As discussed before, I’m trying to up my sketchbook game, and hope you join me. Here I am exploring contour drawings and gesture drawings.

A contour drawing focuses on going slowly and getting edges right. In my last sketchbook ideas post, I talked about the blind contour and peeking a bit. In the ones here, my eyes were pretty much back and forth between the paper and the object, pausing during the switch, without lifting the pencil much.

Gesture, however is more about feel and movement, approximating your response to the object. Gesture has the benefits of concentrating on relationships between objects, and your implement moves more quickly. The outcome of working this way is that the drawing has more soul, and is fresher and less labored.

I liked both approaches, and in the last sketch below, in ink, I combined the two. I’m gaining some steam here, actually starting to enjoy this more.

I’m learning that my drawings don’t have to be good or right, but that it is a win for me to just show up to whatever little assignment I give myself, and be open to trying it without judgement. Like playing a musical instrument, by practicing, I’ll only get better.

I’m also starting to see that a perfect drawing is lifeless and without individuality of spirit. It is not what I’m after! This is a relief to acknowledge. I’m embracing my unique voice here, instead of trying to have my sketches be “good.” This is freeing, and makes me more willing to attempt the next one, and the next one after that.

I’m realizing that I’m not so much making a drawing, as having an experience, and I like having those.

How about you? Are you doing this along with me?