30 Days of Sketchbook Joy
I know, I know. I spent the last half (at least) of January complaining about the daily challenge I was doing, so what am I thinking, starting another daily challenge in February? Well, time will tell, but I think this challenge is more up my alley. There are fewer limitations, so really the only “rule” is that you need to spend at least five minutes a day doing something, anything in a sketchbook—even if it’s just coming up with color schemes or making swatches. I think my chances of managing that without grumpiness and (much) regret are high.
So, what is this new challenge, exactly? Artist Katie Moody is hosting it in the run-up to the release of her first book. You can find her on YouTube and Instagram, and I think this is the link to the challenge prompts on Instagram. (But you don’t have to use them if you don’t want to. The main idea is to just do something every day for 30 days and join in the community by sharing or commenting/encouraging, if you’re so inclined. I believe I’ll just blog about it here.)
Day 1: Draw Your Art Supplies
Most people I saw (including Katie herself, who did a livestream of the first day’s prompt) chose to do something along these lines, and since that was the first thing that had come into my head, too, that’s also what I went with.
My sketch is not at an attempt at an accurate representation of any of my supplies, but it is loosely based on some of the art supplies and tools I use most, and a couple I plan to try soon.
I included a palette of watercolors dried in pans, paintbrushes, a variety of pens, markers, pencils (color, graphite, and watercolor/Inktense), dip-pens, and inks, as well as water-soluble pastels, crayons, and tubed watercolor and gouache. There are also scissors, clips, washi tape, glue and glue stick, and one of my ceramic mixing palettes. I also added in a tempera paint stick and some oil pastels, a silicone brush tool, and a couple of the plastic pipettes or eyedroppers that I love to use for adding clean water a drop at a time to my paints and palettes. (They’re the weird-looking things in the middle of the bottom row in my drawing.)
The final item (bottom right) is a set of Boku-Undo E-Sumi Watercolors (marked “Japanesque Colour” and also known as “Shadow Black Mei”). They’re a very bold, dark mix of sumi ink and dye, which you can activate and paint with like watercolor. I’m certainly no expert in their use, but they can be fun to play with, and I thought I’d keep things simple and harmonious by using just this palette for tinting this drawing.
I started with a pencil sketch, added color, then outlined in black pen. I didn’t bother trying to hide or erase my pencil lines. They’re part of the sketch!
Day 2: Pop of Orange
For this prompt, I didn’t want to look at anyone else’s interpretation before making my own sketch. I had several ideas, and there are at least one or two others I’d like to try, aside from what I ended up going with. I chose this one for convenience, because I wanted to draw in a very limited space and time—at my work desk in the evening, while I finished watching something on my laptop. I decided I needed something simple and relatively fast to draw, and I went with watercolor pencils, since you can get a lot of your sketch done before ever touching water. Also, I haven’t used these watercolor pencils much, and I thought it would be a good chance to try them again and learn a little more about how they work.
As you can see, my “pop of orange” is an orange cat in amongst a group of more neutral-colored cats in grey, black, and white.
I knew that these particular watercolor pencils are difficult to dissolve completely, meaning that even after you add water, you can still see some of the pencil lines. I actually like that for the sketchy, illustrative style of drawing I had in mind. So I didn’t even try to make the lines go away, here. I added the whites of the eyes on top in acrylic paint pen, after it dried, then went back to put in the black details in marker and pen.
To be completely honest, I was disappointed with how some of the eyes came out. I had to fix some of them in ways I wouldn’t have initially chosen, but in the end, I think it came out okay. It’s just a fun, silly sketch of a bunch of cats, after all. Nothing to lose sleep over!
I did consider adding some of their tails, too, but decided to keep it simple without them. I think it would be better with a few tails poking up, though. I also wish I had made some of the cats a little fluffier at the sides of the face. Both are things to remember if I ever do this again. (Spoiler: I won’t remember.)
Happy Birthday, Frodo!
According to our calendar, Frodo turned six yesterday. It’s hard to believe we’ve had him for over half a decade! Thinking back over all the dogs we’ve had as a couple—Molly, Daisy, Trixie, Luna, and Frodo—in some ways it feels like yesterday that they were puppies, but on the other hand, it brings home how many years have actually passed… And it makes me feel a little sad and heart-achy for things that were and are no more…
So to cheer back up again, here are a few recent photos of Frodo, from this week. I noticed after I let him back in the house, one day, that his front feet and muzzle were orange-tinted—speaking of a “pop of orange”—the telltale sign that he’s been digging. (This time of year, both Luna and Frodo love to dig! Funny how it goes by seasons…)
I took a quick photo to send to Donald. (We live a fast-paced and fascinating life where “Frodo’s been digging again” is newsflash material.)
Frodo of course noticed this extra scrutiny and promptly got up and sat at the door, requesting to go out again. (“Uh-oh. Peoples are watching me a little too closely… Could mean trouble. Better skedaddle while the skedaddling’s good!”)
Is this what the kids today are calling “bombastic side-eye”?
(And by “today”, I apparently mean two years ago, based on a quick google.)
“Gotsta get out of here NOW.”
February’s off to a good start here—and it’s Friday and we’re planning to make a banana pudding this afternoon! Let’s keep the good mood going!
