Hour by Hour
What if you had to draw something every hour all day, but each drawing could take only one to five minutes? That’s the challenge I issued to participants at a recent workshop on Arts and Birding in Maine…and this page is my own result. Starting at 5:40am with the clothes hanging in my closet, I found that sometimes I knew what I wanted to draw (the osprey nest), but more often, I just stopped at some point during each hour and drew whatever was in front of me (flowers on the breakfast table at 7:40am, my half-eaten turkey wrap at 12:59pm).
My aim with the challenge was to encourage participants to work fast to get something down on the page, without worrying so much about how it turned out. I also wanted people to see that it is possible to make time for sketching, even if it’s just a few minutes each day. By getting into a habit of regularly putting pen to paper, drawing skills improve!
Since it’s impossible to convey “a day in the life” on this island in just minutes of sketching, I thought I’d also give you an expanded view. Join us in 2015!
Arts and Birding 2014, Audubon Camp on Hog Island, Maine
Drawn In 
I would so love to join you next year. Do post on your blog about it when you have more info. I live near Seattle so it would be a very long way to come, but it would be absolutely wonderful.
That is a long way…but could be very worth the trip! I will post details when they are available.
Jean, this is absolutely delightful…I love your sketches AND the slide show. You made me miss Maine, terribly.
Thanks so much, Cathy! Maine is a special place and I can understand why you would miss it if you haven’t been in awhile. I would like to get there more often myself! Glad the slide show brought back fond memories for you.
Hello Jean – great memories of my trip to Hog Island. You would be proud of me I sketched this morning instead of exercising – in pen! I tucked my Hog Island journal in my bag today in hopes of a lunch time sketch! thanks for your inspiration!
Fantastic! Keep it up!