One of the things that has been good about this whole lockdown has been the fact that I have turned doodling into sketching and painting. I created a pandemic notebook that I use every day to draw in.
It have always been better able to pay attention while doodling, and now my doodling is growing, and I can actually see myself getting better.
It’s quite nice to see the improvement, and it makes me want to continue trying new things.
I haven’t sketched this regularly since I was a kid and I used to sit with my Gramps while he showed me.
My sketches still pale in comparison to his – and I am lucky enough to have several of his sketchbooks. But he never stopped, and I did, so I have some catching up to do.
I’ve got books, I’ve got online classes, I’ve got a Pinterest board where I save things I want to try and copy, but the practice is where the skill lies.
It’s also a good reminder of other things that I need to get done. It’s not great now, but that changes with practice.
It’s also a good reminder that I need to pick up my writing practice. I write a lot at work, and I journal just about every day right now, but there is other writing I could be doing, and more reading too. I haven’t been reading as much as I’d like during this pandemic crisis thing.
I have been watching quite a lot of British television. I have successfully knit a pair of mittens and one sock. I have finished either three or four puzzles. I have ordered fabric online to attempt to help the kid make a dress. I am trying to build myself up to that. Some days we do well, and some days we do nothing but frustrate each other.
We’ve got at least another month to go here, it seems, probably more, and I have some goals to add on to all this. I want to get my exercise into more of a routine, including some yoga sometimes. I want to train the dog so we can trust him off leash.
I want to cook more with my kid who is developing a real knack for it. So far we’ve made bread and pasta together – including fresh pasta sauce.
Frankly, I’d like to get through some of my lists on Crave, Netflix and Prime.
But during long meetings, while I’m paying attention to what’s being said, I will continue my drawing. Perhaps as I continue I will also learn to be more patient and meditate on little details instead of trying to make them work in a faster, less precise way.
1991:
What he drew:
And what I drew:
