“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
This is the quote that motivated me to try to develop my iPad drawing skills through Every Day Drawing Challenge. I wanted to learn to use the iPad as a drawing tool, just as famous artist David Hockney is doing along with lots of other not so famous artists. My middle school is immersed in a 1:1 iPad initiative, so creating on the iPad is something we all want to do. And there are SO many art apps.
I made a New Year’s resolution on January 1, 2013 to do a drawing a day on my iPad. I wanted objective drawing tasks, so decided to use those found on Danny Gregory’s inspirational blog. I reformatted the list, tweaked some of the tasks for the middle school classroom, and added my own to round out the year. Each month I published the list along with my drawings for the month here on the blog (search categories for Every Day Drawing Challenge). I also posted the drawings on Instagram (@MonaLisaLivesHere) and on Twitter (@MonaLisaLivesHe). My students drew along with me and we posted their drawings on the class Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/MonaLisaLivesHere). It has been a full year of creating digitally!
To follow is the complete list of Every Day Drawing Challenge tasks, one month at a time. Feel free to print them out or save them to share electronically. The challenge list works well with all media, digital or traditional, and can even be used with photography. Here they are:
And here are my Every Day Drawings for the month of December:
December 1 (#335): Draw a silhouette
App: ArtRage Tool: Marker –
This is one bad silhouette…
December 2 (#336): Draw a horse in motion
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil paint –
My niece Clare on her horse Pekoe … this girl can ride…
December 3 (#337): Draw some candy
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil paint –
This isn’t candy, it’s heaven in a gold wrapper…
December 4 (#338): Draw an owl
App: ArtRage Tool: Pencil & Watercolor –
Whoooo whoooo doesn’t like owls? This is for my 6th grade students who are working with actual texture and line patterns in animals…
December 5 (#339): Draw a bouquet of flowers
App: ArtRage Tool: Pencil & Watercolor –
‘Tis the season for complementary colors…
December 6 (#340): Draw a missing tooth
App: ArtRage Tool: Pencil & Watercolor –
Miss Laura and her missing tooth… from a photo taken a few years ago. It was early in the morning and I was taking photos of my gardens. Laura and her dad were on their way to get donuts. They pulled over and Laura showed me her missing tooth. Snap! Photo op!
December 7 (#341): Draw your hand holding something
App: ArtRage Tool: Pencil & Watercolor –
“Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood” – Andy Goldsworthy …
December 8 (#342): Draw something using only straight lines
App:123Design Tool: Primitives –
First design for 3D printed art – designed this pendant using only straight lines. These are 4 views of the same piece…
December 9 (#343): Draw a bridge
App:ArtRage Tool:Watercolor –
My son taught me to be amazed by bridges. This is the Manhattan Bridge in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, from a photo I took in the summer of 2012 when Keith Haring was at the Brooklyn Museum…
December 10 (#344): Draw an empty room
App: ArtRage Tool: Watercolor –
Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home – Mother Teresa…
December 11 (#345): Draw a snowflake
App: ArtRage Tool: Metallic Paint –
IPad glitter is so much neater than really glitter…
December 12 (#346): Draw a nut and bolt
App: ArtRage Tool: Metallic Paint
“A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted” – John Ciari
December 13 (347): Draw something with wheels
App: ArtRage Tool: Watercolor –
I love Christmas wind up toys. I can’t help it…
December 14 (#348): Draw some things that remind you of your favorite song
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil Paint –
Summer Wind – Sung by Frank Sinatra – one of my favs …
December 15 (#349): Draw an illustration of your favorite poem
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil Paint –
“so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens”
– William Carlos Williams
December 16 (#350): Draw a zoo animal
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil Paint –
King of the jungle zoo, baby… rawr!
December 17 (#351): Draw a jungle animal
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil Pastel –
How lucky am I that Mr. G is snowbound with me tonight? Free model…haha, jk…
December 18 (#352): Draw a desert animal
App: ArtRage Tool: Watercolor & Pencil –
Hey, what day is it?
December 19 (#353): Draw an arctic animal
App: ArtRage Tool: Watercolor –
Polar bears are inactive about 87% of the time, living off stored fat…polar bears spend most of their active time at sea…(facts from Science Kids)…
December 20 (#354): Draw a boat
App: ArtRage Tool: Watercolor –
A boat with 3 alpacas…Man Ray, Andy, and Ivanhohoho…
December 21 (#355): Draw something in a jar
App: ArtRage Tool: Watercolor –
Preparing for the alpacalypse…
December 23 (#357): Draw something with lights
App: ArtRage Tool: Tube o’paint & palette knife –
Alpaca lawn decoration…
December 22 (#356): Draw something green
App: ArtRage Tool: Watercolor –
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
December 24 (#358): Draw something peaceful
App: iMovie, Explain Everything, Camera –
Goodwill Toward Humans and Alpacas – Click here to see the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIW-BcjTZbE
December 25 (#359): Draw a highlight of your day
App: ArtRage Tool: Watercolor & Pencil –
Opening stockings on Christmas is always a highlight of the day…it begins a flurry of unwrapping during which some pretty fine things happen…
December 26 (#360): Draw something melting
App: ArtRage Tool: Paints –
A little winter angel with his melting star-on-a-stick…
December 27 (#361): Draw your favorite time of the day
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil Paint –
My favorite time of day includes long blue shadows against warm light…
December 28 (#362): Draw a hobby
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil Paint –
While my hobbies are art related, my husband’s hobby is his small barnyard of animals…
December 29 (#363): Draw a hair brush
App: ArtRage Tool: Metallic paint –
We’ve come a long way, baby…or have we?
December 30 (#364): Draw a memory from the past year
App: ArtRage Tool: Oil Pastel –
Trust me, I know. Second to last drawing out of 365, after a year full of starkly memorable moments, and I chose to draw a bowl of cereal…
December 31 (#365): Draw a New Year’s resolution
App: SketchbookX Tool: Multi –
I just finished a year of creating digitally every day on my iPad! in 2014, I am adding a dimension. New Year’s Resolution: Use modified CAD apps to create 3D art to print on a 3D printer. I expect this work to take time, so I don’t expect to post daily. It’s all very exciting! Stay tuned…Happy New Year!
So now what? Myimmediate learning goals for 2014 are centered around the recent donation of a 3D printer for our classroom by Makerbot and two private benefactors. My first goal in the New Year is to recruit a student MakerTeam to help me learn how to use the 3D printer. We will be using modified CAD apps to create our designs. Our technology teacher has offered to collaborate with us, too. This is very exciting and just a little bit complicated, and I promise to keep you posted.
My 2014 immediate artistic goals are seasonal. During the remaining winter months, I am looking forward to creating altered books with some old, cool books I have picked up at flea markets. As the weather warms, I hope to do some mosaic work with the many buttons I have accumulated. Once it is warm enough to work in the pottery studio, I have some ideas for peacock themed clay work. I do expect to continue to paint on the iPad, and I am looking forward to taking my time with projects without the daily deadline. One of the benefits of fulfilling the Every Day Drawing Challenge is my newly developed habit of setting side an hour or two each day to pursue excellence. This is a habit I plan to hang on to!
