Day 10 of this challenge, I just picked up this pinecone that sits amongst my collection of stones in a round basket on my coffee table. Then I drew for an hour or so. Yes, there are days I think to myself “WHY?” and I answer myself with “Because it’s a pandemic, and it’s winter and there is nothing else better to do with your time. Oh, okay.” So I draw.

Day 11 had me drawing from a photo of a frog sitting on a mushroom that I had downloaded from a Facebook group. I actually had fun drawing the mushrooms, something I had never drawn before.

Day 12 I scrolled through my photos on my phone and tried drawing Annie from a photo I had taken on one of our walks at Rolling Hills. Ugh! Objects I do well with but living beings . . .I need a lot more practice.

As you can see with my Day 13 poor attempt at a self portrait (actually scary attempt). I need a lot more practice drawing faces: eyes, nose, and mouths!

So I pulled out another drawing book, yes I have a whole bookshelf of them. This one is The Ultimate Book of Drawing: Essential Skills, Techniques & Inspiration For Artists by Barrington Barber. I turned to the chapter on Portraits and began to read and highlight as I read. I have had this book for a while. I think I got it while I was working at Edwards Brothers Book & Journal Manufacturing, I’ve been retired for ten years, so yes it has sat on the shelf for quite a while.

I started with the young girl for Day 14 then moved to the male Day 15 and finally decided I needed to practice the eyes, the nose, and the mouth a whole lot more Day 16. I should probably practice drawing them everyday before doing any other drawings.

Day 17 My eclectic interests got the better of me and led me to drawing a skull!

Day 18 After posting a photo of Annie with static electric hair on Facebook and Instagram, my granddaughter suggested I draw Annie. She had been outside in the snow and I had her laying on a towel to dry off. She kept rolling around and when she popped up this is what she looked like. I just laughed and laughed after taking the photo. So, I drew her this morning. I call it Annie’s Bad Hair Day.

I’m glad I challenged myself to this 100 days of drawing, it’s almost as demanding as taking a class except I have to come up with all of the assignments or ideas.

In the past I have drawn a series of the same thing, like two years ago was the Petoskey stone series and five years ago it was clementine sections and peels. I have probably a hundred photos of all different angles. I usually eat a clementine a day and I unpeel them in one continuous ribbon then separate the sections so it looks like a flower. A clementine flower. I almost drew one this morning, but I kept hearing Ceci’s suggestion in my head so I had to draw static electric Annie.

Maybe for Day 19 I will draw a clementine flower, who knows.