I recently acquired a new sketchbook, which for the past week I have been drawing in daily. My intention is to create quick sketches without too much thought - just what comes to me
It’s turned into a mini daily ritual so far where I get to experiment with different techniques and try out new things, and with a full week under way, it’s been full of variety
I especially felt a new creative direction on the 7th sketch, which is what I want to focus on in this entry, as it was quite a powerful feeling
To paint the picture of the scene, it was a beautiful Sunday morning, the sun was shining and the birds were chirping. I grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and walked out onto the back deck, soaking in the warm crisp air
As I stood there leaning against the railing, I observed the nature around and watched a crow fly up onto the tree ahead of me
My first thought was that I should draw a crow in my sketchbook today, and that singular thought propelled me forward to go grab my book and get started on it.
When I look back at this moment, there’s something special that I can’t quite explain, but I will try to. At the very least, I can say that it felt exciting. It’s something new, something different than what my sketches were based off up until now
Perhaps it was because most of the previous ones, I stare at the blank page without any idea where to begin. Here at least, that crow which flew ahead of me just moments earlier seemed to be the catalyst to this day’s creative output
As you see above, it is quite a departure from most of my illustrations, and the process of it coming together was unlike any others as well.
It started off with the top crow and a branch. Then came the branch shading. Once this was completed, I went all out on all the other branches.
I was unsure how it would come together, but since this is a book where I experiment, I just let myself create without any expectations. To be honest, the middle branches where I intertwined them, I personally think was too much. If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t go as crazy as I did
The thinner branches in the background were also based on an unsure decision. I was tempted to not put them in, and leave it white. It looked cool like that, but something pushed me to try it. I had no idea if it would make it better or worse, and there was no redoing it as i was drawing directly with pen
At first I thought “oh no, I should have stopped”, but since it was too late to go back, I just kept going with it, and ended up getting somewhere I liked
And that’s essentially how I learn - just by doing it, through lots of trial and error. I take mental notes when something is working and I like it, and then also when it doesn’t, to improve on it in the future. This was something I kept reflecting on while sketching away
I heard this quote once, from a pair of guys who traveled to every continent on earth without any money. Well, technically, they had money, they earned it along their journey, by either selling cookies or water bottles to strangers, and sometimes they would find kind people who helped them with some form of travel, food or accommodations. And well they had this motto to “try before you know how”
It’s stuck with me ever since learning about their journey. I think about all the times I wanted to try something, but stopped myself from doing it as I have never done it before, or I was just afraid of how things would end up, or if the risks don’t pay off. It adds up to quite a bit and has come up many times during my journey as an artist as well
I’m glad that on this day I didn’t think twice about it, I just did it. And with every new branch that I drew, I just kept going with it, following the feeling despite being unsure what the final outcome would become
Of course, a small sketch has less weight involved than say a much bigger project, or traveling the world without any money for that matter. However, it’s the small things that can actually make a difference
Being able to overcome small obstacles is a great way to gain confidence and experience in a skill or practice. Over time, these moments compound with each other, which I believe builds our character helping us in much larger conquests
I’m curious to see once all 110 pages of this sketchbook are filled, what things I learn from this experience, what new skills, techniques or style changes will come from it, and more importantly, how all the compounded actions will affect me as an artist, and a person in general
I’ll keep you posted on any updates in this side quest!
If you’re interested in seeing my other sketches, I post them each day that I complete them on my Instagram story. You can also see previous ones in the story highlights found in the bio
Thanks for reading!
Konrad
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