Tag: January

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January Sketchbook Challenge

Sketchbook Challenge – Day 13

 

Today’s prompt! Draw something from your pantry!

Will it be a can of soup? Or, how about a classic– A box of macaroni and cheese?

Whatever you choose, again, set it on a flat surface to give it perspective! If you do choose something round, try curving the lines slightly as you shade around the edges.

Let’s fill a pantry of our own with sketches!

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January Sketchbook Challenge

Sketchbook Challenge – Day 12

Today’s prompt: Draw your shoes or one shoe!

Find one that is your favorite, or one that rarely gets picked to step out into the world. 

It can be simple or elaborate with long laces and fine stitching.

A helpful tip?

Look at the overall shape. Start with the contour lines.

See the shoe as an object built shape by shape. Are there circles, ovals, rounded rectangles?

In other words, try not to draw the shoe by ‘seeing’ the shoe as a whole. Try drawing the shoe by noticing the shapes of the spaces within– the shapes of the sole, the toe, and the shapes shadows make. Break the whole into those smaller shapes and place them where they fit in relation to the overall outline of the shoe.

Remember, a sketchbook is a place for practice and mistakes. It is not a place for finished pieces that you put up for sale. Well, maybe you get lucky every now and again, but do remember that is not the first purpose of a sketchbook.

Give yourself permission to draw a very wonky shoe today.

Let’s draw!

Autumn

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January Sketchbook Challenge

Sketchbook Challenge – Day 8

Today’s prompt is another word — Patience. 

I don’t know about you, but for me, I find it easier to be patient with others rather than patient with myself. 

Patience is difficult for me because I expect my work, my art to be perfect. I expect it to come out the way I intend, and the way I initially see it in my mind. And this is an odd thing because as a teacher, I don’t expect this from my students at all. For them, they are supposed to make mistakes and grow over time. They are supposed to work on developing a growth mindset and not worry about the end result.

And, for all of you following along with the sketchbook challenge, my intention is to encourage you in the same way. Make a mess. Your work is supposed to be unfinished and imperfect. Focus on the act of sketching. Focus on the fact that you are gifting yourself this time.

Have patience with yourself. This is a long game. We are looking for growth over time. 

So with that, when you think of patience, what comes to mind? Have you found yourself having to be more patient lately? What inspired it? Was it a moment? Was there some object or symbol involved that you can capture in your sketchbook?

You could even sketch the word patience and play with typography. Or, as always, go a completely different route. 

You could even sketch the snail in the image within this post.

Please know that my prompts are always optional.

In patience we must,

Autumn

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January Sketchbook Challenge

Sketchbook Challenge – Day 5

Today’s prompt is a word — SURPRISE!

Think about something that has surprised you, or you find surprising. It can be from last year. It can be positive or negative. It can be small or large, about the world or about you. Maybe committing to this challenge has surprised you, and you will sketch a cartoon of you drawing.

For me, I want to dwell on the small surprises that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

You know, the little things. 

The little things like the single blue stripe on the feathers of a bird that I had not perceived before. Or, how easily a squirrel hangs upside down, so that it can rob the feeder of seed I intended for the little finches. And the surprise of a white lily frozen at the very moment before it opens just when we had our first frost. 

Keep it simple or make your drawing complex — whatever you have time for.

Some helpful tips: Start with the general outline of the object or thing and then add more details. What are the basic shapes it is composed of? Start there!

Remember, don’t judge your drawing based on what you think it should look like. Find an aspect to it that you like, or celebrate the motivation behind it. You know, the surprise of it all!

One day at a time,

Autumn 

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January Sketchbook Challenge

Day 3 – Sketchbook Challenge

Draw your favorite mug!

Place your mug on a flat surface. You will want to see it from a static angle, so that you can get a sense of how it sits in space. 

Notice in this picture that there are shadows and highlights. See if you can incorporate those into your sketch by using the following ideas:

  • Use a different color to shade in the shadows.
  • Try using lines or hatching.
  • If you are using a pencil, smudge those areas with your finger. 
  • Or, use more pressure with your drawing tool, unless it is a pen or marker. (Pressure can damage the nib.)
  • Below you will see how I use lines to create shadows and volume in this simple line drawing. 

