of I like when issues seep into the following web page.
I additionally preserve a watercolour sketchbook on the studio and sometimes use different extra random/sporadic single sheets. These fluctuate from newsprint to Bristol board to plain cartridge paper.
They’ve extra of a scrapbook really feel to them, with bits of tape, collage, watercolour, and ink – they have a tendency to pile up in my studio!
I at all times use a pencil in my sketchbook, by no means a pen, and by no means an eraser. I just like the uncooked, ‘old-school’, accessible type of a pencil; merely crossing out errors somewhat than being too neat or cautious. There are specific marks you can also make with a pencil (I like 3B, 4B, 5B, and 6B), whereas a pen is simply too meticulous.
I like to go away loads to probability, or destiny, with each my sketchbooks and my work; because of this I feel errors are essential! And because of this I principally simply use one sketchbook at a time. I’m fairly adamant concerning the order issues are in, as I prefer to consider drawings and writings are finished at a specific time for a specific purpose, whether or not consciously or not.
My sketchbook is definitely principally writing. Poems or strains nearly like track lyrics scrawl throughout pages, in addition to quotes from books I’m studying. I typically look again by means of the notes I’ve made whereas portray; these (on the time sporadic) sentences then kind the titles for my work or exhibitions.
I draw or make notes in my sketchbook just about each day. Though my sketchbook spends most of its time within the studio, changing into my holy grail, a valuable object I’m terrified to lose. The identical as a guide, I prefer it when the sketchbook begins to indicate put on and tear, with odd issues slotted into the pages.
I additionally love different ‘self-made’ types of sketchbooks. I did the Tracey Emin Artist Residency a few years in the past, the place we wrote one poem per week for 14 months, which we then compiled right into a guide. Mine was compiled from collected sheets of monoprints, with every poem written in capitals, backwards (in order that the print learn the fitting means). I then made a cardboard cowl for the poem sheets to fit into. I cherished it. That is one thing I need to do extra.
Additionally, I keep in mind going to an exhibition of Anselm Kiefer’s in Oxford final yr; he had some sensible sketches collaged onto large sheets of cardboard. That is one thing I’d additionally like to repeat!
Sketches and writings from my sketchbook kind the spark, the preliminary thought, that then makes me need to choose up the paintbrush. I don’t sketch out work beforehand, however by means of steady sketching, concepts, or extra so feelings, begin to bounce round and finally come out onto the canvas. Nearly like an explosion. I additionally like to inform myself that ideas are ‘brewing’, like a cup of tea; you might assume or really feel one thing, draw it, and it isn’t till months, and even years later, that it comes out in a portray.
Drawing can be a consolation; the factor you possibly can attain to while you don’t have anything accessible. Once more, that’s why I like to simply use a fundamental pencil.
I might say, after I was simply beginning to make artwork outdoors of uni, an important factor to me was my sketchbook. Once I was working in an artwork store or couldn’t get to the studio, I stored a tiny sketchbook on me and made positive I did a drawing a day.
I additionally watched a lot of YouTube movies, particularly the BBC documentary collection What Do Artists Do All Day? I used to be so fascinated by their lives, and from reminiscence, nearly all of the artists I admired had been always sketching or drawing principally on the kitchen desk, even when they’d giant studios. I keep in mind watching a documentary on Maggie Hambling; it was displaying her going into her studio each morning round 6 am to do an ink drawing, and the considered it nonetheless conjures up me. Though I want to select up that routine and really do it!
There’s additionally VICE documentary collection known as Tattoo Age on the artist Thom deVita; his home is totally lined in artworks and sketches. Being surrounded by the issues that make you cheerful, the stuff you acquire, the piles of notes or drawings, or the recollections drawn from sure sketchbooks at sure instances – it’s all sensible and simply makes you need to make extra!
I might say to take advantage of out of your sketchbook, one of the best factor to do is to easily deliver it with you in every single place and draw/take notes in it as a lot as attainable. To not be too valuable, use a pencil and to try to choose a sketchbook you don’t thoughts messing up.
Supplies
Staedtler or Conté à Paris graphite pencils – in 3B, 4B, 5B and 6B
Random paper bits!
About Lola Stong-Brett
Lola Stong-Brett (b. 1996, London, United Kingdom; lives and works in Margate) most lately graduated from the Tracey Emin Artist Residency (2024) following research on the Edinburgh School of Artwork (2016-2019). Her first solo exhibition, For That, I’ll At all times Smile, was offered at Carl Freedman Gallery, Margate in 2025. Lola’s work have been proven each domestically and internationally, together with Paris (Hussenot Gallery) and Mexico Metropolis (Naranjo141). Lola at present has a debut solo present, Someday Someplace Somebody Is Dancing, at James Fuentes Gallery in New York Metropolis, USA. For any enquiries, please contact Carl Freedman Gallery.
View Lola’s work on Carl Freedman’s web site
Additional Studying
Contained in the Sketchbook of Henry Ward
Contained in the Sketchbook of Evie Might Adams
The Darkish Historical past of the Pencil
Collage for Freshmen – What You Must Get Began
Store Sketchbooks on jacksonsart.com
