A blackbook is a little black address book for keeping the phone numbers of girls (
useful for booty calls). Some guys keep these books
alphabetized by first name for easy
one night stand reference.
A blackbook is also a sketch book kept by a graffiti artist. A true blackbook is a bound book, but some artists prefer binders filled with removable pages. A graffiti artist’s blackbook is most likely a highly incriminating piece of evidence, as it usually contains the various monikers the artist has painted all over the city.
types
Most blackbooks are just 8.5”x11” or 11”x17” bound sketchbooks from an art supply store. Strathmore is a popular brand. There are also graffiti-specific blackbooks, which feature outlines of trains on their pages. These are for true freightaholics, I have never personally liked them much.
blackbook philosophy
There are a couple schools of thought on how a blackbook should be kept and what it should be. To some a blackbook is no more than a loose sketchbook, totally random scribbling that would happen on napkins or school books if not for the blackbook. These can also turn into more of a scrapbook, with flix and papers pasted in. I find these the most interesting type, but only if the artist has the talent to pull it off. To other people their blackbook is their portfolio, with only the best material deserving a place between the covers. People like this usually use binders with removable pages. It is common for graffiti writers to sign each other’s blackbooks.