Daily Drawings
{Bright colours for a gloomy day}
The wonderful thing about my "daily drawings" is that I don't berate myself if I can't actually draw every day.
In fact, I do draw every day, but not always fun, experimental or "sharable" things.
My theory is that if I have a goal of "daily fun drawings" and I draw 4 or 5 days out of seven, then I'm succeeding wildly.
It's just like my "daily" yoga practice. My ultimate goal is to do yoga first thing every morning. But I normally manage it three or four mornings per week. That's still a victory, right? It's more than nothing!
I'm trying to celebrate small moments of progress.
What is one small thing you've done this week to move towards your dreams?
{Drawing on the train}
Daily Drawings
Part of this daily drawing discipline is about experimentation.
My normal style is pen and ink coloured with watercolour, then scanned and given sleight of hand photoshop touches.
This works really well for me. But, sometimes it's necessary to jump into new waters for a refreshing swim. Then one can return to work with a renewed mind and fresh perspective.
So, I've been playing with collage this week. I feel like I've returned to the delights of kindergarten, when cutting, gluing and sticking were my favourite activities.
I've done fewer drawings this week, as little one has been miserably sick with conjunctivitis. So in between cuddles I rush to my sketchbook to record the visions from my inside-eye.
{There is nothing better than clouds of cherry blossoms and a clear sky. The skies have been altogether too cloudy for my taste recently.}
Dancing with Daffodils
When I open my front door I step into a cloud of purple fragrance. It is sweet and intoxicating. At my feet the bees are getting drunk on the nectar from the hyacinths. My window boxes are an open bar with an infinite tab.
I love to see the bees waltz, bourrée, and fox trot around the hyacinths, muscari and daffodils.
Sometimes, when I'm stuck in my studio with a fog of thoughts and worries clouding my senses, I think I hear the flowers knocking on the door, wanting me to come out to play.
So, the other day I did.
I drew a fairy, and she and I cavorted with the spring flowers for an afternoon.
Daily Drawings
In January I resolved to do daily drawings. I purchased a new moleskine sketchbook (small enough to carry in my hand-bag, but still large enough to hold big ideas), and set out to experiment, play and have fun.
I haven’t managed to draw every day, but I draw most days, and I consider that a success.
The thing with being an illustrator is that I
do
draw every day, but most of the time the drawings are for other people. They fulfil a brief. They need to be vetted by editors and art directors. They get sent back for changes. I love my work, but sometimes I crave the freedom to experiment.
So daily drawings are a way for me to let my creative soul soar.
Here are a few.....
I'll keep posting more on either a weekly or monthly basis.
Do you have a daily discipline that makes you happy? It doesn't have to be drawing, it could be journalling, or yoga, or cooking delicious dinners.... There are so many ways to ignite our creative hearts.
Sketches from Namibia
In February we made the long trek to Johannesburg and Namibia to celebrate my sister-in-law's wedding. We frolicked in the sandy desert and I enjoyed sketching the out-of-this-world scenery.
If you like these sketchbook pages, please feel free to share on Facebook, Pin on Pinterest or Tweet to all your friends!
What have you been up to in the past month?
The seasons are changing from gloomy winter to glittering spring and we're gradually settling into our new little house. I'm so grateful for the feeling of new beginnings; new home, new ideas, new routines, new excitement for life!
Here are some pages from my sketchbook.
{Packing....}
{Enduring a 12 hour over-night flight with a 14 month old baby girl....}
And Some Photos of Johannesburg....
Some Photos of Namibia
{From the air}
{Sand and sea forever}
{I got my Dad's watch repaired at a friend's antique watch shop. My Dad would have been thrilled that his watch travelled all the way to Namibia to be repaired. He loved Africa.}
{My niece and nephews playing on the dunes}
{The wedding car}
A hand painted iPhone wallpaper and more daily drawings
My Christmas gift this year was upgrading my iphone4 to an iPhone6. I've never been much of a technology snob, but this small change has revolutionised my smart phone experience. The camera is crystal clear, maybe even nicer than my fancy dslr in some ways.
However, the one thing the new phone didn't have was my favourite "cloudy cosmos" wallpaper.
So I decided to paint my own!
Sunset on the winter solstice above the roofs of west London.
The view from our kitchen window
Sketching on regent street
Winter solstice sunset and more daily drawings
It's dark and cold, the time when we all crave the light the most. Yesterday, on Winter Solstice Eve, the sunset was merely a faint glow of light above the Victorian rooftops of West London.
When the year is the darkest, I have to keep reminding myself to keep my inner light shining brightly.
What do you do to protect the light in these dark months? I read, write and draw. They are the triumvirate of all things good for me.
(If you like the drawings, feel free to pin, share on facebook, or otherwise appreciate them!)
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
A few more daily drawings
A few more daily drawings.
We're starting to get excited for Christmas!
Daily drawings for advent
I am challenging myself to do daily drawings in my tiny moleskine sketchbook for the advent season. Who knows? If I find it inspiring enough I might even continue into the New Year.
