The Daily Sketch Challenge
At the start of the year I started a daily sketch project using the hashtag #365SketchChallenge. The task is simple enough. Every day I must create a sketch and upload it to my social media accounts. I’m not 60 days into it and thought that I would share what I’ve been doing so far.
There are only a few rules:
- No pencil, only pen
This means I have to be a little braver with my mark making, every line has to count as I won’t have the luxury of removing any with an eraser. - No same subject matter (unless you’re introducing a twist to it that is)
This stops me repeating myself and forces me to be a little more inventive. It also helps me to avoid stsying in my comfort zones. - If I’m drawing a person then it must be the full body, no portraits.
It’s something that I most definitely need to practice so I might as well throw it in to the challenge.
Why daily and not every other day?
This is based on the idea that those who want to get better at anything will commit to doing it daily. You need that sense of rhythm. Also, it’s a great way to stop yourself being so precious about what you create. You do one drawing that you don;t like, so what, you’ll be doing a new one tomorrow. The same is true if you do something your pretty proud of. Big deal, you have to do it all over again tomorrow.
Why a whole year though?
Why not is my answer. It sounds more impressive than three months after all (although I’m not even at that point yet). Also, if I was to simply call it a #DailySketchChallenge then there wouldn’t be the same amount of pressure. If I was to eventually miss a day then I’d simply just start again from scratch the next. By letting everybody know that it’s for a whole year there is no backing out.
What I’ve learned so far:
- Drawing loads doesn’t necessarily make you better
Drawing over and over again unconsciously doesn’t really bring much progress. It helps if you have a definite goal for each drawing. For example, one day I might want to focus on finishing it by using as little marks as possible and another day I might want to see how much movement I can bring to the drawing. - The less engaged I am with the subject matter the less interesting the drawing
Some nights I’ve been stuck for inspiration and have just resorted to picking a random image from a google search and drawing that. These usually turn out pretty lame. Instead I’ve found that it’s much more interesting to try and surprise yourself with a topic where you’re not quite sure how it will turn out. - Even with this I get way too precious about it all
They are only supposed to be throw away sketches but still I find it difficult to let go and just let whatever comes out, come out. Not everything has to be perfect but still I get really scared about making mistakes. And we all know what happens when you get stuck in that mindset. Yes, mistakes, loads of them. - This is a great way of highlighting the areas where you need to improve
If you’re drawing everyday and choosing a different subject matter then there is no way that your weaknesses won’t be highlighted. with me it’s the same old story. Hands, it’s always the hands. However, I see a few shards of light in this area. I might just be getting a little better.
So this is where I am at with this at the moment. Hopefully I’ll be back to blog about this again. Maybe on day 100.
If any of you out there are interested in checking out how the project is going then head over to one of my social media accounts…
https://www.facebook.com/Loud-n-Creative-116644278355349/?ref=bookmarks
https://www.instagram.com/loudncreative/
https://twitter.com/GregorLouden
Also, if any of you want to give me a follow then I’ll happily follow straight back. It would great to stay in touch.
Are any of you doing any projects at the moment to stay creative and push yourself? Let me know in the comments section below. I’d love to hear about it!