Daily Digital Drawing
August 12, 2012 
How times fly. In my mind it is only a couple of weeks ago that I decided to do this new project - a daily digital drawing - and today I am already going to post number 130.
As I told in an earlier post, last summer I got an iPad, because I wanted to use it for drawing. I have been practicing with digital drawing for a year now and I am loving it even more. I started out with the apps brushes and art studio and after that I moved on to sketchbook pro, which I really like and lately I have begun to use procreate. My favourite drawing app at the moment.
I love drawing on the iPad, because I can do it at any moment and everywhere. I don't have to bother about preparing ink or paint, getting my work space ready, and when I want to quit, I don’t have to clean brushes and stuff. Not that I mind doing that, but with the iPad I just sit in a comfy chair, iPad in my lap and start drawing. Love it!!
I have bought a pen, main reason is that it gives a better view of what I am doing. The pen is smaller than your finger and less in the way of seeing the ‘penpoint’ / the stroke on the iPad. On the other hand the finger is much more fluid on the surface than the pencil is. I think I have become more skilful in this past year. I've learned some tricks along the way. Tricks that are impossible on real paper, like moving/transforming your picture on the 'canvas', like saving a halfproduct and then making 3 endversions from this halfproduct.
I started using it for my weekly modeldrawing class, but 130 days ago I decided to do this project of daily practice. I post a drawing everyday on a separate blog and from there on twitter and facebook. At the moment I mostly draw portraits. My models are often pictures I find in newspaper/magazines, sometimes I do a self portraits or someone is willing to pose for me, and occasionally it is a fantasy portrait. I sometimes try to draw the people I see on TV: talk shows and talent shows are doable; other tv, like films and sitcoms don’t work, the people / camera move to fast for me.
I am not trying to perfectly portrait somebody, but I am trying to catch an expression. Meanwhile I am also trying different approaches, sometimes painterly, but often they tend to get more like illustrations and sometimes even like comic book drawings. I've thought about following the news with my daily drawing, but I find that really hard to do. Partly because I like to be at least three days ahead of what I am posting. It seems like I want the drawing to mature a couple of days before I decide if it is good enough to post. It's also nice to have a couple of backups in case I don't like the drawing I just made. It takes the pressure of. In November I am taking part in a group exhibition and I then want to show the digital work, but I still haven’t made a decision on how to print and display them.
Anyway, I am curious to see if I will succeed in getting to no.365 and what the drawings will look like by then. I'll keep you informed.
Art
Reader Comments (16)
Well done for sticking with it and getting better every day. I love these drawings/painting. Keep going, you will complete 365 and have that exhibition. And keep going after that. The challenge will become habit.
I have followed your drawings on FB for some time now, Petra, and have absolutely no doubt at all that you will make it to 365. I suddenly had a vision of you on La Rambla in Barcelona, making these drawings of tourists as a street artist. HA! You'll go much farther than that, of course. I wonder who will be the first famous person to commission you! How fun. You truly are a dedicated artist!
Oh - you know how I feel about Daily Practice....about any practice that inspires us to create!! I've been watching/following your work on facebook - and have been wowed by what you've created and produced.
Love..love..love this project! Can't wait to see all THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE!!!
Wow. Such skill, such commitment.
This is so fun! Can't wait to see the process up to 365!
Very impressive -- both your skill and your dedication to a daily practice. Each portrait in your collage you featured today is so expressive and unique.
Very cool and so very creative!
your posts on FB of the daily digitals have been a daily pleasure for me. here's to a full year of you!
Your drawings are great! I downloaded a drawing up for my iPad but couldn't make heads or tails out of drawing with it and gave up. I suppose it helps to have some drawing ability in the first place as you obviously do. I can't wait to see how your drawings progress by the end of the year.
these are so good!!! i've enjoyed seeing them on facebook :)
Thanks everyone!
What an awesome daily practice! And you are really good:) I'm going to have to get an iPad:)
I think it's a wonderful project, and this is one of the ways in which technology has changed our lives for the better! Keep going, what fun it will be to look back on this year of your life!
What fun and interesting portraits! It's admirable that you stick to it and do it every day - I once wanted to do that and failed big time after a couple of weeks. It seems that this has become a stable part of your day, and how fantastic that you can do it everywhere! I hope we'll see more of your portraits - I like how different they all are.
That is a formidable challenge. I know I could not keep up with that pace.
Wow. Those top two on the right hand side look very much like what I see when I say anything to any woman - anything at all :)