Here are the first few pages...
If you like them, please pin on pinterest, or share on Facebook or Twitter!
I hope you all have a wonderful, lovely Holiday Season.
Not so daily sketches
It's murphy's law that the minute you proclaim to the universe (or the internet, that's the same thing, right?) that you're ready to start working, you get steamrolled by the worst head cold you've had in months.
I'm lying on the couch drinking tea and blowing my nose while Little M sorts through our recycling in the kitchen. She is judiciously taking all the bottles, boxes, papers and containers out of the Westminster City recycling bags and scattering them on the kitchen floor.
I don't mind, as long as she's quiet and playing independently and doesn't mind that I've been rendered horizontal.
So, rather than pushing myself forwards, I'm taking a step back and reviewing where I am and where I want to go. I'm paging through my sketchbooks, and leafing through my journals.
I used the last page in my teeny-tiny moleskine sketchbook the other day. Here are a few selections from the past few weeks. I'm not sketching every day, but I'm sketching regularly, which is good enough. Don't you think?
Hopefully I will get over this dreadful lurgy soon.
What were you up to this week
? Please let me know in the comments.
* * *
And finally...
Did you like the drawings in this post?
Feel free to pin them, heart them on bloglovin, tweet them, or share them on Facebook. And, make sure you subscribe or follow along to get even more weekly inspiration and follow along in my creative journey.
See you next week!
{This was the last page.}
Drawing at a snail's pace
A birthday self-portrait
Instead of sharing my daily drawings (of which there were few) this week. I thought I'd share my annual birthday self portrait.
Several years ago I started a tradition of drawing a self portrait on or around my birthday. It was inspired by Rembrandt, who painted many expressive and honest self-portraits throughout his life-time. The self portraits track his emotional, physical and creative maturation.
I'm not Rembrandt, and I don't paint in oils; even so, each year I'm challenging myself to draw or paint something to represent the moment, the week, the day, that I grew one year older.
This year's drawing is very small, just a simple pencil sketch in my tiny moleskine sketchbook. Did I catch my likeness? To be honest, I think the sketch was perfect about 3 minutes before I put my pencil down. I added a few too many strokes, and lost some of the intensity. However, I think it perfectly captures my current mood of introspection.
Today isn't my birthday. However, on the day, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what has happened in the past year and what I hope will come to fruition in the next year.
Do you have any birthday traditions?
Feeling inspired? Please share, tweet, pin or favourite!
Go Back in Time...
Weekly drawings: week 9
{The tower of St. Hippolyte's Church}
We have spent the week in Zell am See, Austria, where my husband snowboarded and I relaxed with Little M and filled my sketchbook with Alpine views.
I packed a minimalistic art kit: a tiny moleskine sketchbook, a few pens, pencils and brushes, and a small palette of watercolour paint. I felt a bit confined by the small selection of supplies, but that's not a necessarily a bad thing when it comes to art. Sometimes limiting the options forces one to solve problems more creatively.
I'm planning to do two travel posts in the next week to highlight the beauties of Zell am See and Salzburg. But, for now, I'll just share my little sketches.
{The mountains}
{A 16th century building on the town square}
{Experimenting with watercolour techniques}
{The Festung Hohensalzburg castle in Salzburg, started in 1077}
Related Posts
Weekly Drawings: Week 8
{This picture expresses everything...}
This was the first week when, no matter now much I wanted to, I couldn't keep up with my resolution to draw every day.
You know what? That's ok.
I'll start again tonight, and keep going with my 365 drawing resolution. If, by the end of the year, there are 350 (or less) instead of 365, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that the resolution gives me a reason to sharpen my pencils and open my ink pots.
So here are 4 drawings for this week. That's still over half the days, so I think I'll consider it a success. (After all, the most important thing is that we're gentle with ourselves...)
I take all the photos with my iphone4 (geriatric, I know), and the pictures always look so crisp and light on my phone screen, but when I upload them here they appear blurry and dark. I wonder why?
And... we're off to the Austrian Alps tomorrow! I'm sure my sketchbook will be filled with mountains and skiers/snowboarders.
You can follow along in real time on my
or Instagram. ( @janeheinrichs )
Why I'm doing daily drawings
{All photos taken with my iphone4}
I'm not just doing daily drawings for the sake of a fun challenge; they are an essential part of my new existence as a mother.
Just before Christmas I was diagnosed with post-natal depression. I felt like I couldn't recognize myself in my new role. I went to my GP and was referred to a therapist. The options seemed to be weekly therapy (which wasn't possible without childcare) or antidepressants. I wasn't sure what I was feeling was acute or chronic enough to need medication, so I decided I needed to construct my own method for recovery. (Note: Had I thought what I was experiencing was severe enough, I would have accepted medication without question).
Daily drawings were my answer to the problem.
So far I've managed to draw every day this year but one (when I was just too exhausted to lift a pencil). Each small drawing is like a shot of creative happiness into my veins.
This practise is, quite literally, art therapy.
Do you have any creative endeavours that lift your spirits? What are they? I'd love to know.
