Ahh. I love a beginning. I’m really good at beginning. I’m filled with élan. I can’t wait to tackle this 100 Day Project - “we got this!” I said to me, myself, and I. (Aw, that’s SO sweet!) But let’s not forget that day 1 was also a Sunday, a day I work really hard to devote only to painting / drawing / creating. That Sunday, February 18, I was on a wide open road with nothing but blue skies above. And it felt amazing.
I hit the skids for real during week 2. But more on that later.
All about the sketchbook
After much consideration, I decided to use Stillman & Birn’s Epsilon softcover sketchbook. There are enough pages to fit in all 100 days if I double-up artwork on a few pages, and the size is very comfortable coming in at 8 x 10 inches. The paper is hot-press, bright white (😎), and “buttery smooth” - who doesn’t like butter?
I love and hate this sketchbook.
I am having existential doubt about whether or not I want to continue using it for this challenge. It is ABSOLUTE NIRVANA when using colored pencil and marker. I mean…CHEF’S KISS - these materials glide on the paper and the feeling is SO DAMN SATISFYING. But, it’s an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE when applying even minimal amounts of wash (gouache or watercolor, and I imagine ink too although I don’t dare try). And, this application of gouache as a first layer is kinda my go-to. Without it, I am lost. To be fair, Stillman & Birn are very clear that this sketchbook is best for “Pen & Ink, Dry Media, Light Wash.” But sometimes I like to push boundaries.
All about the work
In the honeymoon phase of week one, while riding the high of new beginnings, I managed to make 7 pretty good paintings / drawings / illustrations (honestly, I never know what to call them). Here they are, plus day 8:
The most fun I had was drawing the oranges on day 4. I felt loose and free and I really enjoyed the time spent creating. This drawing was made entirely of marker, fountain pen, and pencil. This is the feeling I’m aiming for on most days of this challenge, because one of my goals is to become more “loose” in my drawing - to lighten up, color outside the lines, be at ease. Days 1-3 and 6-8 are the exact opposite - I mean look at them, they are tight AF! This is good though, it will be fun to look back at the end of it and see how far I’ve come (or not).
In general, I feel pretty good about the first eight illustrations, but also feel very restricted in that I don’t have the freedom to apply wet media as I normally would. I just don’t know if I’m going to stick it out in this sketchbook. As of this writing, I have completed 12 days and I’m twisting myself into pretzels to find the venn diagram of drawing something I want, something I reasonably can in the time I have, and something that will work in this book with decent results that can’t be blamed on the maker (me).
To add to it, as if creating something each day wasn’t enough, and also deciding to post the result on IG, I thought it would be “neat” to stretch myself even further out of my comfort zone and make a reel each day to document the process! See what I mean by beginning with élan?! I started with quite the vim. Trust when I say that this is not sustainable.
More to follow in the next post.
LOVE seeing the inside pages of your sketchbook! Those "windows" into nature are so quaint and inviting. I too have this struggle with my sketchbooks since I started painting a lot more. Sketchbook pages that are not "made" for paint really do not do it justice and curl. It is really annoying.