Draw Something Everyday 2015: A Retrospective
For 365 days I drew at least one drawing – whether that was a doodle, sketch, or abstract jot, including work related sketches and concept layouts. The prompt was to draw something everyday and I did – or as near it as possible. In the end, the accumulated and scanned list totalled to 393 drawings in the year 2015.
1. Draw Something Everyday:
The Prompt:
Draw something – anything; big or small – once a day, everyday for the entire year.
Each month, I’ll post a selection of my favorite drawings from the previous month and describe any struggles or successes as I see them occur.
A Selection of the Results:
January 2015
February 2015
March 2015
April 2015
May 2015
June 2015
July 2015
August 2015
September 2015
October 2015
November 2015
December 2015
The Experience
I’m not going to lie: this prompt was not easy. Some days I was tired after I got home from work or the gym, some days I would forget. But as I went along I learned to prep myself to succeed and not discount anything from what I constituted as “a drawing.”
For example, I would set a sketchbook by my bed, on my coffee table, and in my bag. This was so that no matter what – if I had time at lunch on a workday , or if I was watching TV, or if I was going to bed – I had the ability to draw.
I learned a lot about myself when it comes to drawing. Early on I would find myself hesitant to put pencil to paper if I wasn’t feeling “inspired.” I was afraid to make something that I felt would be a waste. But the truth is – giving into that fear is a waste. Drawing isn’t perfection, it’s a form of exploration. During this resolution I learned that no matter whether I felt the drawing was “good” in the end, it was better for existing and I was better for getting it on paper.
Another aspect of this project was keeping myself honest. Sometimes I would miss a day of drawing because of a trip somewhere, or I simply forgot. That just meant that the next time I had to draw another drawing to total the days in the year. This was a challenge I gave myself and when I accepted that there would be misses, I made sure not to punish myself for them. If I did, the drawing a day would become a chore instead of a release.
Word of the wise if you decide to give yourself this challenge: set yourself realistic goals and give yourself plenty of inspiration and/or prompts. If you don’t think you can do a drawing a day – try 5 drawings a month, or a drawing a week. Don’t know what to draw after a while? Google drawing prompts or writing prompts, read through and specifically assign yourself a drawing based on a prompt.
In the end, I went through 2 sketchbooks, several pens and pencils, acrylic paint, and eraser nubs. And I loved every minute of it.