Category: Painting

An odd project sprouts

One afternoon, I reached into my spice cupboard to find that one clove in the bulb of garlic I’d forgotten had grown a bright green sprout.

I planted it to grow as microgreens. According to a friend who knows these things, the correct way to plant it is actually to separate all the cloves and put them in a dish of water. Even with my inexpert planting in soil, each clove shot up a shoot, just like the first. I nibbled off the flavorful tips.

For several days, I had been prowling the house, ambushing each houseplant for a portrait. As well as the occasional outdoor plant or vegetable. It was an art challenge I’d set myself.

I call them ‘portraits’ because I was determined that the plants be represented in detail, as a subject. They would not be simplified into an artful tangle of foliage, as one does in landscape painting. I would draw every leaf and branch.

The garlic plant featured late in the challenge because it had more leaves than some others. I waited for a day when I had time to do them all justice.

At first, capturing all the detail seemed insurmountable. The leaves passed behind each other, casting sharp shadows from the afternoon glare from the window.

From doing these drawings a few days in a row, I knew that sense of impossible complexity would pass. I just had to pick a leaf and go from there, and remind myself that this had worked last time.

Even shapes that look too difficult to draw can be tackled, one nibble at a time.

Here’s my worksheet resource for having a deeply creative work session!

Originally appeared in Weeds & Wildflowers

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My 10-day digital line art challenge

I was craving art time after a particularly busy (and analytical) period, so I decided I’d make digital plant art for 10 days in a row.

When I made the decision, I’d already been drawing a few plants in the style I planned. The change would be to do the drawings consecutively, as part of a 10-day challenge.

Additionally, I would screen-record my drawing process and post it on YouTube each day. So, this 10-day challenge was also the launch of my YouTube channel.

I jumped in without too much planning, beyond shelving my other projects to make time, and looking around to make sure I had approximately 10 plants available to draw.

From there, I basically took it day by day.

Looking back, it was a decided success! Here are the 10 awesome things that came from it.

1. I was able to quickly develop and hone a new art style

When I started this challenge, I had just begun experimenting with a new vector line art style* that was quite different from any of my past work. I was excited to see where I could take it.

By drawing in this style for 10 days in a row, I was able to improve on it from day to day, and let it sink into muscle memory.

Since doing the challenge, the style has become one of my staples for digital art. I can now dip back into it easily because it’s so well-practiced.

* In the iPad app, Vectornator. My review of the app is that it’s pretty decent and I continue to use it. Sometimes their updates make features worse. But I still enjoy the core functionality and feel of the lines. (Not sponsored.)

2. I learned what it’s like to satisfy the art craving

Generally, it’s hard for me to find enough time to do all the art I want to do, between my other projects and hobbies. I usually cycle between projects, making sure to come back to art often enough to feel balanced.

Even so, I frequently end an art session wishing I could do more, but other projects demand my attention.

In contrast, these 10 days of drawing were just the right amount of art-time. I wasn’t sick of drawing at the end, just pleasantly tired and pleased with all the work I’d done.

The experience showed me what it was like to fully satisfy the art craving when it arises, and to move onto other pursuits not because I have to, but because I’m actually in the mood to.

Now, I know what to aim for when I make space in my schedule for an art series. There is such a thing as ‘enough’ art time! (Until the next craving, of course.)

3. I got a clearer intuition on how long an illustration takes

Along the lines of the previous point, it’s hard to anticipate how long a drawing will take, and that can be a barrier to getting started.

I don’t have a great sense of time in general, and I lose track of the clock completely when I’m absorbed in art work.

Since this challenge involved screen-recording myself drawing, I could just look back at the video length to know how long it took. And since I did that for 10 days in a row, I got a sense of the average time I need to finish an illustration. It came out to 40–50 minutes for this type of illustration.

Having this foreknowledge meant I could start a drawing even in the middle of the day, with a full schedule ahead. It’s safer to dive into an art session with the reassurance that you will resurface within an hour!

4. I completed a cohesive illustration series in a short time

After the 10 days, it was satisfying to look back on the series of drawings I’d made. Better still, I could now use them in my other content.

In the months after the challenge,

• I used my drawings as feature images in blog posts.
• I turned a few of them into wall art for my apartment.
• I put them in my portfolio and in galleries on my website.
• I offered them to subscribers as a freebie in the form of an art book.

I can do that with any of my art, of course. But for me, this was an unusually rapid and efficient way to make an illustration series.

