Today I grabbed my sketchbook when my son and I left to visit my mom. I never would have thought to bring it, if I wasn’t trying to draw everyday for InkTober.
By the time we arrived at the beach the sky had cleared and it was beautiful out. We walked barefoot in the sand, put our feet in, collected shells, watched the surfers. What a beautiful, peaceful day.
I took several photos to draw from later and did a sketch before we left. đ
I’m looking forward to pulling out the watercolors to add to today’s sketch. Inspiration photo from Getty Images via Woman’s Day Magazine.
I’m participating in InkTober this year. Jake Parker created InkTober in 2009 “as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.” Learn more and see the official InkTober prompts here. It starts Saturday, October 1st!
There is something about fall and Halloween that really inspires me â as you can see from last year’s sketchbook above. For me, InkTober is just some extra motivation. I’m back in a creating groove, which makes me really happy. Anyone else participating? đ
It’s a funny time of year. School has started so summer feels over. When I look around the house for something to draw, I see the shells we’ve collected. Every year I say I’ll continue creating in the beach theme after summer ends, but it loses its appeal. I get inspired by the changing leaves, and then the winter sky against bare trees, followed by the beautiful flowers of spring. I guess I’m a seasonal girl. đ
I was working in my sketchbook today, without any real plan, just thinking of the beach. It occurred to me that you can try to have a detailed plan but in the end you have to just start, do the work, and see what unfolds. I thought this was an epiphany for me until I thought about my creative resolution.
I started late Dec. 2013, with no real plan other than being creative on a regular basis. I thought I might end up refinishing furniture! Instead, after trying a few things, I ended up working steadily in watercolor.
Today’s “ephinany” felt like a big deal because, for awhile, I’ve wanted to work on a bigger project. Something that would tie things together. Instead of feeling like I work on individual pieces.
I have a theme. I have inspiration projects (by other artists). I have ideas, but I don’t 100% know what the style and form of the project will be, and it frustrates me. Doodling in my sketchbook today I realized I need to dive in and start. I’ll never know what the final product will be, until I work through it. Just like my creative resolution, it will be a journey of experimenting, working, and evolving.
In my first adult drawing class about 9 years ago, Eva, the instructor, had us bring in a pair of shoes to draw. I brought in my youngest’s baby shoes. I followed that up with a drawing of my daughter’s ballet shoes, and then one of my other son’s cleats. I still occasionally sketch my shoes. The angles, the foreshortening, the perspective â they are such a great subject to practice on!
Recent shoes
My first shoes
Please excuse the large watermark đ
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BFAY1K5H6Q4/
The other night, as I spent important time catching up on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, I practiced drawing portraits. I couldn’t do it on the fly. I paused the tv and took a couple of photos of each of the women. I can see a glimmer of the woman in each sketch â some more faintly than the others. đ
I really enjoy sketching in front of the tv. I wish I did it more. It turns non-productive time into productive time. Give it a try!
After seven days straight of working in my sketchbook every morning at the same time, this morning I said to myself, “I don’t feel like it. Maybe later.” So, I grabbed my kindle, which opened up to Gretchen Rubin’s book, “Better than Before,” and the words,
“Scheduling makes us far more likely to convert an activity into a habit.”
How could I not put down the kindle and pick up the sketchbook? So today, I’m celebrating and sharing my eighth day in a row of sketching. Here’s to my new creative habit (almost).
Read this post to learn why I’m working hard to cement my creative habits: Creative Habits and Gretchen Rubinâs book
Hope you enjoy this beautiful Easter Sunday with family and friends! – Eileen
mycreativeresolution.com 