As an artist and illustrator, I often find myself brimming with ideas for new work! While some concepts come to fruition very quickly, many remain trapped in my mind longer than I'd prefer. Sometimes it can feel so overwhelming that they all start to merge into a jumbled mess of scribbles in my brain (see pic above). To unlock my creativity and explore my imagination, I decided to embark on a personal challenge: a fun drawing exercise to create as many little quirky illustrations as possible in just 40 minutes!
So, how did I approach this challenge? What did I create? And what can you learn from my experience? Let’s dive into this exciting journey of doodles and creativity!
If you'd like to watch me draw, click the video below! It's short and sweet because I know your time is precious!
1. Setting the Stage for Doodling!
Creating a focused and relaxing environment was essential. I mosied over to my drawing table, tidied it up for the first time in ages, and got settled in. I opted for my ipad over paper for the doodles so I could move quickly. To truly immerse myself, I turned off my phone and other distractions, ensuring that every second of my 40-minute drawing challenge was pure art time.
2. Generating Art Prompt Ideas
Before I pressed start on my timer, I brainstormed potential themes and prompts to keep things lively. I wrote down some silly ideas I've had so that I could tackle them quickly. Some of my favorite concepts included:
Silly Goose Club
All Oopsies, No Daisies
Dilly Dally
Animals on the move
I like to play, but I like structure too, so the list gave me the best of both worlds.
3. The Countdown Begins!
With my prompts set and my timer ready, I jumped right in! The first drawing was some "cheese and quiet" as it was getting close to lunch-time and mama was getting hungry!
I sketched quickly, focusing on enjoying the challenge.
4. Embracing Imperfection
As the seconds ticked away, I realized that my drawings did not need to be perfect. There is beauty in imperfection, and embracing this mindset kept me engaged and having fun. Once I completed each drawing, I created a blank page on my iPad and moved on to the next prompt.
5. Style and Self-Talk
As the 40 minutes went by, I found myself wanting to add some detail to a few illustrations, but I stopped myself from doing that! By keeping detail at a minimum and creating line-drawings only, I could make more illustrations. I said "Rachel, you can return to any of the doodles you want to expand on after the 40 minutes are up!" - Wise words....so I listened.
6. Reflecting on the Experience
When the timer finally went off, I paused to reflect on all of the doodles I made. In just 40 minutes, I created about 18 quirky illustrations, untangling the jumbled knot of ideas in my head just a teeny bit!
7. Tips for Your Own Fun Drawing Challenge
Set a Time Limit: Choose a duration that feels both manageable and challenging. About 30 to 40 minutes worked well for me, but maybe 5-10 minutes is more manageable for you.
Prepare Your Space: Creating an inspiring, distraction-free environment can maximize your creativity. Find a comfortable spot filled with your favorite supplies.
Brainstorm Art Prompts: Write down fun ideas in advance. Having them prepared will let you focus entirely on creating instead of searching for prompts during the challenge.
Embrace Imperfection: The goal is to enjoy the process! Your drawings don’t need to be perfect; rather, they should reflect your unique imagination.
Reflect Afterwards: After you finish, take a moment to appreciate what you created!! There is no good or bad here; this reflection encourages growth and boosts your confidence as an artist.
Wrapping it Up
This was the first time I did a timed drawing challenge, and it really was so much fun! And now I have doodles to go back to, expand on, edit, and morph into fully-fleshed out drawings.
If you are an art lover or just seeking a creative outlet, I encourage you to try a similar drawing challenge. You might surprise yourself with what you can create in a short timeframe! I thought I would make about 10 drawings, and wound up with 18!!! (See them all together below)
Now, it’s your turn! Grab your supplies and discover where just 10 minutes of creativity might lead you! I'd love to see what you come up with!
I hope you enjoyed this post. I thought it would be fun to try something new and different!!
I will see you all next month!
xoxo
Rachel
Hello there, my effervescent earthlings!!!
I hope you had an amazing June, and I wish you a Happy first week of July! This past month was filled with lots of amazing work, doctor's appointments galore for Leonora, Father's Day weekend for my Radiant Ricky, and some lovely friend time!
Every business day, I prioritize my work by creating a daily work plan, dividing my working time down to the hour. I've been doing this for the past six years, and it has helped me stay on top of things when I have a lot on my plate, as well as stay productive on personal work when client work is slower. I thought it would be a fun little adventure to walk you through my day in this blog post, with timestamps starting from wake-up and ending at bedtime. It's wild to see how different this routine is with a little one now!
Let's dive in!!!
Morning Time
6:20 am - wake up time!!! I like to wake up semi-slowly with a good 5-10 minute stretch before getting ready for the day.
6:45 am - Get Leonora up and ready for her day!!
7 am - I wave goodbye to Leonora and Ricky as they head off to work, Leonora as a toy inspector and Ricky as an engineer at NASA
7:15 am - I pour myself a piping hot cup of coffee and savor its delectable-ness while sitting at my desk checking emails, getting a grasp for my to-dos for the day and week, and on occassion getting distracted looking at recipes (by on occassion I mean on the daily lately....it's my new obsession)
7:45 am - I grab myself some brekkie and eat it while wrapping up Admin work for the day. Lately, I've been making myself a veggie egg white scramble with a side of Greek yogurt. I haven't been able to decide between sweet and savory, so I've opted for both!
Time to Work!
8 am - On this particular day, I had some Etsy orders that needed packing, so I printed and packaged them all, adding handwritten notes as well. Etsy Orders are such a fun treat for me. I love seeing what orders people pick out!
9 am - I'm currently working on The ABCs of Grief Book 3!!! I'm in the painting phase, so I slid over to my art desk to work on one of the illustrations. Here's a sneak peek. While painting, I love to listen to podcasts (usually Armchair Expert), but I've also been listening to Harry Potter to mix it up and add some whimsy to my day!
