I have implementing more of the do it mentality than the think it one...
I admire other artist like Roz from Roz wound up and Cathy Johnson, Danny Gregory, my friend Becky Driscol and son Colton who seem to fit in their art and sketching everyday. Colton had an automatic discipline to work in his sketchbook each night for an hour or has long as we let him stay up.I hate at times to ell him to turn the light out ans get to sleep as I know he has to close his sketch book. Yesterday he was on the computer researching 'exotic' fruits for his comic. We keeps index cards with him and when we are out he will jot sown ideas from things he sees going on around him. once in a while he will ask about this or that. Like the other day he was trying to come up with a new alien 'country'. Where they would be from and what they would do. OH did I mention he is 10.
Being out of the habit this past oh- almost two months of working in my sketchbook I really began to ask my self why? Maybe not why so much as HOW to fit bits of what i love and who I am back in my day to day. Come on- really what is my excuse?
I thought about the things that bring me pleasure in my drawing and one of them is ATC or ACEO.I love the small format and they are so easy to keep handy.
Spread your washes beyond your area needed or have a piece of watercolor paper there as well to put random wases of color on. Let dry and cut into the size you desire. Mine here are 2.5 x 3.5inches. Or if you don't like alarger piece you have done, just cut it up. Of course work in what ever medium you desire. It could be as simple as plain paper ready to go, paint samples from the home store cut to size. I have used micron pens and Artist pitt pens on those.
Here is my kitchen counter in the am. I just made a space to work and got to it. I have a small set of watercolors, waterbrushes and my artist Pitt pen and micron for the black line work here.
Wed. 4/28
9:02-9:04 am- sketch houses in ink Switch laundry.
9:19 - 9:22 more ink on house on left.
Wash some dishes, gather shopping list and cut coupons.
9:54-9:58 more ink.Type and email, clear counter some.
10:21-10:26- put some blue sky down.
Left to go grocery shopping.
3:18 pm added some purple to the buildings. That was it for the day.
Actually two days.
Another day, 9:05 am Washed in the blue background in with moon(had that drawn before this exercise). While it dried, I worked on scanning in some journal pages.
9:15 am - on went the stars and some color in the buildings on the other painting. I continued to work on this while on the computer.
With all about done. I took an hour another day, sat and finished up backgrounds and adding final washes and ink accents. Over the course of about an 1.5hours I completed these littlepainted works. I feelpreety good when I sit down to wrap them up. It is slow in seeing your progress working in bites here and there but in the end...progress and happiness are made.
I can only encourage you to evaluate your regular day and see how prepping and laying ground work can help you to achieve your goals. How can you interject 10 minute bites. One of the successful changes that does work for me is getting up earlier has been to get up earlier in the am( I am a morning person,i go down hill from the time I get up!) and to leave to go to the bus stop 15/20 minutes sooner. Be it i take my paper and cutter to trim papers,sort coupons and make my shopping list or mail to read there that I would normally sort at home-Therefore using the 'home' time for creating. If your a knitter, take that in the car...Just push yourself and think outside the box.
