Notes from the Spring Creek Arts Guild

A Challenge

For the fourth or fifth year, I participated in the 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge hosted by SusanYeates. One of my friends was doing this a few years back and posting her sketches daily on Instagram, so I started sketching a little, too, following along with whatever my friend was doing. Eventually I realized it was an actual, real thing, and went to the source.

The way it works is that the organizer announces a daily prompt for sketches. You can consider this to be your subject matter for the day, or you can use it as a jumping-off spot to think of something to sketch. The prompts can be really straightforward, like “eggs” or “rooftops,” or fairly abstract or open to interpretation, like “geometric” or “abstract.” People choose all sorts of different media to use. I purchase a small bound sketchbook that easily fits in my purse. I find the small pages to be much less intimidating. People use pencils, pens, paints, colored pencils, or anything that will make a mark on paper. Many people use digital media such as a graphics app on an iPad or other tablet.

Some people set themes or rules for themselves, for example, this year I restricted myself to simpler sketches done in a controlled time frame.

The main idea behind the sketchbook challenge is to get you comfortable with sketching and to form a habit of regular or even daily sketching. You may be wondering why a person would want to do such a thing—there are so many benefits to it that I could write at least a short little book about it. First, sketching is a great mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is basically a type of meditation, which means it is a good antidote for stress, anxiety, and many other problematic mental and physical states. Sketching is great training for observation skills. In order to draw something, you have to observe very closely and in great detail. Once you start doing this, you will find yourself being much more observant of everything around you. Finally, a sketchbook challenge is a challenge for your brain—it will exercise your brain, which is always, always beneficial.

Do I hear some of you saying “I can’t draw!!!!”? My answer to that is “Of course you can.” Everyone can draw. You may not have natural talent that enables you to sit down and create something beautiful on the first or even twentieth try, but, just like so many other things, practice makes perfect. The more I try, practice, learn, observe, and sketch, the better I get. Besides, there are so many ways to skin this cat. You can aim for realism if you want or you can aim to be an abstract or impressionistic sketcher. The benefit is there whether or not your sketches are “good” in anyone’s opinion.

If you think you would like to give it a try, there is no need to wait until next January to join in the Sketchbook Challenge. Just get yourself some paper, some pens or pencils, and start drawing whatever is around you—your lunch, your shoes, the mess on your desk, the house across the street, a page full of star doodles, whatever. You will eventually find the groove that fits, and will find that groove to be your happy place, I promise.