Therapeutic Drawing

On 1st January I picked up a pen, opened a brand new sketchbook and started to draw again – on a daily basis. I normally draw fairly regularly anyway, but there is something quite different about having a daily commitment. A few years ago I began a series of daily drawings of everyday objects and village scenes and reached 1.5 years before finally running out of steam. I don’t know how long I’ll stick with this new series yet but I’m getting a lot out of it so far and a few of the drawings have begun finding their way into mixed-media paintings.

After several weeks laid out on the sofa with flu and then pleurisy at the start of this year, I was grateful for this personal daily practice. When incapable of doing anything else, at least I could snuggle up by the wood-burner and create a small drawing. When too ill to get out, or it was raining cats, dogs and goats, I drew from my large collection of photos. If health and weather allowed, I wrapped up well and nipped outside to draw around the village. This new series is in black and white, pen only (with no initial pencil drawing or added watercolour). That’s how it is so far anyway – things may well evolve to include colour as it goes along.

If you would like to follow these dailies, check them out on my Facebook Art Page or Instagram.

Meanwhile, here’s a mini-video with the initial drawings from the first week of January.

FREE download
Sign up here for a free image (printable to A4) and to receive colourful news and inspiration direct from the studio.