It’s been a week, and so far, Sketchy February is going really well! I’ve only missed one day of drawing, and that was only because we had plans for all day on Saturday. By the time we got home that night, it was already Sunday. But on the good side, if I have extra time, I’ve been doing more than just one drawing. Hooray!

I had thought when I started this project, that not having any guidelines would be really good, because then I could just do whatever I want. But that is proving to be more challenging. I am struggling more with figuring out what to draw, than I am with the actual drawing! And I’m wishing that I was more of a knick-knack person, because those are really easy set ups for a quick still life. (Things to keep in mind for future projects.)

Here are three of my favorite sketches from last week:

Welcome to Sketchy February! For the month of February, I am challenging myself to do a sketch a day. My hope is that it will get me into the habit of doing at least one creative thing every day, even if it’s something really small. I also want to improve my drawing skills. I feel like they have gotten a little rusty.

So here are the two sketches that I have done so far. I know. It’s February 3rd…Where’s the third sketch? Well, I haven’t done it yet. I’m really looking forward to cuddling into bed and sketching, so I’m saving it for later tonight. Even if I am so tired that I can’t keep my eyes open, I promise myself that I will create a sketch.

In case you are wondering, I am leaving this project really wide open. So far my two sketches were done on my iPad with my Sensu, but I may switch to paper or use my computer or switch it up every day. I don’t want to limit myself and see how it turns out. I’m thinking that the less stressful I make it (trying to figure out what to draw, what medium to use, etc), the easier it will be to turn into a habit. If this goes well, I have found some ideas online that will make it a little more challenging. But that’s for the future. At the end of the month, I will post my final sketches next to these, and we can see if I improve. Wish me luck!

Sorry for the lack of posts. It’s been hectic, and I haven’t had time to do anything really creative lately. Things are slowing down a bit, so hopefully I can get back on track!

Here it is finally! The painting that I did for my friend, Kristin. She has seen it now, so I can post it for the rest of the world to see. Hope you enjoy it!

This has taken me almost two years to complete. But it wasn’t a full two years of painting. For at least the first six months, I sat in front of an empty canvas, not sure about how I should proceed. It was pretty daunting. I wanted this to be the best painting I’ve ever done, and I think that slowed my process a bit, because I agonized over what I could do and how I could make great. Once I came up with an idea, things really got moving. And then I started to move…literally. So the painting had to be taken to my mother-in-law’s house so we could show our house. After the house sold, I got the painting back, but had moving in duties to complete. And after that, I really got to work.

This is the largest painting I’ve ever done, and it was not as easy for me as smaller paintings have been. It was done with acrylic, which dries really quickly. Since the canvas is so large, I would be working on one side and blending things, and by the time I got to the other side, things would already be dry. I tried to use a medium to keep the paint wet for longer, but it seemed to only thin the paint out, so I didn’t get as good a coverage.

There were days that I could spend hours painting, and days that I had to give up quickly because I was annoyed that things were not working out how I wanted them to. Overall, I am really pleased with the painting, and I think I reached my goal of making this the best painting I’ve ever done! Hooray!

In addition to the final piece, I’m also including some photos taken mid-process. Enjoy! (You’ll have to click to enlarge them. The automatic thumbnail-making machine started at the left-side of the photo.)