What's For Breakfast? Some tips to make journaling more of a daily event.

Hi GF's, I was sitting down for breakfast this morning and started to think about my sketchbook. Finding the time to sketch and journal takes some planning and a determined effort. It isn't going to happen unless you make it happen and I find that some days the process will get pushed completely out of my schedule, does that happen to you too? Here are a few things that might help you to set that special time aside.

1. Actually schedule yourself a block of time to journal, paint or just create. If your goal is to try and paint and journal daily make a date with yourself by scheduling a small block of time, like a 1/2 hour to start.

2. Make a special place or make it a special event so that you can escape and be alone to really concentrate on your journal without interruptions. I like to grab a cup of coffee and go outside to my hideaway and just sit and enjoy the morning. Sometimes I just have breakfast with my sketchbook soaking up the early morning sun, like this morning.

3. Don't take too much time, if you are busy then sketching might feel like a chore and we want it to be something you look forward too each day or every other day. If you don't have time for a sketch just do some abstract washes on your page to return to at a different time.

4. Bite off small pieces to start. Don't try and sketch a whole landscape scene if you have only a 1/2 hour to sketch, save those big sketches for a day when you have more time. Pick something small. If you are painting from life, which I encourage, crop your view. You can crop your view by cutting a square or rectangle in a piece of card stock, like 3"x4" or 2"x3", now hold up your rectangle and move it around your area you are now looking through that hole to crop the view or subject you will paint and sketch. Your phone or camera are also another great way to capture a cropped scene or subject to paint. Sometimes just being outside looking around makes it too hard to pick something out to sketch, crop your view.

5. Don't worry about perfection, its so much better when it isn't perfect. Use a pencil first, make your sketch, correct anything you feel is grossly wrong and then you can outline with your permanent pen and erase the pencil lines. You might even try erasing your lines leaving only a soft outline to paint by and no outline. When you get some confidence try just sketching with your pen, no pencil first. Experiment and decide what you like best.

6. Remember its your sketchbook, yours to do with what you like. Take notes, make observations, jot down your thoughts, record how your life is opening up as you really learn to see your surroundings.