Sketchbook Development. Sketchbooks are an art form in themselves. Not only do they serve as a receptacle for visual and textual notations, but also a place to record thoughts, mind maps, problem solving, composition experiments, colour palettes. The freedom of the experiment often gains an element of looseness and exploration that some 'finished' works lack. Mark making is fluid and intuitive a sense of play and discovery are often the delights that reside in an artists' sketchbook.