Back in September of '08, my watch alarm would go off every day at 1:59 pm, and I didn't know how to turn it off.
So I decided to draw myself in the position I was in when my alarm went off, along with whatever I was thinking or hearing at that moment.
It was okay, but I wanted the drawings to be really high-quality, so (like an idiot), I made daily sketches that I intended to finish later. As you might assume, the pile of sketches stacked up, and I never finished them, and after a week or two, I got overwhelmed by all the drawing I had to do, and I called the project off.
I soon forgot about that project, and in January '09, started a new daily journal: Numbered Days. It was a 3-panel strip that I drew in a Moleskin daily planner that had really conveniently-sized spaces for each day.
It was pretty good, but I wanted the drawings to be really professional, so (like an idiot), I made daily sketches, and the rest writes itself. Needless to say, Numbered days (despite having several really nice strips), has gone the way of the Dodo, the Model T and the... previous daily journal I just wrote about.
But then, a few weeks ago, I was cleaning out my hard drive when I discovered the sketches for the first project, and realized I really liked reading them only a year later because they sparked my memory for what life was like last year.
So I have officially given Numbered Days the boot, and Re-instated the Original Journal, with one crucial twist- the drawings are crap!
By allowing myself to do quick, loose, occasionally sloppy drawings, I can ensure that I at least get something out every day, and it also raises the odds that eventually my ability to draw quickly and well will improve.
ON WITH THE NEW JOURNAL!
