A Month of Drawing

published: 

I surprised myself a few times this past month, a cluster of lovely surprises hidden within a series of stumbling through penciling in my textbook. But as I let go of my expectations and standards, those rough edges are smoothing, and slowly revealing through this process of refining an art style.

Thirty-ish days since we began this whole learning something new and declaring courage in sharing (publicly) all the hiccups, gasps, and shaky hesitations. A month--hey, I’m pretty excited about that.

I spent last month exploring just a few of the simple foundations to build decent learning habits:

I’ll keep refining and exploring those listed above but also look at a few more this next month:

Below is a small gallery of what my month looked like in art:

50 Ways to Draw Your Beautiful Ordinary Life drawing textbook with a few scattered pencilsBirdie from Arbor Fall Festival surprised at the beauty of Rosie the Northern Red OakBirdie says hello to all the new things she is discoveringBirdie uses her instinct and wit to create her own little nest to protect her from the thounderous stormBirdie begins to lose hope in finding a nest, a rest, and her flockAutumnal Leaves fluttering in the wind, drawn with Adobe PhotoshopHalfway through the textbook, a penciled flower pot as shown in step by step instructionA sketched lamp asking What are you currently reading?A monochome rainbow on a fall afternoon

Thank you for your encouragement and added courage this first month in learning something new. I really am so grateful for you.

Beginnings are my favorite. The potential for good surprises is pretty much endless. In the following weeks, as we creep into the process of maintaining our momentum and excitement, I look forward to seeing what more we'll learn about in the art of stories, the creative process, and ourselves and eachother.


If you're new here, this is the sixth post in the Learning in Public series, in which I take you along as I learn to draw and storytell. Here is the first of many.

May your hot chocolate be warm and your sunsets timeless,
~JH

P.s. Autumn is not capitalized.