The Sketchbook Challenge - Week 1

Well, I have been off in non blogging mode again for a little over a week...which I didn't intend to do, but life seems to get in the way of the best of my intentions.  Had a 4-H Leaders conference (Western Regional Leaders Forum in Cheyenne, WY) which I attended, got a new washer and dryer ordered and installed, and am just about caught back up on the house for the most part now!  Should get more time for the fun things, like tatting and stitching and blogging, going forward here... 

The Sketchbook Challenge is the fourth and final challenge I have chosen to participate in this year.  I once sketched quite regularly but have gone from three or more sketches a day in my early 20s to zero in my mid 30s.  I feel like I have lost a part of who I am, so this challenge will hopefully bring sketching back into my life.  This months theme is "doodling"!  I am really enjoying that, because it has been so long since I've sketched I don't feel like I know how anymore...but I can doodle!  Here is my first week (trying for one a day right now)...

I only like a couple of these (the 5th and 6th)...but want to keep this real so that in 52 weeks I can look back and see what progress I have made! The theme is "doodling" so I feel okay with these, even though they aren't particularly outstanding in any way...it's getting my pen moving!  Doodling to me, is something created without overthinking it...anything from repetitive graphic designs to mindless sketching done without an end purpose or any fore planning...so I think these qualify.

I am using some Elements permanent markers, they are just plain fun....and you can't "fix" the marks you make, you just have to keep moving.  Not being able to erase is good for learning to draw what you see, either in front of you or in your minds eye.  It makes you just draw instead of striving for realistic perfection.  These markers are metallics that build layers on top of each other, as paints would...very enjoyable to play with.  My sketch pad is a bound one that I have had for years, no point in not using what I already have there...time to put something on all of those beautiful blank pages!

I'll post the second week tomorrow, I've kept up on the sketching/doodling but not the posting...so I'll have to play catch up on that end of things this week!