After feeling a little vulnerable, I took to Facebook Live to express my anxieties. I’m not much of a Twitterer so I plied my steel nib and some India ink instead.
In case you had something better to do at the time, here’s a record of the event.
Videos
How to get over a creative block
My SBS co-founder, Koosje Koene, has been experiencing a bit of a creative block of late so she has been asking for strategies on how to get past it. We did a Skype chat in which I gave her a few ideas to help her reshuffle the deck and get back to work.
This chat is part of a series for the Sketchbook Skool blog which has lots of other ideas for improving your creative life. If you sign up for the SBS newsletter, this sort of advice will find you and kick your monkey’s butt.
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P.S. Please excuse my unshaven, pimply appearance. I am going through a second adolescence and my usual hair and makeup person is on sabbatical.
Workbooking – make some money
I love making money. And it’s easier than it seems. Just crumple up a bill or spread it out — and then open your workbook and dive deep into the details with your pen.
The way I approach this little bit of counterfeiting is the same way I draw anything complex. I’ll take you through the steps in this video.
It’s a lovely subject for meditation. Spend a half hour doing this and you’ll emerge much richer. And so will your workbook.
Workbooking – a week of drawing lessons
As you know, I am rather lazy and always eager to get out of work. So don’t be deceived by the plethora of seemingly-fresh videos below.
Last year, when the original Art Before Breakfast came out, I made a bunch of quick videos to explain the principles behind the week of drawing lessons. As I have a similar week of instruction in the workbook, I am resharing those videos for you to follow here. Lazy, but effective.
Despite their vintage, the lessons still work.
Spend a week watching the videos and doing the exercises in the workbook, and, by the weekend, you’ll be ready for your first one-person show at the museum of your choice.
BTW, I filmed these in the winter and I think I was sick with something during a couple of them, so you’ll notice turtlenecks, sweater vest, pale skin and a red nose. Don’t be alarmed. I’m better now.
Today’s Facebook Chat.
I chatted with a bunch of folks of Facebook Live today. It was great fun and there were lots of great questions. If you missed it, here’s a record of the event.
Workbooking: a travel disaster
I try. But when a stressful day with too little sleep has me on the ropes, my best intentions go out the window. Here’s an example. My pledge to share an exercise from the Workbook as often as possible — draw, make a video about it, and then blog about it — collided with my recent travel itinerary and the results are recorded on YouTube.
Warning: this video is a little crabby, a tad unreasonable, and the drawing’s not something a professional teacher would share with his class, but the actual valuable lesson in it is about life, the challenges of trying to better oneself, and when to board a plane. Enjoy. Then get back to work.
Workbooking #3: The power of more
Let’s get down to some actual drawing. This video is a trick for turning lousy drawings into a cool piece of art. It’s all about the power of more, how a page of even mediocre drawings gains power and beauty as you add more drawings. And this approach is so fast and simple, taking just a minute each — a minute you can fit in, no matter how busy your day. Just make sure you keep that workbook handy for when the moment strikes.
Workbooking #2
This week is all about finding triggers that will help make drawing into a regular part of your day, building new patterns and habit to make you more creative and productive. It’s also about why you should bother— why do you want to be creative? What are your goals and aspirations?
I am really enjoying poodling along in my workbook. The paper is hefty, the size is just right. And I’m having fun making these simple little videos — no SBS level production value, just me, my iPhone, my kitchen, workbook, and pen.
It’s funny being taught by myself. I thought about all of these exercises a lot when I wrote the book and its predecessor but, with the distance of time, I am now able to dig into each assignment as if for the first time.
But enough about me.
I hope you are working alongside me and filling in the pages of your workbook too. And if you don’t have one yet, it’s not too late to enter for the giveaway. Just email your name to gift@sketchbookskool.com and we’ll pop it in the hat. I’ll be drawing names at my Facebook Live thingee on Saturday.
Work with me, People!
I am slowly working my way through the exercises in my new book, Art Before Breakfast – the workbook. I keep it on my kitchen counter and start each day by filling in a few pages. It’s a nice, gentle creative experience that’s reviving my drawing habit and I thought I’d record the experience as I go along — and share it with you.
This isn’t meant to be a commercial, just a sort of visual process journal shot and edited on my phone. If you are working through the book too and would like to share any thoughts or discoveries, I’d love to hear about ’em.
Hi ho, it’s off to the Workbook we go!
My new book is out! It’s succinctly titled: Art Before Breakfast – the workbook: How (and why) to develop a creative habit, no matter how busy you are.
It’s all about how to get a creative habit, so you will make art every day. It’ll teach you to draw, to create, to stay committed, no matter what your level.
It’s printed on lovely chunky paper. It’s a big but not too big. It’s full of ideas. And some jokes. It’s my new BFF and will go with me most everywhere.
Based upon my bestselling book (six foreign-language editions and counting!), this encouraging, guided journal is packed with short exercises designed to help shape a life-enriching artistic habit. Open-ended prompts, visual examples, and lots of blank space for drawing make this workbook a fun, accessible entry to artmaking for anyone looking to carve out time for creativity.
No matter your age or drawing ability, this workbook will become your constant, creative companion.
Click to get yours now!
Danny Gregory 