24 January 2011

a new challenge

Since before Christmas, I have allowed too many distractions to deter my daily sketching. Determined to get back into the habit, I read of a 75 day sketch challenge offered by Brenda Swenson, using only ink.

Though I have sketched "graphite free" from time to time, it still intimidates me. How I love leaning heavily on the crutch of a pencil, whether it is erased later or not! As Brenda says, working directly in ink improves drawing and observation skills as well as building confidence.

I happened to have these two sketchbooks on my shelf that would not take watercolor well. So I have decided to take up the challenge with them --- one ink-only sketch a day. Good time to do some continuous contour line drawings. Just for fun.

The larger sketchbook was a gift from a sister-in-law and comes with a really cool pencil made of a rough twig. Since this challenge is ink only, I won't use the pencil for now, but it will be fun for later use . . . maybe when sketching in nature! When it warms up outside. (LOL -- I can be such a baby!)

I'll still be keeping my normal sketch journals; this is just an added boost in creativity. Hopefully it will return me to the daily habit I love.

8 comments:

  1. That's a rustic pencil, looks like a nice sketchbook too. Looking forward to seeing the results!

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  2. The pencil feels good in my hand as well! Too bad this is now dedicated to pen drawings only. But then, pencil sketches would only smudge on this paper.
    I like how the pencil holder is part of the binding laces. I guess it can hold a pen as well.

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  3. From following you as I have for some time, I have all the confidence in the world you will do great with this challenge. I look forward to following along.

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  4. Thanks for the encouragement! Sometimes I'm not so sure . . .

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  5. Lovely, Vicky! What a great idea...you GO girl.

    And by the way, it works the same to use a colored pencil or watercolor pencil as it does to use ink-only. Can't erase, but a different effect. Might try that sometime! ;-)

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  6. I love the effect of colored pencil under watercolor! But I don't often try it because it is permanent, like ink.

    One reason I'm doing the 75 day challenge is to be able to grab a colored pencil in the future and just run with it. (Another reason: it sure would be quicker on sketch crawls to skip the pencil under-drawing!)

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  7. This challenge is a great idea! What a wonderful way to gain speed and loosen up! Love the sketchbook and 'twig' pencil!

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  8. It's just plain fun, too, Fyrebird! Definitely shuts down that perfectionist tendency.

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