There’s a very specific kind of page that lives in your sketchbook. And I’m not referring to the pages you don’t like. Those ones are easy to ignore. I mean the pages you actually do like… the ones you flip through and pause on because they give you the feeling that sketchbooks are supposed to give you.
I firmly believe that sketchbooks are supposed to be for play, with NO pressure and NO expectations. That’s how you end up pushing yourself, trying new things, developing your preferences and your style.
Eventually, you end up with:
- pages you’re proud of
- little collections of ideas that actually feel cohesive
- color combinations that keep finding their way back
- little characters or motifs that evolve over time
- pieces that feel like they could be something more
At some point, it stops feeling like random practice and starts feeling like something besides delightfully messy sketchbook art.. something with potential.
And yet… it stays in the sketchbook because that’s where it was born and where it lives and that’s totally okay but I’m going to turn this into a run-on sentence because the things is, you really love some of those pages so much so you wish you would have done it out of your sketchbook and you tell yourself that next time you’ll use a sheet of paper or a canvas but then when you pull one out, the pressure is on like whoa, so your sketchbook remains your safe place and your work gets better and better and omg YOU WANT TO PLUCK IT OUT OF YOUR SKETCHBOOK AND BRING IT TO LIIIIIFE!! (sorry for yelling)
This cycle is so common it almost feels like part of the process.
“I made this” vs. “this exists”
There’s a big difference between making something and seeing it exist outside of where you made it. Turning a sketchbook spread into something tangible feels like it requires a lot of things “you don’t have” like better tools, more technical knowledge, more time to gain those things, etc. and if none of those feel readily available, it’s easier to just keep turning the page and starting something new.
Which, to be clear, is not a bad thing. But it does mean those in-between pieces never get the chance to become anything more than a moment. And dang it, that’s too sad and I’m going to help you get your artwork that you love the most living and breathing.
A few ways your sketchbook art can actually live outside the book
Before we even talk about how to do anything, I want to widen the lens a little because there are more options than you might think.
Your sketchbook pages can become:
- **Wall art: *“*Duh” …I know. But most importantly, let me remind you that not everything has to be a polished, gallery-level piece. Sometimes the charm is in the looseness!
- Small collections: groups of elements (back in the day, we called this “clipart”) or themed artwork that works together
- Gifts that feel wildly personal: A print of something you made hits differently than anything store-bought
- Cards or mini prints to send (or keep!): Your artwork doesn’t have to be big to matter. Smaller formats are often the most approachable way to start
- Canvas versions of your work: especially if you work with paint or texture, seeing it translated onto canvas adds a whole different dimension
- Test prints that change how you see your work: There’s something about holding your art in your hands that hits differently than seeing it on a screen. Even one print can shift everything
None of this requires you to suddenly become a different kind of artist or use different mediums. And - you don’t have to figure out production, materials, or fulfillment to make any of this happen anymore. If you have a sketchbook and you’ve drawn in it, you’re already set up for this.
Okay, so how do you digitize sketchbook pages “the right way?”
I’ll be honest, this is the part where people tend to overcomplicate things immediately. It’s very easy to fall into researching the “best” software (been there), comparing scanners (yep, done this too), wondering if your setup is good enough (literally me every day), and ultimately deciding you’ll figure it out later (also, hi).
Here’s the truth I’ve landed on after doing this for years:
The best workflow is the one you’ll actually use!
Not the most thorough or the most technical or the one someone in a forum insists is “the only right way.” The best workflow for scanning and digitizing your art is the one that gets your work from point A to point B without making you avoid the process.
Instead of turning this into a whole technical breakdown and losing the plot, I filmed the entire process so you can see it happen in real time.
I’m showing you exactly how I:
- scan my sketchbook pages
- clean them up in Procreate (without losing that hand-done feel)
- and turn them into something I can actually print (and even sell!)
If you’ve been putting this off because it feels like a whole thing, I want you to see how minimal this can be.
