Drawing a Day – Suzy in my Home office

I used to use this space as a motivation to do more drawing. At first I was trying out the iPhone app Brushes, and would do drawings on my iPhone whenever I had the chance. About two years ago, I made a new years resolution to do a pen and ink drawing a day. I kept it up mostly for all of 2018, and have since continued it. I don’t draw every day, but have drawn more in the last two years than I had in the decade before.

So, I am going to try to get back to sharing things here on my public blog site. Up to now, I only share these drawings on my instagram page. That page is private so really only a handful of people ever see them. Still, that’s more than ever read this blog.

The above drawing was done from a photo I took of my cat Suzy, snuggled up in the cat bed I set up in my home office. Neither of my cats had been using it in the months since I put it in the office, so that morning, I had rearranged how it sat on the box you see in the drawing. Just like that, Suzy came in and apparently approved of the update. This drawing is just pen and ink in an 8×5 sketchbook I carry around. I didn’t scan it in for the image, so you get to see my thumb on the left side of the paper, holding the book open.

Hopefully more drawings to come!

Of disappointment, resolutions and drawing things

At the end of last year, I found myself very down. I’m not sure entirely why but as funny as it sounds, Disney’s depressing take on the Star Wars saga was a large part of that. I would read every article, every blog post and every comment I could of fellow SW fans who felt the portrayal of Luke (and Han and Leia for that matter) was just wrong. These comments assured me I wasn’t alone but in the end they left me even more sad.

Sad wasn’t good. I needed to do something. I needed a distraction. So on New Year’s Eve I decided to make a resolution for 2018. I resolved to draw more and Facebook less. That was it. Just draw more. Pretty nebulous.

On January first, I picked out one of my sketchbooks that had been sitting, unloved, in my bedroom and drew. It was a quick pen and ink sketch of our television. I drew while my son was playing Legend of Zelda on our new Nintendo switch. It took me maybe 15 minutes. It wasn’t anything special but it made me feel amazing.

I started this blog years ago, as a place to post drawings I would do using the Brushes app on my original iPhone. I used it as a motivator to make me draw or do something creative. For a time it worked, then I let life get busy.

After I finished my first drawing, I posted it on my Instagram account with the hashtag #drawingaday and my new resolution took form. It has been so fulfilling to draw that I decided I would find the time to draw every day. It’s February now and I’ve actually done it. I’ve done one, quick pen and ink sketch every day so far this year and it’s been wonderful. I feel more creative than I have in a while.

There’s only one rule I’ve given myself on these drawings. Just do them. They don’t have to be perfect. They don’t have to be amazing. They just have to be. Every drawing I’ve done has been a small learning experience. I feel that I’m improving with the practice. When I pick up the little sketchbook I love flipping through it to see what I’ve drawn so far. My kids have honored me by also flipping through it to see what I’ve done. I’m looking forward to what I might draw this year.

Since I’m setting aside that half hour a day to draw, I’ve less time to blog, but I might post a picture of one of my sketches from time to time.

I encourage you to do that thing you’ve been wanting to do. Give yourself permission not to be perfect. Just do.