Sketchbook-ing is Hard for Me

I've often wished that I felt more at ease with visual journaling.  Heck, I even wish I was a better doodler.  But it's not something that I feel comfortable with.  I'm more of a plodder and planner.  I very rarely work intuitively; I most often think through a plan and pretty much stick to it.  I rarely just "do" something.

That can get a little boring.  In my life, I've learned to go with the flow and be flexible, but in my artwork.... not so much.

To that end, I decided to join the Sketchbook Challenge. It's certainly out of my comfort zone and, hopefully, will force me to experiment.  I'm hoping that by sketching, I'll loosen up a bit and find a new way to express myself that isn't all worked out at the beginning.

Well, I've failed thus far in the "don't plan too much" category.   This month's theme is "Highly Prized".  We're supposed to visually represent what we hold most dear in our lives.  My first thought, of course, was my family.  But no way can I draw them!  (Failure #1 -- I didn't even try)  Then I thought Long and Hard about how I would represent them; what was in my limited bag of tricks?  (Failure #2 -- just go with the flow!)   I decided, after three weeks of tossing and turning, that I would draw an initial and some item that belongs to a favorite activity of that person.  (Failure #3 -- too much planning!)

I have, however, actually managed to make two pages in my sketchbook, more than I've ever done before.  (Success #1)  I discovered that I really like the brush tip Pigma marker.  Don't ask me why; it just speaks to me for some reason.  (Success #2 -- finding a tool that works).  I've also discovered that I like the look of ink and watercolor.  (Success #3 -- finding a look that I like). Alas, my pages are all ripply because the paper isn't watercolor paper, but that's okay.  (Success #4 -- being okay with something being wonky!)

Here are my first two pages, for my husband and my son.  They're certainly not works of art.  They're simple quick drawings (as I intended) that hopefully get my point across.  A third page, about something I like outside of my family, is in the works.  My daughters' pages .... well, I'm still thinking about those.



Comments

Sue Reno said…
I'm glad to see you experenting and having fun. But it's also ok to just be who you are and run with that :-)
looking good! you'll loosen up eventually, practice practice practice!
Cindy Green said…
Sketchbook-ing is hard for me too, and I applaud your first two pages and your successes! Great start! Think "Fun", think "Play"...
Melanie said…
Picasso is rumored to have said, in some exasperation: "Must everything be a masterpiece?" When I was teaching writing, I encouraged my students not to look back but to just keep falling forward until they had full drafts, especially those students who fancied writing a novel. There is virtue in falling forward and not thinking too much about what you've already done (or always do).