No gatekeeping! This is my actual workflow for how I scan and digitize, and print my art
Step 1. Scan your artwork
DO NOT overthink this part. With attention to a couple settings, you’ll get a great scan.
Scanner settings that actually make a difference:
- wipe your scanner bed so you’re not editing dust later (this might seem obvious, but… don’t ask)
- scan at 300 DPI minimum 👉 I usually go 600 DPI for flexibility 👈
- use a higher color setting if your scanner allows it (like 48-bit)
If you’re scanning from a sketchbook, the only extra thing to think about is getting it as flat as possible. I just hold it in place at the spine so I don’t get weird shadows or blur.
That’s it. Truly! Everything else can be adjusted after.
Step 2. Import it into an editing app (that doesn’t confuse you)
I use Procreate. Yep, seriously. I won’t lie and say it’s anywhere close to the “correct” tool for this. But I use it because I know the program with my eyes closed, I’m fast in it, and I actually finish things there.
🔥 Procreate hot tip → import your image directly from the Gallery instead of creating a canvas first. That way, your file keeps its original size and resolution without being constrained (it automatically creates a canvas with your image specs).
Step 3. Bring the color and contrast back to life
Scans tend to look a little… flat, slightly dull compared to the original. This is normal. It doesn’t mean you have a bad scanner. You will always need to give your color and contrast settings a few friendly nudges once your artwork is scanned in.
I usually go straight to curves and make a really subtle adjustment:
- pull the darks down just a touch
- lift the lights slightly
- mayyyybe nudge the midtones if needed
It ends up being a very soft, sideways S-curve.
Important: you’re not trying to “edit” your artwork. You’re just bringing it back to what it already looked like.
Step 4. Clean up your edges without losing the handmade feel
This is where Procreate can actually break your digitizing process, so pay attention if you’re in the back of the class passing notes right now.
If you remove the background too harshly, everything starts to look cut out because it’s super crisp in a way that doesn’t match how it was actually made.
Here’s how you can remove the background without making it look like you cut it out with your kitchen shears:
- Draw a selection around the artwork (slightly inside the edges)
- Feather that selection just a tiny bit, usually around 1–2%
- Separate it onto its own layer
That small bit of softness keeps everything feeling more natural. It’s subtle, but it makes a bigger difference than you’d expect.
Step 5. Fix small imperfections quickly
Did you know there’s a clone tool in Procreate? You heard that right. You may have seen it in other softwares, but it’s not commonly used in Procreate. However, digitizing analog artwork in Procreate is a great time to take advantage of it.
If there’s a speck, a weird mark, something distracting, you can sample nearby areas and paint over it. Yes, seriously. There’s no need to spend 20 minutes trying to get the blur tool to finally behave. It’s just enough cleanup so your eye doesn’t get stuck on the wrong thing.
At this point, your artwork exists in a way that’s flexible. It’s a file you can move, scale, rearrange, print, share. It has options. And it’s no longer trapped inside a page.
Seeing your art outside of your sketchbook is pure joy 🤩
When something I made in a sketchbook showed up as a finished piece - printed, framed, existing - ahhhh I felt all the feels.
I’ve been using Gelato to print and sell my pieces, especially art prints, framed prints and canvas, and what I like most is how little friction there is between finishing a file and having something show up at my (or my customer’s 🥰) door.
I actually ended up partnering with them because I genuinely keep using their print on demand services, so I’ve got a promo code you can use to get 30% off a sample order (I took advantage of this with so many good options!!): https://try.gelato.com/peggy
It keeps the process feeling creative instead of logistical. And honestly, that’s the only reason I follow through consistently 😅
All of this to say, consider this a nudge! You don’t need to turn everything into a product or suddenly treat every page like it needs to be portfolio-worthy. In fact, do the opposite!
For now, choose one piece - a page you’ve paused on before - and let it move forward because those in-between pieces you keep noticing are already something. They just haven’t had the chance to exist outside the page yet.
This blog was kindly sponsored by Gelato. I never share or promote anything I don't truly love and personally use.
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