10 am - I found myself in a nice state of flow with the illustration I was working on, so I decided to continue working on this for the next hour.
11 am - I moved on to painting my Big Foot Illustrations that I shared last month. I have digital drawings for the pattern I am working on, but I really want a painted version too. So, I transferred the designs to watercolor paper and started painting it up!! Still listening to Harry Potter on this particular day.
Midday Work Pause
12 pm - Time to work out!!! This is a new thing for me over the past six months or so. I used to work out at the end of the day, then I tried the morning, but I have since grown to enjoy working out smack dab in the middle of my day! It's a lovely pause in work and nice to get some movement and endorphins for my afternoon!
12:45 pm - Time for LUNCHIES!!!! I typically make myself a heaping salad filled with protein from the previous night's dinner and loads of veggies, but I decided to mix it up with a broccoli egg waffle, topped with whipped cottage cheese and tomatoes!
1:30 pm - Admin check in! I like to check in on my emails midday to make sure there isn't anything pressing or new. I prefer checking emails only 3x a day (morning, midday, and end of the day), so that I'm focused and productive on my projects.
Jumping back in for the Afternoon
2 pm - I work with a wholesale art publishing company that licenses my artwork to big box stores like Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, and Ross. On occasion, they reach out for art in certain categories that they notice are trending. On this particular day, I worked on one of those. Here's a few sneak peeks.....I love these so much, I think I'm going to put them in my Etsy shop soon!
3 pm - I'm doing some rewrites for my children's book, so I spent some time this hour working on that. I have two different directions that I may take the intro/outro of the book. I'm going to compile both and send them to a few people for some feedback!
4 pm - I finished up the illustration I was working on for The ABCs of Grief: Coping earlier in the day. I need to prep the next illustrations for the following day, so I transferred the sketches onto my watercolor paper. Sometimes I do this with my lightboard, but lately I have been using my iPad directly to do this.
5 pm - Check in on emails one last time before ending my work day
Dinner Time & Family Time
5:15 pm - make dinner for me, Ricky, and Leonora (this night I made Curry Chicken Salad) and try not to make a mess in the kitchen for Ricky to clean up....usually doesn't happen. Below is a pic from a different day of Leonora going to town on her dinner and one of my fav prints for my love of vegetables!
6 pm - Quickly eat dinner as a family. Leonora is 18 months and has an incredibly short attention span during dinner time right now, so we have been eating quickly before she demands to get down and play!
6:30 pm - Family walk! We all enjoy going for a walk together after dinner with Frankie. Leonora loves looking out at the world in her stroller, and Ricky and I enjoy talking about our days.
7 pm - Once we get back from the walk, we let Leonora play for a bit and then get her ready for bed
8 pm - Wrap up any cleaning and hit the couch to watch a show (Your Friends and Neighbors right now) or chat more
9:30 pm - get ready for bed (pre-baby, we were eating dinner at 9 pm and went to bed at midnight on the regular....what a life switch!!) - I like to cozy up with a book before dozing off for the night!
And that's it! It's fun and weird to see how my whole day is accounted for! I hope you enjoyed it too. I'd love to hear about how you organize your days, and I would also love to know if there is anything you'd like me to dive into deeper for future posts!
Hope you enjoy your 4th of July and I will talk to you all soon,
xoxo
Rachel
I hope you all have been basking in the sun (with sunscreen) and getting some much-needed vitamin D! And don't forget to drink loads of water!
Last month, I enjoyed a cup-filling trip to Sedona, Arizona, for hiking and adventure. It was a breath of fresh air. Seeing the Red Rock mountains, cacti, and trees were truly inspiring. The experience filled my heart with joy!
A Journey through Sedona
Everywhere I looked, beautiful views surrounded me. When I returned to Houston, I felt a rush of inspiration to draw! On one particular hike, I met a man searching for Bigfoot. He even asked if we had seen any Sasquatches! I couldn’t help but laugh. Bigfoot symbolizes wanderlust for me. He (or she) lives off the land, always searching and adventuring. We also had my sweet Leonora with us. I decked her out in adventure tees, which surely put me in the right vibes.
With this inspiration in mind, I decided to create Bigfoot and hiking illustrations. I aimed to make a pattern or an art print.
The Creative Process
When I start sketching, it always begins a bit rough and weird, often with a list in hand. The first step was drawing Bigfoot. I brainstormed about the vibe I wanted to convey. Finally, I concluded that I should draw them all!
Next, I focused on camping and hiking gear inspired by our trip. I drew a cactus, a tree, boots, a backpack, my Nalgene bottle, and more. All of these are items that resonated with my adventure.
Exploring Color Palettes
As I pulled from the gorgeous colors of the area, I thought about using greens, oranges, and burnt sienna shades.
I can't decide which style to pursue. So, why not do them all? I want to try outlined, pencil, and block coloring styles. I'm looking forward to creating a watercolor version as well!
Moving on to Bigfoot, I planned to illustrate him in the same vibes as the gear: line, pencil, and block.
Conclusion and Future Plans
I'm still completing the final illustration showcased in the gallery above. The beauty of being indecisive is that I can explore all my creative routes. There’s no deadline for this design, just plenty of play.
I want to share a few final Sedona pictures. I had a truly magical trip there! If you ever get the chance to visit Sedona, I highly recommend it. Just keep in mind, it gets very warm in summer, so spring and winter are the best times to explore!
I need to wrap up this post now. I promise to share the finished artwork when it's ready. I hope you enjoyed peeking behind the curtain of my design process, from inspiration to sketches and doodles!
I will see you all soon!
xoxo,
Rachel
