✨Week 2 of Playing in My Sketchbook
Well this week didn't exactly go swell, but it all still works! I think...
Hello Hello!
Well this week didn’t actually start as planned, and while I could pretend it did I’m not going to! LOL
I think when it comes to doing challenges, If we miss a day we often feel the need to play catch up. But then if you don’t have time to play catch up you delay the “comeback” and then you give up.
Which is something I don’t want to do, so let’s go see how this week went! (Also Day 5-7 were written on Day 8 so you can see how time was truly just not on my side!)
In case you missed the start of this here, is a quick lil behind the scenes of what I’m up to….
Last month I was SUPER busy and one of the first things to “go” was my daily sketchbook time! So since this is the MONTH of all Challenges, I thought why not try to get back in my sketchbook daily and share it here on Substack?
So that’s what I’m doing with daily check ins and then a written post each Sunday as a full look at the week! 🙂
I’m not particularly following a prompt list but if I find myself not knowing what to do I’m liking the looks of Peachtober, and Mosstober lists for ideas!
✨Day 5
Does thinking about art count? I know the answer is no!
SOOO day 5 was Sunday and I did actually do art, just not in my sketchbook! I was actually really loving the Gingham I created and tried to take it to my iPad.
It’s still a work in progress, but this is exactly why I love having a sketchbook. A random page that really didn’t mean anything possibly turned into something much more!
I also worked on a new Christmas design!
✨Day 6
Monday I was super excited to get really busy with work after a slower start to the month, and I kinda ran out of daylight, and I was tired of thinking when I finally had free time! SOOO! I did stamp packaging with my hand carved stamps if that counts!? LOL! Probably not, I know!
✨Day 7
Another day of running out of time and brain space, which is probably why I should have really made time for it today, but the day escaped me! Honestly was feeling like I should probably just stop because I was so behind, but I remembered that I can just jump back in tomorrow, I don’t have to catchup. I think this is the part that deters people from finishing challenges, even when we know there are no rules.
✨Day 8
Ok, you care now caught up on, and I’m back to writing these on the day OF. So while I said I don’t want to feel the need to “catch-up”, I do like a few of the prompts I missed SO I think today I will just pick a random one I missed that spoke to me!
So Mosstober had the prompt of tide pool the other day, which is SOO me! So I doodled a Sea Star that I would happily see in a tide pool! Now, technically this was inspired by a Sea Star that would not appear at my local beach, but it was in a book I was reading and its called a Candy Cane Sea Star which seemed fun!
I played with my Fountain Pen for this! I’m still very much learning how to use it, I totally see the potential to! However, I’m learning that it takes longer to dry than my normal felt-tip or Fuedenosuke! Which basically means I smeared it with my hand, more than once!👀
✨Day 9 & 10
You know those rare days when you actually have time for art, like time where you know there isn’t anything else that is super pressing so you genuinely can sit down and create.
Now isn’t it just so annoying when you spend all of that time on one thing but it still just don’t love it?! Yeah that is how day 9 and 10 went.
Basically I created the gingham in my sketchbook last week and loved the concept. Like the variation of lines, the colors. It’s SO me! So I played with some new Procreate brushes to find the perfect marker. I did, and the outcomes looks SO much like the mild liner I used in my sketchbook. BUT I made it too perfect.
Like the lines were too straight. So I started over and tried to let things be more organic and less like I was using a ruler. I didn’t obsess over spacing either, and finally started to like it.
Now enter Day 10 I had a thought to make it better. Where the blue overlapped I wanted a shell, because y’all know everything involves shells around here.
Well suddenly I just could not draw a shell, which like is not true. But you know those art days where just nothing works like it should? Well yeah that was day 10.
I can’t tell you how many times I redid the shark tooth, and the shells. It was just not working.
I partially blame that the new iPad + pencil still feels weird and it’s really annoying me for part of the problem…. (Seriously how long does it take to “break in” a new iPad?", it’s like new shoes that aren’t quite 100% comfy yet)
It’s now 6pm on Day 10, and I’ve gotten it to the point of "done” but I’m not 100% sold on it, so going to let it set for a bit. Hopefully it will look better tomorrow! 🙂
Also I totally could have left all of these details out, but sometimes I think its also nice to share that not everyday is a good art day.
✨Day 11
Pretty much all of my art that I create is kinda realistic. Like I’m not striving for realism but when I paint/draw a particular species I try to make it as correct as possible. Now I have a few Christmas designs and a particular crab sticker where I didn’t worry about that and just focused on “cuteness” but anywayyyyy.
Today for the Peachtober list the prompt it Seagull, and I saw a cute reel the other day by Carlottaklee on Instagram where she doodled lil seagulls in a very Nemo way, and I thought it looked fun! SOOO
I decided to grab my acrylic markers today and just follow that tutorial! It felt so weird not striving for species accuracy, but also its kinda cute!
✨Day 12
Bark is the theme today, and while I could draw a dog, I for some reason don’t believe I can so I thought of the other bark! Tree Bark! On day one of all of this with the acorn prompt I really wanted to illustrate a Southern Live Oak. I attempted it, eh.
Then today I came across a reel here, and it suddenly made a tree look doable!?
So I attempted it, and even tried to include Spanish moss! Is it great? Nope, but also I don’t hate it, and kinda feel like it could be the start of getting better at trees! I used my favorite Fuedenosuke, and it came together very quickly which is nice. Just a good warm up sorta feel!
✨Week Recap✨
This week was a bit of a flop but I feel like the art juices are getting better, so hopefully this upcoming week will be more consistent. Also as of writing this the weather is supposed to be sunny this week, and I’m literally fueled by sunshine SOO that’s a good sign as well! 🙂
🎵Music That Played Multiple Times While Creating Art this Week🎵
nah by Khalid
12:34 by The Band Camino
Sophia by The Runarounds
Staring at the Sun by The Elovaters
✨Other Reading✨
Thanks so much for reading this post! I thought it would be fun to share some other posts incase it’s also a rainy Sunday where you are and you are feeling like reading! :)
