Best Laid Plans

Remember the 30 Day Drawing Challenge?  That was, lets see, about 13 days ago.  Am I on day 13 of the challenge?  Nope.  Day 6.  So, this 30 Day Challenge will likely take me about 60... or more... days.  I admit it.  I notoriously start a plan all gung ho and then am easily sidetracked.  Last week, a new batch of art supplies arrived.  You simply CANNOT receive new pencils and such and not use them!  So, I had to test out the charcoal pencils instead of doing the challenge that day.  Which means I actually sketched Milo for awhile - something I mentioned doing back in October.

Furry Milo and a few charcoal Milos soaking up some sun.

I felt blech one day and did some therapeutic mandala coloring with the Prismacolor markers.  Along with other distractions, we took an impromptu shopping trip last weekend.  I brought my little Moleskine sketchbook and recorded a somewhat jiggly version of the ever-changing view.

Yesterday, my parents' beloved dog left this good earth - 3 1/2 years after her best friend, my Dad, passed away.  She was closing in on 16 years of age and the whole family was "blubbery" as my Mom put it.  Belle had been fading fast the past week and an image of her & Dad was growing in my brain.  When I received the news, I had to quickly sketch the pair and share it with family and friends.  It's a simple sketch that I'd like to redo at some point.  But the feel of it seems to fit them.

None of this artwork was part of the Challenge.  During the sketchbook trek, I've made plans, broken plans, made new plans, ignored those plans, etc.  However, I kick myself in the buns and get back on track.  Whatever plans are made, forgotten or reworked - I'll continue arting it up.

I Challenge Thee

2013 and I'm on a roll again.  Wahoo!

Typing "drawing" in the Pinterest search box a few months ago would result in a "30 Day Drawing Challenge" - a list of objects and people to draw.  I didn't pin it - just didn't fit my journey, but I was eventually inspired by it.  I created my own drawing challenge in late November and officially started January 3.  It includes a variety of skill building exercises or new techniques to try.

Day 1: A pen & ink value scale - draw increasingly smaller patterns to create light to dark values.
Day 2: Finish documenting my watercolor pan set.  I'd drawn the page a month ago in a watercolor journal, but had neglected finishing.  Now it's done and the bright colors are inspiring.

Taken with my phone due to low camera battery & lack of patience.

Yesterday - Day 3: Drawing with my left (non-dominant) hand. When you start out knowing you have less control, it's actually quite freeing.  The perfectionist takes a break.  The inner critic shuts down.  The process is shaky and feels odd, but not as bad as I had imagined.   The imperfect lines have a certain charm to them I think.  I don't find myself saying - well, good grief - coulda' done better.  Aaah.

I've moved on to a bigger sketchbook -less bright, thinner, rougher pages - good for pencil sketches.  The different paper may not photograph as well.  We'll see when I actually use the camera.




PS - All you people who received some type of sketchbook and art supplies for Christmas.  (Yes, YOU!)  You could do these challenges.  Hmm.  Actually, anyone with any kind of paper could.  Really - give it a try.  Right now.  Get out those pads you tucked away (or a piece of paper out of your printer) and give it a whirl!