Drawing has always been something I gravitate to and has always been apart of my roles in the jewellery industry. After finding myself in a rut and in need of a refresh/ change in direction I came accross the idea of an art challenge. I was looking for ways to reset. I needed to learn something new or be challenged out of my comfort zone and into a fresh mindset and realised that a drawing challenge might just be the thing to do that.
I decided to undertake a 100 day drawing challenge with an experimental mindset and no big specific end game in mind other than using the challenge to improving and refreshing my drawing skills and to begin to learn how to use alcohol markers. I had no idea how this challenge would be such a big game changer for me.
I started off with a very generic drawing topic list and didn't have any intention to connect these drawing to jewellery in the beginning. The initial drawings look like the inside of grocery store or bakery with fruit, vegetables and baked goods taking up a big spot on my topics list. And some of the initial drawings were failures but I found a lesson in every drawing. As I found my confidence I expanded my list to betta fish and then eventually included gemstones.
I often get asked about the best way to become a great illustrator. I saw a giant improvement in so many creative aspects when completing my drawing challenge because it gave me the platform of practice. The only way to get better at anything is through practice! Repetition and consistency will help you improve your art and drawing skills rapidly. For me a drawing challenge drawing challenge gave me a way to improve my creativity, cemented my artistic style and I created a portfolio of work.
So here's my drawing challenge tips.
Set a challenge time frame. Anything above 30 days will help form new habits and create momentum. With more momentum come practice and practice is the only thing that will get you improvements.
Outlining a topic or list of topics to draw or explore through out the drawing challenge.
Pick a technique or a medium to focus on. Target what you want to get better at but keep an open mind so you have room to explore or develop .
Lock in a achievable time allocation. Since time is precious and committing to a large chunk of time can be out of the question for most of us, starting small is a great way to gain momentum. It doesn't have to be a big commitment of drawing time to see an improvement. Benefits can be seen if you can find a small 6 to 15 min time slot to work on you drawings.
My drawing challenge helped with the skills and refresh I was hoping for, I found my confidence, momentum, a range of new techniques and I also found my quiet place/ mindfulness.
If you want to start drawing and need a helpful topic list check out my jewellery 100 day drawing challenge template. I’ve put together a drawing challenge with all of the most helpful tips and techniques to help you reset, boost and develop.