Summer Drawing Challenge

Summer is a good time to just kick around and practice some art!

I like to give my older students a “daily warm-up” to get them focused. It’s a great opportunity to practice with no pressure. A daily challenge is also a way get into doing art on a regular basis without feeling like you have to take on a big overwhelming project. 

A while back, my husband gave me the book One Drawing a Day by Veronica Lawler.  (Lawler has a series of books like this one to choose from on this site: http://www.onedrawingaday.com) One Drawing a Day is a 6-week course geared to older artists, so when August rolled around, I thought I’d give it a go and be the student for a change!

  

So far, I’m up to 12 exercises. The time frame is going to be a bit extended for me because I had to skip a few days, and (full disclosure) I didn’t follow all directions exactly, mainly substituting supplies when there was something I didn’t have on hand. I also used photographs when it wasn’t practical to draw from life. I made it work, and let’s face it: the Art Police are not coming to get us. Artists often improvise to problem solve all the time. It’s called “creativity”!!! The important thing is to keep moving forward.

One Drawing a Day explains the day’s task in a clear way for beginners, but also gives great tips and ideas for taking it to the next level for more advanced artists (we call that “differentiating” in the education world). 

As you can see in my first set of drawings, I’ve had fun and learned things even if the results aren’t perfect. It’s all part of process!  I won’t reveal the themes and directions because you should buy or read the book for that. When I’m done, however, my copy will be available in my Little Free Library (first come, first serve). 

If you want to try an art challenge, visit the One Drawing a Day site, or visit my Drawing & Art Challenges Pinterest board for tons of ideas! https://www.pinterest.com/kristinedaniels/drawing-art-challenges/