the power of practice

Here at home as lockdown stretches out we've felt the need to stretch our minds as well. My hoard of notebooks has never been put to so much use: three pages of journaling almost every day, notes for courses and tutorials, and so much drawing!

Filling up a sketchbook is a scary thing for an artist, especially if you feel pressured to draw something worth looking at. Blogging, Instagram and YouTube can make us feel as if our sketchbooks were portfolios: finished pieces only, no mess allowed!

Snuff bottle

But understanding how much better I'm getting with practice helps me relax...enough to fill up a few more pages.

Model Tony Thornburg

The Hundred Heads challenge was created by artist Ahmed Aldoori in a YouTube video where he challenged artists to draw 100 heads from a curated Pinterest board in 10 days. Many artists have put their own spin on this challenge.

It's good to test yourself, but it's also good not to go from zero to 100 in a few days, especially when you're out of practice. One of my resolutions I've made with my work is to be a little more forgiving of myself.

No more 'all or nothing'. No time limit - that's for work. Let myself draw something I think is ugly, or awkward, or disturbing.

Mouth - a meditation on reading

Let my hands do the thinking. I'm stuck at home anyway; I can let my hands do the wandering for me.

Architectural studies

Copying is okay - it's how you learn. In art school we did 'master studies' where we looked at the work of master artists and tried to draw like them, or created our own projects inspired by their techniques. 

Shimizu Reiko master study

It was like taking notes, but with drawings instead of words. Even my notes when I take my courses or study video tutorials include copies of the demonstration. I remember something better when I try to draw it.

A notebook is meant to be filled - not aimlessly, but playfully, thoughtfully, with purpose and intent. Listen with your eyes and think with your hands, and see how much you can produce!