100 Day Project Week 3

Grid Journaling and Mini Portraits

Bigger is not always better. Lot’s of things in their petite/mini state are just as good if not far superior - silver dollar pancakes, pygmy hippos, Polly Pocket. The list goes on. I thought about small things and the old saying “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” for this week’s 100 Day Project of painting portraits.

Grid Journaling - AKA Pint Sized Portraits

I’m not trying to eat elephants but I am trying to draw 100 days worth of portraits so mini versions translated into bite sizes. Are you familiar with grid journaling? I think the first time I heard of this technique was with Kellee Wynne. Here is a video of her explaining her process.

Taking a cue from this method I decided this week for the 100 Day Project I would trace hotel room keys in one of my altered books. I figured I could fill in one of these rectangles every day with a portrait. This was great for the days when I wanted to check my goal off the list but not make a big production out of things. Some days I’m inspired and want to drag out the paint and cue up an online class. Other days I just want to go to bed early, play solitaire on my phone and listen to a questionably smutty/romance audiobook. These wee rectangles were perfect for nights like the latter.

Did you read…

• The 100 Day Project a Chance at a New Years Resolution Do-Over

• 100 Day Project Week 1

• 100 Day Project Week 2

What To Draw and How to Draw It

If you read this week’s copy of The Glue Gun Gazette you saw that I mentioned a fun little book from 1913 called What to Draw and How to Draw It. Apparently the author, E.G. Lutz, was an influence on Walt Disney. True or not he was influence on my portraits this week as I copied his easy step by step style to create a few basic line drawings. They fit perfectly into the size of my grids.

Old Habits Are Hard to Break

I realize that part of this challenge is stretching myself artistically but the quirky heart wants what the quirky heart wants. That being said I had a lot of fun with these mini mug shots. Each one was influenced by a different artist.

• Green Hair - I am always taking online classes from Alisa Burke and this was a version of an example she did in her Portrait Petite Workshop. Wanna hear the episode of Creative Queso where I interviewed Alisa?

• Blue Scarf - This is another version of one of the women I painted with

  Gayle Kabaker
  in her fun faces zoom class.

• Purple Hair - Artist Fiona Wilson inspired this piece.

• White Hair - I’m forever in love with and inspired by all things Molly Egan.

Quick and Dirty

I think not only does the size of the grid help to take the pressure off of the 100 Day Project for me but so does working in an altered book. There is something about a white blank page that puts the fear of Jesus in me artistically speaking. Drawing over smeared paint and text somehow feels easier. It’s almost like the chaos helps hide the imperfections. These are supposed to be quick line drawing portraits of various friends and family members. Emphasis on supposed. Let’s just say if one of these people goes missing no one is going to put these drawings on a milk carton.

More is More and Less is a Bore

I’m realizing that half the reason I love to paint and draw is creating colorful patterns. God bless all the monochrome masters out there but trying to create with just black or pencils is a one way ticket on the struggle bus for a color lover like me. These fabulous ladies were influenced by Pinterest and …

• Blonde Hair - This heart eyed cutie is another example from my Zoom class with

  Gayle Kabaker
  .

• Blue Hair - The loops in the hair came from Kristen Peers.

• Pink Hair - I stumbled upon a fun print from Nadia Hassan and loved this quirky lady.

Tune in next week to see how my progress is going! Also, if you ever have any advice, favorite drawing books, informative You Tube videos, online classes or magic drawing pencil recommendations please drop me a comment.

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