30 Drawings in 30 Days! Part 1

There are hundreds if not thousands of daily drawing prompts you can find online, all laid out nicely for months of creative inspiration and practice. Many of them consist of a single daily word that leaves all sorts of room for interpretation, like “red” or “enlighten.” I thought it would be fun to build a list of my own, and share the results. My goal was to stretch my artistic muscles a bit, so some of the prompts I came up with are very different from what I normally draw! This will be a three-part post, with ten prompts and images included in each post, in the end totaling up to 30. I started this on July 1st, 2022 (but Haley, aren't there 31 days in July? YES! And on the 31st, I took a break!)

Let’s dive right in (pun intended) with 1. Mermaid/merman/aquatic person (drawn with pencil, inked with pens) This character is called Rema, and she's a water fairy from a fantasy story I've been rolling around in my head for a while. In this drawing, she's pregnant and about to birth her egg!

Bloop, bloop!

2. Self-portrait in pajamas (drawn with pencils and gel pens) I'll admit, the first thing I reach for in the morning is my robe! I've probably mentioned this before, but every time I draw a self-portrait, I represent myself as this demon-cat-princess named DemoniCat (DC for short.) It's also how I sign all my artwork (prints get signed with my full name.)

Anyone else rock the robe life?

3. A cat/dog/domesticated animal (drawn with pencil) This is our Jack Russell terrier, Lola. She didn't sit still long enough for me to finish, but it's a pretty good likeness!

She's a good pupper.

4. The view from your front door or window (drawn with pencil) Across from our house are some fields and a little wooded area where we regularly see wildlife - I don't usually draw landscapes, so this one was fun to do!

No wild toasters, though.

5. Draw what your feet are currently doing (drawn with pencil) It's funny, but I didn't really consider what I do with my feet when I'm sitting - turns out I tuck my legs up on the couch, feet together, and cross my legs or ankles when I sit in a chair! 

That one's lefty, this one is righty.

6. A portrait of a celebrity (drawn in pencil) Oh Jessica Alba, I am sorry! 😂 I know if I put in more time, I could continue to adjust her features and eventually get it right, I just didn't want to put in that much time. This is why I don't draw realistic portraits!

It's okay to laugh, that's what I'm doing!

7. A piece of furniture (drawn with pencil, colored with markers) This is a tiny wooden rocking chair for my girls that used to be mine when I was their age!

Heirloom status achieved!

8. A character from a book (drawn in pencil) I'm currently reading the Sword of Shannara trilogy, and this is how I picture the druid Allanon in my head.

What does a campfire really look like?

9. Something in the style of Dr. Seuss (drawn in pencil, inked with pen, colored with crayons) I thought using my kids' crayons would be an appropriate medium for this one. This is a self-portrait of me, just finishing up a painting in my studio, when a mouse skittered past my bare feet (we found out it was a mouse when we caught it two days later, at the time it sounded like the size of a small dog!)

Nailed it!

10. A single leaf (drawn with pencil) I'm not sure if one segment of a Christmas cactus qualifies as a 'leaf' but it's what I chose! If I was to choose again, I think I'd pick a dried leaf from a tree, I think those just have more character.

Pointy, yet soft!

There you have it, the first round of daily drawings! Here's a link to the second set of ten, and here's the post about the final ten.