Studio Notes: 100 days or 100 pieces?
Am I doing it right? And does it matter?
I started the 100 day project with a goal to create 100 mini watercolour landscapes in a sketchbook. I introduced certain limitations (as I explain here), but decided to have quite a relaxed attitude, which means focusing on creating 100 pieces, even if I don’t create every single day.
While I think this is a healthy approach that takes into account all sorts of limitations I have, I started having doubts, whether such an approach diminishes the value of joining the project. If I am not doing it daily, am I doing it right then? After all, it is a 100 day project, not just a 100 pieces project, and supposedly the goal is to create daily.
In my case there were days and days when I couldn’t create anything for the project and then I had time (and was inspired) to create several pieces per day.
Sometimes I lag behind the “official” schedule and sometimes I am getting ahead of it.
However, when reflecting on the pieces I have done so far I can confidently say that I see progress.
When I started the project I thought about experimenting with styles and understanding what style feels the most natural for me. After several weeks into the project I started noticing how my own hand naturally works, learning a pace that is comfortable for me, and understanding better how watercolour behaves.
I really love this idea of setting goals for your sketching practice by
. Understanding what is your specific goal helps with decision-making and also with assessing the work using objective measures.I always struggled with getting rid of redundant details and simplifying the scene, so now I understand that one of my goals within the project has been to learn how to simplify and capture a scene with as few brushstrokes as possible. Among other goals are improving my skills regarding composition and value and I also learn letting the watercolours do their thing and not trying to control them too much.
All these goals are important for my practice, because I want to make the most of my limited time when I have a chance to paint. Joining the project helped me not only to improve my skills, but also to clarify what are my current art goals and understand how I can make my practice more accessible.
Well, the project may be intended as a 100 day practice, but I am also OK with my 100 pieces approach to it.
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Other studio news
This year I decided not to join online classes (I explain the decision here), but as my word of the year in relation to art is community, I started exploring options for joining co-working sessions with various artists. In the past few weeks I joined amazing sessions about mark making with Joy Ting, “visiting“ a natural history museum with Pauline Teunissen (
) and swatching supplies with . It was so lovely to create together with other artists!
Further reading:
Make your art practice accessible to you
I am very interested in the creative process as a fundamental part of any art practice. It plays a vital role in how we develop our original style and voice, but it is also of highest importance when it comes to making the space for creating art - both physically and mentally. Artists can have a hard time when it comes to actually start creating, becaus…
Thanks for being here!
Until next time!
Lisa
I enjoyed reading your post, Lisa! I also find taking part in online sketching sessions very different from doing online classes. (I’ve also bought one too many classes that I haven’t finished yet.)
And thank you for mentioning my article!
It was lovely to have you at the session Lisa! And I think doing the 100 day project is about 100 days, not neccessarily every day :) There can be a day or 2 in between where you don't make art, as long as it feels like it's a continuous practice and you're having fun. Your landscapes are beautiful!