Why I’m Forcing Myself to Paint Every Day for a Year

Why I’m Forcing Myself to Paint Every Day for a Year

 It’s obvious to say that I follow a LOT of artists on Instagram. One of the most common trends some of my favorite artists have pursued is the 365 Art Challenge, where you create something every day for one full year.

Yep, create one thing a day for THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE DAYS STRAIGHT.

Whether I started following their creative journey from the beginning, or somewhere in the middle, one thing I’ve seen from every artist who have completed the challenge is the emergence of a signature art style, and major improvement in technical skill. The transformations are always so significant, no matter the medium.

So, that got me thinking - could I do this? Have I done anything for a year, without fail (other than food and sleep)? Nope. This needed to change. As someone who has never gone to art school, daily practice is exactly what I need to get better at my work. 

Day 2

So I bought a Strathmore Watercolor Journal and resolved to take on this challenge for myself!

I knew in order to get the most out of this challenge, I had to really make it a “challenge”. I wrote down all of the things I’d like to improve upon during the challenge.

My list of creative components to master during this year includes:

  • Variety in face and facial expressions, including hair
  • Improve upon my skills in anatomy and figure drawing
  • Work on character development
  • Practice landscapes with a clear foreground  and background
  • Create more digital art
  • Attempt a looser art style
  • Using light and shadow in interesting ways
  • Experiment with new color combinations
  • Play with new lettering Styles

I also knew I couldn’t take on all of these goals at once. That’s one hefty list up there. I mean, look at it. So to make these goals more manageable and to fight the real possibility of artist block, I broke down each of my goals into 30-day challenges with daily prompts!

This is my planned calendar for the year:

  • March 2018 - Flora & Fauna
  • April 2018 - Faces
  • May 2018 - May Mermaids
  • June 2018 - French Dumpling
  • July 2018 - Fandoms
  • August 2018 - Hip Hop Lettering
  • September 2018 - Outfit of the Day
  • October - Inktober Witches
  • November - Patterns, Ink and Lines
  • December - Cityscapes
  • January - In the Forest
  • February - Night Lamps
  • March - FREE FOR ALL

Day 7

You know what the best part is? YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE CHALLENGE WITH ME!

Every 30 days, I’ll release my new theme with the daily prompts, and you can jump in on any day, at any prompt, using whatever medium you want. If this sounds awesome to you, sign up here to get the prompts in your inbox!

If you do, please share them with me! I’d love to see your work and have the peace of mind knowing that I’m not in this alone, ha. Tag @kimposed on Instagram or Facebook and use the hashtag #365withkimposed to make sure I don’t miss it. I’ll also feature your work in my Instagram stories!

But, if you just want to watch me in my journey, that’s okay too! I’ll be posting every day on Instagram, with some behind-the-scenes in my stories.

Either way, wish me luck on this journey. I just finished Day 8, and it’s been such a fun and new process.

I can’t wait to see where I am on Day 365.

Back to blog

Leave a comment