Ink-Only Challenge Finished

May is gone and my little sketchbook is full of sketches drawn with ink only. I added a little watercolor to some of the sketches, just for fun. I really like how the teddy bear turned out with a little bit of color added, so I am sharing him again.

I was really pushing myself out of my comfort zone to begin this ink-only project. But I am so happy I went for it. Now, I prefer drawing without pencil pre-drawings, which I would never have imagined before! I love the liveliness that is added to my work as “extra” lines are added to define the subject. And my brain enjoys completely focusing on what I am doing. I have even made peace with this soft, unforgiving paper, to some degree.

I feel like I have learned some things and grown in my approach to sketching through this challenge. Now I am stepping out of my comfort zone again by participating in the 30×30 Direct Watercolor 2018 challenge. The guidelines are to use no pencil lines, or very few, before jumping right in with watercolor. The focus is on shapes and values. Again, I have been very dependent on the pencil guidelines to head me in the right direction when doing watercolor sketches. Direct watercolor is another way to bypass control and allow the sketch to develop freely, with gentle nudges from the artist. My anxiety level is up, but so is my anticipation after proving to myself that positive results can happen without my complete control!

My goal will be to complete 30 direct watercolor sketches during the month. But I will be posting them in batches like I have done with the ink sketches, instead of daily. I am going to begin with small sketches of single objects, to keep it its easy as possible. If you are interested in joining the 30×30 Direct Watercolor Challenge 2018, you can find information here.

Whatever life my throw at you, stay creative!