The One Sketch a Day Project

There are lots of daily projects around, 365 photo challenge and100happydays to name just a couple I see filling my time lines at the minute.

I have tried (and failed miserable) to complete the 365 photo challenge, even though I do take alot of photos the thought of having to take a 'good' photo every day just didn't inspire me very much and quickly had the opposite effect making me not want to take any photos at all, I am a bit of a impulsive snapper and only seem to capture nice photos when I'm not trying!  Because of this I was reluctant to start any other every day projects - I'm more of a free spirit and tend to find that having to do anything just makes me want to run the other way!

But then a very kind friend  sent me a lovely surprise gift - a sketch journal.

I haven't had a sketch pad thats mine in years and years... well since I was in school!

In fact I haven't really picked up a pencil to sketch anything more than squiggles on the phone book since I was in school either, I sort of have a bit of a love hate relationship with real drawings, I do love to do it, but then always wish I had done better - never really feel like the images I get down are quite the same as the images in my head, I struggle to draw from my imagination and can only really copy or adapt things I can physically 'see' and this has always stopped me from drawing - I don't really want to just 'copy' someone else, the images in my imagination are what I want to beable to draw, thats why I turned my creativity into digital scrapbooks, and computer graphic designs, its abit easier to manipulate things on screen than physically drawing them with a pen and paper.

But the more work I do in graphics design the more I think I'm still limited and I still don't have the confidence in my ability, and I so desperately want to be a better artist - not just a vector manipulator in photoshop, a photo editor, a real proper good artist who can sketch well too.

This little pocket book inspired me, and I truly love it. I am not one to buy things for myself, or really take time out for my own personal pursuits very often, always opting to help other people out first, and thats another reason I never continued drawing once school finished.

But now I am realising that it's actually good to do something you enjoy simply for yourself, not for anyone else at all.  The minutes I spend sketching each day in this little book make me smile, looking back at the images makes me smile, and the notion that every sketch is worthy of remembrance makes me smile, and has sort of changed my view on drawing, it is ok to copy what you see, to practise and sketch - in fact that's exactly what you need to do to learn, and is what makes the most amazing sketches,  stopping and wishing you can click your fingers and be an amazing artist isn't realistic,  to achieve you have to keep trying, keep practising - a little every day.

 I want to keep this book close to me at all times and let it get tatty and weathered and very very well loved, I want to find them minutes each day to stop and do something I do actually enjoy - for me, and I want to capture the year, the seasons, the moods in sketches.

For the past 20 days now I have sketched, some good, some not so good, things in my little sketch book. I think I am already starting to trust my ability and trusting your self to draw is what makes a great finished piece and gives you the confidence to draw without a image to copy - what I've always wanted to do.

So I am now publicly showing my sketch book, sharing it and promising to continue this one sketch a day project - I am excited to see what improvements I can make in a year and where my sketching will take me.

I thank Clare for sending this to me, you can go say hello to her on her blog here : Emmys Mummy, and if you have a budding artist wanting to get out then you can purchase the OneSketchADay journal here

I will be posting my sketches as I complete enough for a blog post, or if I am particularly excited by any I do, please do let me know what you think.