Looking at sketches of brilliant people is sure to inspire you. The sketches themselves vary in artistic quality but the way the author thinks is what is inspiring. Some were professional artists while others used drawing to describe their environment or ideas.

Here is a list of a few of those sketches.

1. Leonardo Da Vinci. He is best known for his art (Mona Lisa) but he was a true Renaissance man with many different talents and interests. He was also an innovative engineer that imagined futuristic machines.

2. Conrad Martens travelled from England to South America on the Beagle ship in 1833. Martens sketchbook shows a detailed and beautiful account of his journey in pencil, sepia and watercolor.

3. Vincent Van Gogh was a brilliant artist. His view of the world was so different for his time. Here is a collection of his drawings to get an insight into how he saw things.

4. Matthew Marks Gallery has a gallery of such artists as Jasper John, Ad Reinhardt, and Andy Warhol.

5. Georgia O’Keefe’s Beverly Spiral Sketchbook shows 10 rough drawings of landscapes.

6. Brain Pickings Field Notes: A Glimpse Inside Great Explorers’ Notebooks which shows observations of nature. The Street Sketchbook: The Creative Process of Top Graffiti Artists and Pure Process: Picking the Creative Brain

Whether you are capturing your environment or planning a project sketching will help you work capture what you see. Don’t worry if your sketches aren’t perfect because they make sense for you.