This past Wednesday was my first submission for the 30-Day Doodle Challenge. I think I actually grew as a person during this challenge!
My fellow Kivran Danning asked me a month ago if I wanted to do the challenge with her. I had hangups about making art or drawing, but I went against them and just said yes. Just like with the Colories project, I’m moved by people’s reception of the posts, the amount of new people I’ve met on Instagram, and the amount of new artists I’ve discovered on the platform.
The Process
The goal was to doodle every day for a month. I started out by drawing on paper with pencil, but I felt frustrated by my lack of technique. I ended up just judging what I was doing. So, I switched over to digital drawing and I felt liberated by the medium.
I really enjoyed making this series. Even when I couldn’t draw what I felt or saw in my mind’s eye, every piece felt like an achievement for me.
There was no prior deliberation or preparation for the style or themes. Apart from the 2 submissions that were pencil drawings, I used Adobe Illustrator Draw and Autodesk SketchBook.
First Post
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj6rTdDBaU3/?hl=sv&taken-by=minadimyan
Last Post
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlFScXqhZ9m/?hl=sv&taken-by=minadimyan
Favorite Pieces
A friend and former co-worker told me recently, “Don’t scrutinize what you do.” Really priceless advice.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkR5AzThR6H/?hl=sv&taken-by=minadimyan
The brushes in Sketchbook are just spectacular. The final product really expressed how I was that day – serene and hopeful.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkVG27RhARi/?hl=sv&taken-by=minadimyan
This one felt like I doodled on a wall.
This one from day 12 speaks to me because of the thickness and density of the brush strokes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlFScXqhZ9m/?hl=sv&taken-by=minadimyan
I kept on thinking of pointillism, as I did this and other similar pieces. I liked the idea of the extreme control in producing dots or points.
Lessons Learned
- Pick and run with the simplest tool. I probably would have given up, had I continued with pencil drawings. There is value in just picking the simplest tool and making whatever you can with it.
- Artists are just people who make art. I never dared making art before because I thought I needed someone’s acknowledgement or a degree from an art school.
- Constraints deepen the process. Just dabbing at the screen was fun, but I learned more and produced more interesting ideas when I enforced some constraint on myself – working with complementary colors, only points, only lines, and so on. It spurred me to be both conscious of technique and push myself further.
What’s Next?
A friend told me that I should look into art school. I’m going to do that! Shout-out to her for the encouragement and vote of confidence.
I’m writing down words and ideas for a longer series about our inner emotional and thought lives.
Finally, I’m sketching or drawing every day on my tablet, without posting it online.
