Such books will frequently contain rough workings, in cartoon form, of ideas later to appear in finished works, as well as acting as a normal diary, by allowing the artist to record their day-to-day activities and emotions.
These diaries not only give art historians a valuable opportunity to explore the creation process of these finished works, but they are a useful biographical tool.
Many famous artists are known for their art diaries – the sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci are probably the best known example.
[1] The concept of the art diary is also used by people working in related creative fields such as music; musician Brian Eno, for instance, is well known for his use of art diaries, excerpts from which were used in the Eno and Russell Mills book More Dark Than Shark.
[2] Photographers Peter Hill Beard and Dan Eldon, and artist Sabrina Ward Harrison are three other people noted for their art journals.