This month, we spotlight Judy Coates Perez, a creative alchemist whose influence spans the globe. Known for her mindful stitching and innovative surface design, Perez’s work has been celebrated in major quilt exhibitions worldwide. She has also shared her expertise through workshops across the globe, countless quilt television series, and her own published books.
Perez’s sketchbooks are where her creative magic begins—a space for experimenting with dyes, acrylic inks, and intricate textile techniques like shibori and monoprinting. These pages are the foundation of her richly textured fabrics and complex patterns, offering us a glimpse into the alchemical process that transforms her ideas into art.
We are excited to share Perez’s sketchbook process here with the Fiber Art Now community.
My sketchbooks are completely freeform and random. They are mainly a place to collect ideas, write notes, sketch designs, and create the imagery to be used in other artwork. I usually just grab whichever sketchbook is nearby that has available pages.
I keep several sketchbooks and have them in different rooms in the house and in my backpack.
Bull Kelp; 2023; black linen, six-strand embroidery floss; hand stitched; 18 x 18 in.
Bull Kelp sketches
When I made illustrative painted art quilts, I spent quite a bit of time working out compositions in sketchbooks, but as my work shifted toward mixed-media art quilts I began to work more intuitively, letting the design and composition develop organically as I worked. I now prefer the process of working with less planning and more improvisation, hence my sketchbook tends to focus more on design elements that I use for making stamps, free-motion quilting motifs, or conceptual themes and designs for slow stitching.
At times I feel flooded with ideas and make quick sketches and doodles that I can reference and explore in depth at a later time with either paint or hand stitching. Other times, I just need to get thoughts out of my head and down on paper that I might discuss in a workshop or lecture.
I don’t usually share my sketchbooks with others unless I’m teaching and it’s relevant to the process. That’s mostly because I don’t think my sketchbooks are all that interesting, since I don’t do very elaborate drawings in them.
Sketches for Australian Flora.
In art school, part of our curriculum as a graphic design major included the requirement of maintaining a sizable hardcover sketchbook. Back then, I was more disciplined in my drawing practices. However, I’ve come to realize that the rigid structure of these sketchbooks inhibits me. I tend to feel a self-imposed pressure to make every page visually striking or worthy of display, which completely stifles my creativity.
That’s why I’ve developed a preference for inexpensive, softcover sketchbooks, preferably no thicker than one-quarter to one-half inches. Their flexibility allows them to snugly fit into any backpack or bag, molding around other items if needed, and the bonus is they often have a pocket to stash loose papers. These features also make them great for travel. Having a sketchbook available for spontaneous moments of inspiration is crucial to me, and the bulky nature of hardcover or even spiral-bound sketchbooks simply doesn’t work for me. I need something easy to carry and pull out to jot down ideas whenever inspiration strikes.
Australian Flora; 2023; cotton fabric, silk dye; fabric painted with silk dyes, stamped with foam and wood stamps for a workshop demo in Melbourne, Australia; 28 x 15 in.
Back in 1974, when I was 13 years old, my parents and I went on a nine-month, 18,000-mile road trip across North and Central America. Throughout our journey, I spent a lot of time drawing in my sketchbook when we weren’t driving, usually sitting in a park or campground.
Other kids would frequently approach to peek at what I was drawing. Despite the language barrier, they would sit beside me, pointing to various things on the page, and teach me their names in Spanish. This unexpected interaction not only enriched my vocabulary but also helped me overcome shyness in communicating with others in a foreign language. My sketchbook became more than just a personal artistic outlet; it became a tool for fostering camaraderie with those who might have otherwise remained distant.
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Fiber Art Now has been exploring how artists incorporate sketchbooks or journals into their creative processes. Do you keep a sketchbook, journal, or idea book? Whether you bring it along on vacation or to the coffee shop, we’re curious about your preferences. What type and size do you prefer? How do you organize the content? Do you customize your cover or add pockets for storing ephemera? These are the questions we’re asking artists, and we’d love to hear about your process.
Cami Smith is the Fiber Art Now media manager, community engagement coordinator, and a mixed-media artist.
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