5. I got over the hump of setting up my YouTube channel

I’d been meaning to make a YouTube channel for a while, but this challenge (and the excitement on the first day) got me over the hump of setting it up.

On Day 1, I got my personal YouTube channel ready for the public by deleting old comments, archiving old videos, adding a profile photo, etc. None of this took long, and I didn’t overthink it because I was eager to get to the drawing challenge.

I also raced through the set-up steps of making the videos. I installed video editing software, made (rather bad) title cards, and collected royalty-free music to use in record time.

The process of editing and uploading videos felt unfamiliar and difficult on the first day, but by day 4, it was a piece of cake. Cramming the learning curve into a short time made it easier to get past.

I also learned, for future reference, that it takes me about an hour to edit and publish these videos.

6. I solidified my YouTube channel’s niche and tone

The tone, music, and visuals I chose for my plant videos were quite different from my other platforms — lighter and more cheerful. It felt odd and unlike me at first, but much less so by the last day!

I was able to confirm that — yes, I do like posting this type of video (called ‘speedpaints’), and I’d like to continue to go in that direction.

And I got past the stage of having an empty-looking channel. With 10 videos on there, it looked mature and ready to show to people.

7. I felt like I was really seeing my plants for the first time

Something happens to me when I draw consistently. It changes the way I see. Colors and details pop more, and I appreciate more of the beauty around me.

That goes double for when I draw nature, by deepening my connection to the Earth and living things.

I’m often grumpy when I can’t get out to natural spaces for hikes. Looking carefully at the plants near me was a good reminder that you’re never cut off from nature, even indoors, if you look for it.

I ended the challenge feeling much calmer and appreciative of my surroundings. Even in the mood to try some interior decorating.

8. I learned about how I like to work

The success of this project got me thinking about structure — how much I need, and how much is too much.

In the past, I’ve worked completely free-form, with hardly any structure at all. I thought this is what I preferred. But it made it hard to finish things, which was frustrating.

At other times, when I’ve tried to create rigid daily habits or follow public challenges like NaNoWriMo, the structure completely cramped my style.

I need to be able to flow between projects (and areas) according to my natural rhythm. That means, if I’m going to do the same activity every day, it needs to be for a short time.

For a lot of people, 10 days isn’t a long challenge. Thirty or hundred-day challenges are more common. But for me, it was the perfect length.

This challenge demonstrated that I can create structures that support my particular work style.

9. I gained insights about 10-day challenges, specifically

This wasn’t my first 10-day challenge, but it was my first successful one. There are a few things I did differently this time that made it work, and convinced me to keep using this format in future.

The first thing was that I didn’t just draw everyday — I published every day. Each day of the challenge created a completed piece, and there was no follow up needed.

In the first 10-day challenge I did, I wrote a response to a writing prompt every day, but I didn’t publish. While I did succeed at keeping it up for 10 days and I got a lot of writing practice, I still haven’t edited and published any of those pieces, as of time of writing. It’s been over two years since I did that challenge.

In contrast, this time around, when I got to the end of the 10 days, I was done. I’d succeeded. There was nothing more needed to complete the project.

That was important, because I was tired and ready to do something new! I didn’t want the challenge to create more work for myself at the end.

Also, by repeating the full publishing process so many times in a row, I had ingrained every step in memory. Even now, I am comfortable making a full video in a few hours because of all the practice.

10. I built confidence in my ability to follow through

Until the last day of the challenge, I was in suspense as to whether I’d actually do 10 consecutive days! When I got to the end with an unbroken streak, it was a huge confidence boost.

As I’ve mentioned, structured projects haven’t always gone well for me. And even when I do finish them as planned, they don’t always have the effect I hoped for.

Not so with this one!

I’d learned a new skill, launched a YouTube channel, and done what I said I’d do.

All reasons to believe I could do it again!

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So, those were the 10 amazing things that happened when I drew plants for 10 days in a row.

If you are thinking of doing a self-imposed creative challenge, I can’t recommend it enough. Remember to tailor it to your particular work style, and make it just difficult enough to be exciting! I find that even a challenge that doesn’t push me to my limits is still helpful, since it provides consistency I don’t otherwise have.

And if you are curious or want to replicate this challenge yourself, you can see all the updates I made along the way here: (beginning, update 1, update 2, gallery, YouTube playlist).

Here’s my worksheet resource for having a deeply creative work session!

Originally posted in Share Your Creativity.