Top LR: Blue (300 gsm); white hot press (250 gsm); white cold press (250 gsm); grey (90 gsm); brown or natural (250 gsm); capuccino (90 gsm); black (250 gsm)

I recently gave a short talk on my drawing process. I described the paper, medium and brushes, subject selection, posting, and drawing as a business. This is a summary of that talk.

The Project

I began a challenge to draw one plate every day for a year starting September 20, 2019, and to post one plate a day on Instagram. I’ve kept it up for 21 months now. Why the challenge in the first place? Why do people climb mountains? Same answer.

I aimed to draw or paint, from quick sketches of as little as a few minutes to paintings taking hours.

The Process

Materials: Paper.

All my plates are done on A5 paper, small to help ensure completion of a project within a day. I use a variety of sketchbooks of 90 grams/square meter (gsm) to watercolor paper of 310 gsm, hot press and cold press, white, gray-, black- or blue-toned, and capuccino. I use the heavier papers (250 gsm at least) for water-based media and the lighter ones for quick sketches with pen or brushpen.

Materials: Medium and brushes

I started with watercolor pencils then transitioned to watercolor, gouache, and acrylic, the latter two being my favorites. Brands include Pebeo, Sakura, Reeves and Prang. I use Staedtler pencils 4B, HB, and 2H, Tombow and Arteza watercolor brush pens, gel pens, fountain pens, a Tori brush, and others. I have also tried digital art, but it’s not to my liking.

I use brushes with different shapes and sizes, the same brushes for all the media, making sure to clean them between projects.

I usually begin by making quick, light pencil marks with a 4B pencil because marks easily with the lightest of touches. I pay close attention to lengths and angles but not to details such as windows or tiles. I do not draw perspective lines. I’m not so much copying exactly but rather letting the pencil “play” over the page. I then draw the definitive lines using stronger pressure on the pencil or a water soluble gel pen.

Then I color, painting from the top to bottom, background to foreground. I paint the blocks first. Then I paint in from dark to light usually. Then I put the tones; I may or may not ink the lines again.

I do “cheat”. I add textures and adjust shades using watercolor pencils that I may or may not wet later. I never shade a painting with a pencil. I add white details with a gel pen. My favorite technique is using brush pens (Tombow) to add shades. The gray brush pens for toning make colors look more realistic.

Subject selection

Most of my subjects are photographs downloaded from Instagram. I prefer architectural subjects; I do figure drawing from time to time. I browse IG then save what I may want to paint later. I use photos for two reasons: first, unlimited subjects; second, I’m not really good with composition. I follow especially good photographers.

I work in batches. I first decide on the paper and how many plates of that paper. Say, 10 hot pressed white paper for one batch, and 10 black for the next. Then I select from my collection of photos and save images in the order in which I will paint them. That way, I put all the agony of choosing what to draw outside of the drawing process itself.

But I leave the room open for inspiration. Quick sketches are part of this; they are not planned. I sketch while waiting in line or while waiting for my order in a restaurant. I draw from life, from IG photos, or make quick sketch versions of other projects. In my ideal world, I do not take photos.

I do not take commissions.

Posting and metrics

I use two metrics to track performance. First, the number of plates completed per day; aim is one (1) per day. Second, the number of original plates posted on IG, also 1/day. I overshoot those goals: more than 60 completed plates right now are in line to be posted.

Since I post on IG, one might ask how I consider the number of “likes”. My goal is to draw and not to get “likes”. Followers span the spectrum of taste; as a marketing rule of thumb if the number is at least 5% of the number of followers then the art work was “liked” by the general audience. But a “like” says nothing about aesthetic merits unless it came from a real art critic. The number of such followers can be as small as 1; the number of “likes” one gets from them are few.

Who gets them

This activity is a hobby. I have freely given out works to a few friends and family and I certainly will be giving out more. Painting could be a source of living for me, but it isn’t for one reason: priorities. One makes a big jump when converting a hobby into a business, that jump is called “gaining traction”. The marketing and administrative tasks represent a significant investment in time and effort that I do not want to make right now.

But, why not, if opportune, I’ll sell.