Pro Tip: Use Boxes to Sketch What Catches Your Eye

When you have a blank sketchbook page in front of you, and a scene or view that’s just too much to take in, it can feel overwhelming.

Where do you even start? Here's a trick that always helps: draw (or paint) boxes first.

Different sizes and formats – landscape, portrait, square, even round. Fill the page with shapes. Suddenly, that scary blankness is gone, and all you have to do is fill one box. Pick something that catches your eye. Then move on to the next.

Each little frame becomes its own moment, and together they tell a story, even if you didn’t know what the story was when you started. Add a few words, a quick sketch, a tiny scene.

To bring it all together, keep your tools simple. Using the same pen and a limited color palette across the page creates visual harmony. It helps the story feel connected, even if each box shows something completely different.

It’s simple, playful, and it works. Try it!