Just remember to experiment and play. Don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t compare your work with another person’s work. The best thing to do is to compare your work with your own over time to see your growth! It’s your personal journey.

Have fun! 

Oh! I almost forgot the best part– After you complete your sketch, fill your mug with your favorite beverage. Savor every sip and swallow. 

Feel free to share your work and ask questions along the way. 

In creative adventures,

Autumn














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January Sketchbook Challenge

Sketchbook Challenge – Day 2

Hope you alleviated some possible jitters by doodling a word in your sketchbook and no longer is it a book with blank pages. After Day 1, you have declared you are serious and you are going to make some marks! Those trees will not go to waste. 

Here we go for Day 2: Draw your art supplies!

Draw what you are using in your sketchbook to mark the page. These supplies can be the “right-now” supplies or ones you intend to use later on. Or, Heck! You can draw ones that you are too afraid to use, the ones that you find intimidating. Add some horns and pointy teeth to those ones. 

Draw them once, twice, or multiple times until you you fill the page. Sometimes, by repeating one thing, you can make a pretty cool pattern on the page that you may want to improve upon for a finished art piece later on. 

You never know what ideas and finished art pieces can come from simply keeping a sketchbook. 

Remember, please feel free to comment on this post or in the Facebook group your work, questions, or A-HA! moments.

Happy drawing!

Autumn

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January Sketchbook Challenge

Sketchbook Challenge Eve

It’s December 31st. Not only New Year’s Eve but the eve of our sketchbook challenge. Let’s prepare, shall we?

Step 1: Grab your sketchbook. Open to the first page. Sign it and date it! You can choose to date it for December 31st, 2020, or January 1st, 2021.

Step 2: Set an intention and write it down. What do you want to get out of this challenge? What do you hope for? Make it relevant and meaningful to you. You don’t need to share this intention with anyone. And, you can keep it short. For me, I want to get better at drawing with pencil and ink. More specifically, I want to improve my line drawings.

Some other ideas for intentions:

I want to jumpstart my creativity.

I want to practice how to trust my creative voice.

I want to start a daily sketching habit.

I hope to overcome my negative self-talk about my abilities as an artist by drawing every day despite myself. (Yep!)

Your intention for taking on this sketchbook challenge can be as personal or general as you want. But, do set an intention. Give this practice purpose so that when or if someone were to ask WHY you can answer perfectly. 

Bonus Step 3: After signing, dating, and writing down your intention, doodle around it!

Bonus Step 4: Maybe decorate the cover with stickers.

If you are so inclined to share your why, please comment below or on my Art Journaling with Autumn Facebook Group (You can still join this group). I would love to hear some of your reasons for doing this with me.

Autumn

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January Sketchbook Challenge

Art Supplies

So many art supplies to choose from…Yes, there sure are! 

I suggest keeping things simple. I believe in the inspirational powers of limitation. You don’t need the fanciest of supplies out there to get started and to make art. If you think you do, then, I will tell you right now, that’s just an excuse. And you don’t need another excuse to keep you from creating.

Now later on, you might want to splurge on quality watercolor paper or an expensive ink pen that delivers precise lines in just the right way. I won’t tell you that you won’t notice a difference in the end result. You will, especially when it comes to watercolor paper. But, for the every day sketching and learning, you don’t need to shell out the hard-earned coin for anything special. 

For the month of January, I will be limiting myself to the use of pencil and ink pen. My intention is to get better with line drawings, so I will be using this 31-day challenge to practice with only these tools. I imagine that after 31 days of drawing daily with pencil and pen, I should learn something knew and gain a bit more control of using them. 

So, when it comes to choosing art supplies for this challenge, think about limiting yourself. Maybe you will do 31 days of drawing with colored pencils or maybe even using crayons. Perhaps you want to have the option of combining a few items to see what you can do. And then there are those who don’t need to limit themselves at all. 

Go for it. But whatever you choose for supplies, make it something that is meaningful for you. Choose something that you are curious about using.

I would love to hear in the comments what supplies you will choose during this month!

– Autumn