Weekly 100

Today I decided to give myself a goal: 100 pages of sketches* per week. I originally planned to do 50 a week, but my friend told me to do 100, so I thought sure why not! I gave myself this goal, because lately I just haven’t been sketching enough. On top of this, I began to notice the extent of my comfort zone and sketching skills. I see myself drawing the same ol things, in the same ol style, that I am comfortable with. As many times as I have heard this and have told others, “it’s all mileage,” and I hope to gain 5200 miles by the end of 2012.

Wish me luck and please critique my sketches, thanks!
I’ll post up a few here on Core77 but as 100 pages a week will make this thread unwieldy, please follow my progress on my tumblr page.

http://weekly100.tumblr.com/

Each week, I’ll be giving myself a theme. I think this will help me to understand the subjects better, keep me focused, and see improvements throughout the week. Many of the sketches will be copies of existing cars, products, etc. Once I get a grasp of my subjects, Ill start sketching out original designs.

Week 1
Theme: Cars
Start: December 30, 2011
End: January 6, 2012
Daily goal: 15 pages
Week 1 goal: 100 pages
Current Total: 3

Page #0001

  • It’s become more than just sketches now. Sketches, renderings, graphics, and 3D modeling will also be done.

Nice stuff. Look forward to more.

R

Thanks, but these arent really nice. Just in the learning phases right now. I’m already pretty behind on my daily goal of pages, but no pressure, I can complete 100 by next friday!

Current Total: 4 Pages.

Good goal. If it starts getting hard, narrow it down even more. Steering wheels. Grilles. Wheels. Rear view mirrors.

Wow, great idea slippyfish! Thanks.

So, coming up on the new year, do you have a thick stack of sketches?

Yo, the weekly 100 started yesterday… Ill have a thick stack of sketches by the end of 2012. Or at least the first 100 by next Friday.

Ah, sorry, I miss read the date on the first post! :wink:

It is good to assign yourself these things. Good idea. I look forward to seek g some of your favorites. I think it helps to sketch simple things, everyday things that you take for granted, like a pad lock or a toothbrush. It is so
Stiles hard to start out because their current form is so accepted… But it is good practice.

Took Slippyfish’s advice and sketched out some side view mirrors. While doing these, I felt that this was a great exercise in trying out fairly simple but interesting forms. It feels like you are forming a block of clay. I’m also getting better at sketching with a ballpoint pen. See the rest on my tumblr page, in signature.

Nice page!

Let me start by saying your sketches look great.

15 min per page = 25 hours a week
This is too much to maintain. Like any workout you should start slow and ease into this so it is fun rather than a chore. If on week one you are behind how will this be going 6 months from now. I think 25 per week is a difficult but more sustainable goal.

Sorry for being Debbie Downer

Thanks CrewKid.

I totally get what you mean. I may have bit off alot more than I can chew. But I am having a good time doing these pages. In terms of reaching the goal amount, there is definitely pressure. But rather than thinking of the number of pages I got left, Im just sketching and having fun with it.

Today, I took a stab at headlights. And man! Headlights are really difficult. Basically, when sketching headlights, I noticed I had to find a good balance between detail, indication, and contrast.

Here’s a look at one of the headlights pages. Check out the other page of headlights on my tumblr.

Really diggin your style man–keep them coming!

Wow, nice Headlights… Maybe don’t do 100 sheets of sketches and just shoot for 100 sketches, I wouldn’t feel bad if I didn’t make it but you should go for the goal.

Don’t listen to them. Just keep going!!

Great stuff on those headlights. This is a pretty inspirational thread you’ve got going here…

Sick stuff! Are these all ballpoint?!

Those headlights are electric! Looking forward to seeing all your sketches.

Nice line work! Your pen and paper work is developing into a distinctive style. Stay away from tablet sketch seduction! :smiley:

Thanks, im learning as i go though. I never really liked using ballpoint pens before, always stuck with my trusty pilot hi-tec pens. Now I cant see myself drawing cars with anything but a ballpoint.

Thanks, it was seriously difficult. Each page took a good 1.5-2 hours. Never sketched headlights before, so it was definitely refreshing, but scary. Only three more days left, I drew about half a day today and only got through 4 pages! Yikes I gotta hustle.

Haha, thanks NURB. I’m chugging along.

Thanks! Yes, these are all ballpoint. Discovered a new love for ballpoint.

Thanks! 4 more pages have been uploaded to my tumblr just now, check them out.

Thanks! Yea, I’ve always liked drawing with pen and paper, but I need to learn digital at some point in my life.

The week is almost over, and I barely past the 10 page mark. Not giving up, still chugging along. But the 100 page goal is looking very dim at this point.

Overview
Today, I drew cars. I focused on classic, retro cars. It was quite fun. The funny thing is, I always tried my best to stay away from classic cars. Their elongated proportions scared me. However, with Weekly 100, the whole point is to sketch things I never sketched before and guess what, after trying it out, it was so fun!

Something I learned Today…
I also learned something while sketching today. Details are important, and it will make your sketches look finished and pop from the page, HOWEVER, I learned not to jump into details from the very beginning. Instead, I learned to start rough, block in the main shapes, perspective, proportions, and placement of parts. On page 2, the one with only two cars on the page, is an example of too much detail too early on. I spent a long time on the grill and headlights and once finished, not only did I not have enough room for the rest of the car, but the car just didn’t look right.

My Question to you all…
Q: Is it only considered a sketch if it’s quick?
I’ve always prided myself in being able to sketch quickly. But with quickness came a lack of details, usually. However, with Weekly 100, each page has taken me more than 6x my normal rate of sketching. On the plus side, I have found a new love for doing detail work. Something I brushed off in the past. On the down side, I can only do a few pages within the same time limit. I’m curious as to watch you all think about this, are the sketches I’ve uploaded so far, still a sketch if it took forever to do? And should I sacrifice a little bit of detail to pump out more sketches?

Here’s page 2, where I learned something.


Here’s the 1st page that started today’s sketch session.

See the rest on my tumblr!

By the way, none of these pages have been reordered in photoshop. The layout of sketches are original scans and I am not throwing away a single sketch. If I mess up on one, I leave it and just move on to the next sketch. Rather than just showing the best-ofs, im taking all of it in as experience points to level up.

Think of a whole set of sketches that you never have to show anyone. Drawing for an audience put expectations that hinder your freedom to experiment and explore. I would suggest doing a series of sketches in under five minutes each. Set and egg timer, when it rings, turn the page. Detail will be sacrificed by necessity and you will be forced to find some new paths. Newsprint pads are good for that, feels less precious.