It’s a new year, and I’ve kicked it off with a new DIY sketchbook challenge! Last year, I created my own little 10-day sketchbook challenge and had so much fun that I decided to do another one this month with a few little tweaks!
Supplies
You can use whatever supplies you have on hand, but here’s what I used for this challenge.
- The Sketchbook Idea Generator by Jennifer Orkin
- Watercolor paper sketchbook
- Brush pens (Faber Castell, Tombow, Recollections, Steadtler)
- Fineliner pens
- Paint brush
DIY Sketchbook Challenge: How To
Alright, once you’ve gathered your supplies, it’s time to decide how long you want your challenge to last and what you want it to consist of.
I chose 10 days because I wanted to give myself ample time and opportunity to play around and develop my own artistic style with my chosen medium & technique.
Once you’ve chosen your length of time, grab your Sketchbook Idea Generator and start creating!
For my first challenge late last year, I chose to vary my subject, medium & technique, and colors every single day. This time around, I chose to leave my medium & technique the same and vary only my subject and colors each day.
I chose to leave two variables consistent, because once again, I wanted to give myself ample time and opportunity to play with the chosen medium & technique in order to develop my own artistic style.
For my DIY sketchbook challenge, I chose brush pens adding water for my medium & technique. I absolutely loved the results of these two during my first challenge and decided I wanted more time to hone in on that style.
Throughout the challenge, I had a love/hate relationship with my chosen medium & technique. Some days, I loved the way the inks mixed and mingled, while other days, I thought it just looked sloppy.
Looking back now though, I am please with nine of my 10 creations. And you know what? That’s a pretty good percentage.
Are you dying to know which sketch I’m not so sure about? I’ll put you out of your misery and just tell you. It’s day 6. That gray bleed and the way neither the pink or blue blended? #yikes
Alright enough of the negativity! Now, for my favorite!
My very favorite is a tie between day 8 and day 9. That pup looks (unsurprisingly) like my own! And that gallery wall? I wish I had it in my own home!
Day 4 gets an honorable mention! I had no idea what the frog was going to end up looking like when I started, but I’m pleased to say he is SUPER DUPER CUTE!
And it’s as easy as that! Grab yourself a copy of The Sketchbook Idea Generator and just start creating! You may not love every single thing you create, but once you’re done, you’ll love looking back on all your new work and seeing how you’ve grown in such a short period of time.
Before all this, I never would’ve attempted to draw/paint humans or animals. Yay for artistic growth!
Affiliate links are in use in this post, however, I own, use, and truly love all the supplies linked.
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