This week's daily drawings
A Drawing a Day update #2
I had intended to write a post for my usual Wednesday blog slot, but this week carried me away in a tidal wave of diapers, soothers, and unfolded laundry.
It's not that time is rushing, because it isn't. In fact, I sometimes feel like time has never passed so slowly since Little M was born. Each second seems new and strange, and something to adjust to. I'm grateful for the apparent change in pace, for I can savour each delightful moment in its fullness (both length and depth, for time is not just linear).
And, when I can, I sketch.
In time, I want to focus on writing as well. And I was thinking of writing a series of posts on journalling.
Would that be of interest to anyone?
Follow the growing sketchbook on
or
.
A Drawing a Day
As you might expect, adjusting to life with a newborn hasn't been easy. Amidst all the joyful cooing and smiles, there are teary meltdowns and wakeful nights. At first I thought I would never be able to draw or write again. But as Little M grows, week by week, I'm finding that we're feeling more comfortable with each other and our new routines.
As an effort to nourish all the creative facets of my soul, I'm trying to draw something every day. Even the smallest sketch, or the action of picking up my pencil, makes me feel more whole.
I've been posting each tiny sketch on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and the words of encouragement from all my followers are giving me the courage to continue. If I can... if I'm brave enough... I want to challenge myself to post a drawing every day this year.
Do you think I can?
A Day in the Life of a Children's Book Illustrator
I thought it would be fun to share a typical day in my life as an illustrator. Right now we're in Cape Town, but my routine rarely changes whether I'm here, in London or in Canada. It's just the scenery that changes.
7am: Wake up. Stumble bleary eyed into the blinding sunshine in the kitchen. Pour a glass of cold orange juice and will myself to wake up.
I wish I started my morning by reading something erudite, or meditating, but I usually end up checking Facebook...
8am: I walk down the hill to the post office to send off the most recent order from my Etsy shop.
Luckily it isn't far to go. It's already so hot that I make sure to find all the patches of shade on the way there and back.
This is the view I see on my way back up the hill. Our house is the one with the brown door in the garden wall. The frangipanis (also called plumeria) are blooming so beautifully this time of year. There's a wisp of a Table Cloth on top of Table Mountain. That means it's going to be a hot and windy day.
8:30am: On my way back from the post office I like to stop by Vida e Caffe for a cappuccino. Vida is a local coffee chain with a wacky, energetic feel. I love how they decorate their paper cups. Which moustache are you? I also love that they give a square of dark chocolate with every coffee order. I'll save mine for later....
{Coffee on the studio table and ready to work}
9am: I'm already hard at work and listening toBBC Radio 3 online. I love how the classical music gives a sense of order to my crazy imagination.
Right now I'm working on a big book project for Magination Press (a job I got through my agents at Advocate Art). The deadline is fast approaching, so there's no time to spare.
When I'm painting I go into a zen state. I focus. I breathe deeply. I concentrate on the colours and patterns unfolding under my hands.
Any work I do in the morning is like double work. It's that magical time of day when my ideas flow and time seems to cooperate with me.
10am: I find myself googling things like "chalkboard brushes" and "monarch butterflies" to look for references for my current project. I also spend a bit of time trying to win a game of solitaire while my paint dries.
{This is how illustrators do their hair... with a paintbrush.}
{Dive into the colour!}
12 noon: Noon Gun! Boom! You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I always jump. The noon gun has been marking midday in Cape Town since 1806. It's loud; it echos between the mountains; sometimes I spill paint...
It wakes me from my painting reverie and I remember that I should eat lunch. Wait a second, did I even eat breakfast? (Usually not). I make beeline to the fridge and graze from last night's leftovers.
12:30pm: Back to the drawing board. Literally. By now I'm starting to lose concentration.
In the afternoon I often focus on smaller projects, or work on scanning or photoshopping illustrations I'd started the day before.
If I don't have pressing illustration work, I'll write blog posts, or brainstorm ideas for new projects.
....Oh dear, my eyes are drooping.
2pm: Time for that square of dark chocolate. Thank-you Vida!
3pm: Unless I have a super-stressful deadline, this is the end of my work day. I take a long bath, to ease my aching muscles. You wouldn't think working as an artist would be that strenuous, but hunching over paintings can make my shoulders so tight!
After my bath, I unfurl my back muscles with a short session of yoga.
3:30pm: I rush to the grocery store (aptly named "Pick and Pay," I laugh every time I think about it) and figure out what to make for dinner. Sometimes I pop into the bookstore for a little inspiration, or grab another coffee.
4pm: Skype time with my Mom in Canada! She's finally awake and I can tell her all about my day.
6pm onwards: I make supper, and my husband and I settle in for a relaxing evening. Sometimes we have a glass of wine; sometimes we watch a dvd; sometimes we read; sometimes we escape the heat and head to the seaside.
10pm: Time to curl up in bed and close my eyes. Tomorrow will be the same, all over again!
Here's a one minute video I made of me painting... Enjoy!