Atlas Journaling: drawing hints from an eco artist

Sometimes a white blank canvas is so stark it almost stifles creativity and mark-making.
So I've binned the whole pristine visual journal concept and have replaced it with....the humble atlas.


Mine is the Road Atlas of Australia 7th Edition. It is circa 1980's -the kind of atlas I had at primary school. It was such an unloved book that it was in the "Free, please take" bin at a Rotary book sale (sniff).

These sketches are just observations with a sharpie and pencils. The lines of the roads in the background provide great distraction, omitting the need for perfection. The maps provide an additional layer of interpretation. 


I would try this style of drawing journal with a written book too, as text works wonderfully with illustration e.g my previous dragonfly work.

Dragonfly Project Link

A great benefit of atlas journaling is that any drawing can simply be torn out and framed. The other benefit is that you are recycling....yeah eco-art materials!


Incidentally, the works are from our recent holiday in the Bunya Mountains, a rainforest smack bang in the middle of country Queensland- who would have thought?