Summer, summer, summer…has been great for me and the Every Day Drawing Challenge. Without the hectic schedule of the school year, I have had more time to work with drawing apps and investigate different techniques. ArtRage continues to be my favorite app and I have fallen in love with the oil paint tool this month. With the option of layers, it is easy to manipulate the “paint” to either blend or sit on top of previous paint. I have been using my Adonit Jot stylus exclusively and have taken to wearing a glove with the finger tips cut off (like a texter) on just one hand (like Michael Jackson) so I can lean my hand on the iPad for stability while drawing and the app doesn’t think it should make a mark there. This is the most like drawing with traditional media and it feels right.

My images this month were generated with a nod to nostalgia and summer in particular. Within each drawing is reflection on the past or present. Sometimes, there is deep feeling or memory in what I draw, though it would be hard for the viewer to see it. I am always aware of my pre-adolescent audience on Instagram and keep my drawings age appropriate. The process of drawing and the time spent is cathartic and rejuvenating at the same time, often like meditation or prayer. It calms me and helps me process events and issues. That all sounds very heavy, but it’s not at all. Sometimes a drawing of peanuts is just about a drawing of peanuts, for instance. I hope you enjoy them.

And with this post, so begins a new month. I have to admit that I find excitement in seeing the new list and scanning it for tasks that are especially motivating. Here is the list of challenges for August:

Have fun with this! Post them on Facebook or Instagram so we can all enjoy them….