Another 100 days

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, then you’ve probably seen my latest 100 day project. I started on April 19 and am going into July and each day I’m drawing a small self portrait, the sketchbook is only 3.5 inches by 5.5 inches. And unlike last year, this year has started out hard, and I’ve felt very vulnerable.

the fourth self portrait I did, in pencil
I practiced a bunch after feeling quite down about how these were going, and this was the next one I did

But I’ve persevered, it helps that once I start something and I tell people publicly that I’m doing it, I feel like I have to keep going. So keep going I am. But drawing people and drawing faces is not a strong suit of mine. Since I started drawing daily at the end of last year, I’ve mostly been doing illustrative, wonky drawings of various things. Some are even just abstract patterns, which I love doing.

the tenth self portrait I did, in pencil
I decided to have some fun with a bit of expression, to open up new possibilities

But I chose faces because it is uncomfortable for me. And I chose my face because it is right in front of me and I’ve drawn it before. Having attended art school, I learned that self portraits can be fun and you can challenge yourself. I prepped a bit before this started; I got a bunch of library books of artists collections of self portraits and artists who painted and drew a lot of people. If you haven’t seen Ellsworth Kelly’s self portraits I highly recommend them.

the thirteenth self portrait I did, in pencil with colored pencil
I definitely feel the best about the ones I've done in pencil and in very sketchy, flowy marks

I’ve also kept going because I’ve received encouragement and feedback from people I know and don’t know online. It’s amazing, but sharing these drawings surprises me, I often feel awful about them, but then I get some love online and it’s all OK. I’m grateful for the online world and all the support I’ve received and as I keep going, I hope it continues.

the fourteenth self portrait I did, in ink
I've also explored very sparse line drawings to see what happens