Misty Morning at Kloiya
This is another work from the day spent at Kloiya. This one is a 5”x8” watercolour. These water colours started out with a challenge I gave myself New Years Day 2019. I had decided that I needed to improve my sketching and drawing skills and I felt that the only way I was to do this was to practice. So I gave myself the challenge to do at least one sketch/picture a day for 365 days. Some days were great, some days not so. There were days that I forgot and I had to make them up the next day. To make myself accountable I posted the pictures on my Instagram (alana1066) once a week. My friends made sure to hold me to my challenge and do my pictures. In the end I did it. And here is what I learned:
That improvement comes with practice. Towards the end of the year I redid some pictures that I did in January or February and really saw the improvement that I had achieved. This kept me going and gave me a boost to finish the challenge.
It wasn’t enough to keep doing the same thing over and over. I had to challenge myself to try new techniques to see if they would work.
I was worried about using water colour because I wasn’t a “real” water colour artist. I found that this didn’t matter. If this was the way I wanted to use water colour then I could do it. It didn’t matter at all.
I found that these drawings improved my compositional skills, which still to this day I struggle with. I find I can work out what to do with these and not worry if I mess them up, it doesn’t matter.
These little drawings are art too. They aren’t just sketches or practice or disposable, that people are actually enjoying what I am doing with these little sketches. And that makes me happy.
The fact that I made 365 drawings over the course of the year gave me a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes it is about volume.
It was meditative and helpful to my mental health. By spending 30 minutes a day focused on art and drawing help get me out of my own head sometimes. I found the amount of time spent over thinking something went down and I felt happier.
I think I may give myself the challenge to do this for 2021, but maybe with India ink instead. Hmmm. I have to think about it.
To see some of my examples from my daily sketches, check out my Instagram @alana1066