The Things We Pass (or: How to become more observant through sketching)

A woman decided to sketch outdoors regularly for thirty days…

And oh boy were these some interesting thirty days! Never have I had so much mud in my head and so much need of a project meant to make me focus on just one thing at a time.

The Things We Pass was an exercise in noticing the little wonders surrounding us by sketching them - not making art, not making great artistic progress - but simply tuning out the noise and see what is hidden in plain sight. It hasn’t been easy. Challenges include: Freezing hands, time limitations, self-doubt, and people looking at me weird. And even so, every walk has been a blessing. When I’m out sketching I enjoy every minute and when I come home I’m happy and ready to move on to other tasks, energized.

I see clear progress in my ability to focus on a single task for a good while. And I see things that I wouldn’t otherwise have noticed. Like how the buildings I pass almost every day has tufts of grass on the roof:

I’ve been drawing a whole lot for other projects and also just for fun, so even though I only drew a weekly average of three pages for The Things We Pass, my sketchbook is filling up rather quickly. I think that’s a very good sign. The fear of the blank page is eliminated when I have to do quick and messy drawings regularly. It really helps me loosen up and let me throw things in there. I have also made friends with my pens and, though I do not see any immediate improvement in my line quality, I have clearly advanced in speed and accuracy.

I had to revise my weekly goals along the way but because I’ve done so I have not felt really burned out during the project. I’ve accepted that things change and it’s better to go with the flow instead of actively going against it, especially if you’re – as me - an optimist by heart. This also means that I’m not at all done with these sketching walks just because my 30 days are up. I will carve out time for sketching outdoors at least once a week going forward as a healthy habit for body and soul.

That concludes this dk30. Already looking forward to the next one!

Nearing the end - a week four update

I sketched twice this week, first time was on my way home from work Friday:

^some neat rocks

^A bit of berries (not edible)

^and a big leaf to fill the page. The veins tested my patience…

That page turned out pretty nice. I did return to nature objects. It’s just comforting and they make me happy, so why not? I copied the nature theme for the next ‘walk’ which was literally just tripping around in the wilderness that is my garden. Which just goes to show that you don’t have to stray far to spot something new. You just have to look closer or change your point of view.

I followed my (adjusted) plan for the week and I’m now ready to tackle the last days of this DK30. If I can do two sketching walks before the 19th then I’ll be very pleased. A single one will also do. Then I will spend some time to evaluate and write down what I’ve learned.

Okay week three update let’s goooooo

I certainly didn’t nail any of my goals this week. I managed to sketch two times, once on my way to work Monday which resulted in these little sketches:

And then Friday where I managed to fill a whole spread rather quickly:

I wanted to get out during the weekend but I had too many other plans and too little patience for sketching. All I see out there is election posters and they are anything but inspiring. I’ll lower my goal to 2-3 sketching walks for next week. It’s not defeat, simply better time management.

On a positive note, I happened upon a very nice neighborhood in the city (Nørrebro, Copenhagen) which is certain to make my to-draw list (I was there for work, meaning I sadly did not have my sketchbook with me). It has many local shops and colorful buildings I want to sketch.

I’m happy with the sketches I’ve done this week, even if they are not as numerous as I would have liked. I think I’ve gotten better at capturing the essence/feel/resemblance of the objects I draw. I’m certainly less precious with my lines meaning some sort of confidence has been acquired.

Two weeks in - thoughts

This week was sort of challenging. I’ve had to remind myself several times what the goal of this project is - becoming more observant - because I super easily get distracted with other ideas; trying to mash all of my creative work together instead of focusing on the original task. I think it’s because I don’t have enough time allotted to my creative outlet. My brain tells me I should be making real art instead of filling my sketchbook with random doodles of everyday things I happen upon. But I do believe sketching for The Things We Pass will be more spiritually rewarding in the long run. I’m dreaming of a (near) future where I can do both; go out sketching whatever I see and whatever I find interesting, then take that inspiration and make something new from it, something more refined and complete. This future is within my grasp, I just have to take a leap of faith to get there. And I think I will. So that’s a pretty high note to end on. Better call it a day.

Oh, and since this is about art and stuff, here’s a flower:

Mid-week update

I wasn’t going to make more than one update a week, but I felt the need to give myself some credit for meeting my goal of two weekday sketching walks as soon as halfway through the week! I brought my sketchbook to work Tuesday in order to sketch on my way home, and I managed to get this one drawing done before the light failed me:

I’m definitely re-drawing this one on good paper later! And today, Wednesday, I had an hour in the morning before going to work, where I did a few simpler sketches from my neighborhood:

I guess I just really wanted to draw trees/wood… The last one is going to get some washes of watercolor, I think that’ll improve it greatly.

Overall, I’m quite happy with my commitment and also how the sketches are turning out. Really this update is just an excuse to give myself a pad on the back. I deserve it! I hope to sketch a lot on Saturday and maybe sneak in a little walk in my lunch break on Friday.

First week done. Here’s how it went

My goal was to take at least two walks, once in nice weather and once in rainy weather. I actually did four walks with my sketchbook, so that was a great success! I did not sketch in rainy weather even though I did have a few opportunities, so I’ll try to make up for it next week. I’d just like to know how the paper and ink handles rain.

As for the instagram updates, I have deemed only one picture worthy of making it to the Platform of Perfection… not great, but hopefully I can loosen up about it and show more progress than perfection in the weeks to come. @sketchy_mille if you’re interested in my art journey.

I filled quite a few pages in my sketchbook, so let’s have a look at some of them:

This was my very first sketch and it is literally just a two minute walk from where I live. A path between one street and the next. I actually liked it so much I tried to throw some water colors on it:

And even though the paper is not meant for water color, it was a good test in how and when to apply color to the sketches. I think I learned a lot from this first sketching-walk.

Next walk was in the neighborhood close to where I go to acroyoga. I went there early to sketch a bit of environment before training:

It’s quite rough but I kinda like it that way. Since I only bring my ink and no pencil, I can’t put down perspective lines or guides, which means I have to observe more intensely. It demands a lot of attention, but I think I learn a lot from this exercise.

Then I went to Paris on vacation and obviously had to sketch some buildings, people and city details:

View from Pantheon

Cigarette break and taking pictures of tourists

Flowers in a park. This is one of my favorite sketches. I have been drawing plants and flowers since I was a kid, so I guess it makes sense that the nature sketches turn out the best.

At this point I just want to do more walks and find more hidden gems to draw. But I also have an urge to sit down and redo the original sketches on quality paper and make some elaborate illustrations with water color. I doubt I have the time. We’ll see. The point is that I actually want to continue and explore all the options. It feels great!

Next week will be 4-5 walks and I feel behind already. I have much other work to do and it gets dark super early, so either I have to walk before work or straight after, which sounds exhausting… I’ll try to get out twice in the week days and then take some longer walks in the weekend. Filling one page per trip will also be fine instead of a whole spread. I’ll keep you posted!