Will There Be a 2025 Sketchbook Revival?

Sketchbook Revival has been, in the past, a great source of inspiration and encouragement for me. Yet, truth be told, Sketchbook Revival has also been, in the past, a time of discouragement and artistic disappointment.

What IS “Sketchbook Revival” — well, the name really does say it all. Or at least, the name says MOST of what this event is about. It’s about grabbing a sketchbook (or usually, making one) and then reviving your art practice through a series of workshops on different topics with different instructors. The great part about Sketchbook Revival is that it’s always been free. And we’re not talking about 2 or 3 tutorials or demonstrations. In past years, the schedule has been filled with more than a dozen different artists leading “mini-workshops” on watercolor, collage, mixed media, stamping, print-making, and other artistic practices.

My introduction to Sketchbook Revival came in 2021. There were more than 30 different “presenters” sharing their artistic knowledge, and I later signed up for a few additional classes from those artists I most enjoyed.

In 2022 I participated again, and maybe I enjoyed that year’s event even more because I’d been eagerly awaiting it for such a long time. Again, I tried a lot of different things through Sketchbook Revival, enjoying some, enjoying others a bit less, but overall coming away with a renewed sense of energy and excitement for the creative process.

My experience in 2023, however, was not so positive. I wasn’t in a “good space” with art, I guess. I didn’t care for the “pre-session” workshops, and although I signed up and went through a few of the videos, I finally shrugged it off. At the time I just couldn’t keep up with the program. I wasn’t emotionally up for “doing art every day” — which is one of the main purposes behind Sketchbook Revival.

When 2024 came around, I didn’t even look for links. Or maybe I did, but I didn’t find any. A lot was going on — my daughter’s illness, my sister’s dementia, concerns for my husband’s health, as well — and I was on that “long hiatus”, not even setting foot in the studio for months. So, I can’t say for sure what did or did not happen with Sketchbook Revival that year, although from what I’ve read online, it appears that it did happen, but later in the fall. Usually Sketchbook Revival coincided with the arrival of spring, but apparently in 2024 there was no “spring version”, but an autumn workshop instead. I did not take part.

Now, fast forward to 2025. Here we are! It’s nearly the end of April, and I don’t yet have definite information about Sketchbook Revival 2025. I am a member of the Sketchbook Revival Facebook Group – known as the Sketchbook Revival Community. This is a private group where members share pages from their sketchbooks. Oh, what incredible artwork I see! I rarely post my own work, but it is a good place for inspiration, ideas, and for advice.

Questions have been asked in the group about this year’s event. Will there be one? The answer is “Yes, but not yet.” Although I’m subscribed to Karen Abend’s email list (she’s the founder of Sketchbook Revival), I haven’t received any official notification about SR 2025. Karen has been hosting a few other “get-togethers”, but I haven’t taken part in any.

Someone from the online group has come up with dates for Sketchbook Revival 2025, although I don’t know the source of their information. According to this poster, Sketchbook Revival 2025 is scheduled to begin on May 27 and will run through June 9. In late March, a few group members reported that they’d received an email, while others, including me, said “What? Wait! I didn’t get any email!”

At this point — about a month away from the possible start date — I’m still not finding any links, any logo’s, any actual information from Karen Abend regarding the event. So, will there actually be a Sketchbook Revivial 2025? I did find a page called “Sketchbook Revival Binge Fest” which came up as a search result for “Sketchbook Revival 2025”, but clicking on the “Register” link goes to a page for Sketchbook Revival 2024.

The latest word in the Facebook group is “Patience, Grasshopper. It will happen when it happens,” and so that’s all the information I can pass on at this point. Of course, I have to acknowledge that putting together a free art event on the scale of Sketchbook Revival would be a monumental undertaking. Of course we should be patient, and we should also be grateful to Karen Abend and to the many presenters who share their time and talents — freely — as part of Sketchbook Revival.

And so I will wait, as patiently as I can, and I will watch my emails. I will check in with the Facebook group from time to time, and when I do have definite dates and/or sign-up links, I will share them here.

Sketchbook Revival is an awesome program. If it happens this year, I will definitely be taking part, and I encourage everyone to check it out. Even if you don’t attend all the sessions, you’re sure to find a least a few art projects that inspire you!

NOTE: The featured image shown is an old SR logo from 2023.