Hello friends! It’s been a while since my last post… like a long time. I have another draft I’ve been working on for a while (AKA I started it a long time ago and just haven’t published it yet) but I wanted to check in today and give an update on something I’ve been working on that you’ve probably seen on Instagram if you follow me there!
What is #the100dayproject?
According to the100dayproject.org, “#The100DayProject is a free, global art project. The idea is simple: choose a creative project, do it every day for 100 days, and share your process online.”
“Wait you’ve done this before though, right?”
Yes, I’ve attempted this for the last 3 years, with varying success. The first time I attempted #the100daysofnature, my real goal was just to get me comfortable sketching and painting outside before a road trip across Scotland. I pretty much stopped all progress after my trip, because mission accomplished! I had a great time sketching and needed a little creative break after I got home. I made it 58 days.
The next year was #the100daysofmycology. I never finished the days (only made it to 31?!), but I’ve definitely sketched 100 mushrooms since I started that project. This past year was #the100daysoffaces, which got me into portraiture, something I’ve always been TERRIFIED of, and now… well I’m slightly less terrified. It’s still not my favorite subject matter though! I only made it 42 days…
This year, I’m trying something a little different. Currently, I’m terrible at making art in the morning. I feel stiff and uncreative. Nothing works right, nothing comes out right, so it’s easier for me to just wait until the afternoon. Well, I want to change that. For 100 days, I’m going to be sketching to start each day. It probably won’t look great, but hopefully it will end up feeling great! I’m not looking to end up with a finished piece each day, I just want marks on paper. Maybe I’ll play with some new tools I haven’t worked with much, or try out new color combinations, or maybe a new subject I haven’t approached before. Therefore, my hashtag for this year is #the100daysofmornings! Woo!
So now that you’re 25 days in, how’s it going?
So far, so good!! I am really enjoying the process of getting up and creating first thing in the morning. Some mornings are obviously harder than others, and there have been some days I’ve been totally against the idea of doing anything! But I’ve always gotten something done.
The first two weeks, I was focused on doodling and filling up my Moleskine sketchbook while I drank my coffee. In my experience, the Moleskine mixed media sketchbook a great sketchbook that’s easy for me to be creative in, but not a great sketchbook for creating good artwork in, if that makes sense. It’s not the highest quality paper, so I don’t feel bad about trying new things in it. Nothing I do in it will be a waste of a page. So it’s great to experiment in, but doesn’t present as well. I filled it up and moved on to other sketchbooks for later days.
Day 15 (the cat in the snow) is the only day so far I have maybe “phoned it in” but that’s because it was a freaking SNOW DAY and VALENTINE’S DAY so come on, I was busy having fun. Sorry not sorry. I drew a cat in foot-deep snow with a stick, what more do you want??
So here are the first 25 days’ worth! I think I’ll do a post like this at the end of each quarter, and then at the end highlight my very favorite pieces. Maybe I’ll make some videos too, we’ll see. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!
