My Watercolour Sketch a Day project has now entered its 8th year. When I complete today’s sketch, I will have been doing a watercolour sketch a day for 7 years 135 days straight.
Here are a few recent sketches…
“Solitude” 7 years 100 days of a Watercolour Sketch a Day
“Bombo Quarry” 7 years 107 days of a Watercolour Sketch a Day
“Sea Barrier” 7 years 115 days of a Watercolour Sketch a Day
“Snow Laden” 7 years 125 days of a Watercolour Sketch a Day
“Mountain Art” 7 years 133 days of a Watercolour Sketch a Day
Materials used:
Sketchbook: Pleinly 300GSM 100% Cotton Cold Press paper (a real delight to use)!
Paints: Kuretake Gansai Tambi; Sumikondo; Daniel Smith, & Winsor & Newton
Brushes: Aquawash & Neef
Other: Uniball White Gel Pen; Uni-Pin Fineliner
Still thoroughly enjoying the journey. I am going to start to attempt to expand the subject matter in these daily sketches. In the past, I haven’t done many sketches with things like reflections, people especially. I would also love to ‘loosen up’ more, as I feel my lines are still too straight. I’ll keep working on that!
I always find it interesting when some people I know, and some I don’t know, say, ‘I don’t have time to sketch or paint.’
Obviously, I don’t know what their lives are like fully, so it’s hard to say to people, ‘if you really want to do something, you need to prioritise it.’
I approach it this way. We are often waiting for things, e.g., in Waiting Rooms, in queues, and what do people use to fill that time in the modern world…the Smartphone. How about purchasing an A6 sketchbook and carrying any sort of pen or pencil with you? In those Waiting rooms, you could be doodling, sketching. Just a bit of fun. 🙂
What are the positives of this new habit?
You get to have some fun!
It gets you away from your screen
It may develop into a hobby/interest
It is relaxing as it diverts your mind from the problems/challenges of the day
Your new activity is something personal to you, i.e., you don’t have to show anyone your creations, or you can. Its totally up to you. 🙂
7 years, 2 days ago, I began my Watercolour Sketch a Day, Daily Art practice.
I began doing this daily art practice for a number of reasons:
I wanted to improve my skills.
Previously, I was only getting to sketch/paint what seemed like only once every couple of weeks. I thought I didn’t have time.
It’s fun!
Creativity assists my mental health.
It’s my ‘escape’ as I co-run a business and have a full life!
The Watercolour Sketch-a-day that I did for the 7-year mark is below.
I think it’s always good to look back and see where you came from/where you started your journey. I’m more than happy with my progress, though I still have a lot to learn. I’m certainly looking forward to doing my Watercolour Sketch a Day, each day forward. That is my number goal…a Watercolour Sketch a Day.
My very first Watercolour Sketch a Day is below. I started off using cheap Watercolour paper and below student-grade paints.
Thankfully, over time, I have tried several different papers, sketchbooks, pigment liners, brushes and paint, stepping up the quality of the tools I use and have been having a lot of fun along the way.
Looking forward to more fun, and of course, learning more and more!
The following images were taken in May this year. We had a trip up to Millthorpe (near Bathurst/Orange/Blayney), NSW, in May for a good friend’s 60th Birthday party. Some of the images are from there, and others are around and about.
If you ever get a chance to visit the towns/cities mentioned above, please do so. Lots to see! Abercrombie House, just outside Bathurst is definitely a must. A three-storey mansion, built in 1870, where you can have lunch and do a self-guided mansion tour. I highly recommend it.
It’s been a while since I added to this segment. The images below were taken in March and April this year. We’ve certainly had some beautiful skies of that time. I always enjoy looking at, and taking photos of clouds etc. They also make excellent backgrounds for my poems. 🙂