Sheep Skull and Progress

2015-03-31 21.51.17

A friend of ours in the village specialises in cleaning bones and skulls to be used in education, he gifted my son this sheep skull last year.  It’s something I’ve been wanting to draw for a long time but always found it too daunting.  Last night I decided to give it a try and was surprised at how well it turned out.

Drawing this it made me realise just how much progress I made even after a mere three months of my 365 day project.  At the beginning I often felt frustrated and discouraged, was this ever going to get easier?  Would my lines ever get better?  Will I stop having a headache with perspective?  The answer is yes, a little at a time, yes.

The funny thing is, starting the fourth month, the “project” feels less like a big deal.  It’s just something I do, it’s not something I think about or that my family asks me about anymore.  Goes to show this making a habit thing really pays off.

How is your personal challenge going?  Do you have a new one planned for April?  Can you see progress from when you first started?

15 thoughts on “Sheep Skull and Progress”

  1. I have the skulls of a fox or dog, and several birds, and have felt exactly the same – a bit daunted! Your drawing is lovely, the mark making really works to give a different texture between the horns and skull. You’ve set the challenge now Mel!

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  2. Wonderful drawing!
    The challenge Nina and I set with our blog was not specific, just to make more art and talk to each other about it (something we always planned but never followed through with–the blog is a huge improvement over emailing photos back and forth). I think it’s working pretty well, although my “unfinished projects” completion has lagged more than I would have liked.
    I do have a new challenge in mind, which I will be posting about soon.

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  7. How great to have a friend to support your work and keep each other going. I think through the blog I have met so many people who continue to inspire me, it’s a good motivator. I can’t wait to see your next challenge!

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  10. I feel great to be in this space and time with you as we are both in the beginning stages of our journey. Your skull looks wonderful and bravo for tackling it, even more for surprising yourself. What a great feeling!

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  11. This is such a great skull drawing! I know I’ve said it before, but I love your lines & ink drawings.

    I mainly started my blog as a way to motivate myself to draw a lot more regularly & to see some improvement, not necessarily to do art everyday like you & others have been doing. Now with April here, I’m attempting the daily drawing challenge for at least a month!

    Looking back at my earlier posts, I wish I could say I saw more improvement, but I only see a little here & there. However, I started drawing a lot more regularly (nearly daily) in February & March, so maybe that will help. One area where I’ve definitely seen improvement is my confidence. I don’t feel as anxious about starting a drawing, or think that I shouldn’t even attempt to draw something.

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  12. Increased confidence is no little accomplishment! I hope you enjoy your daily challenge and get to try some things that you wouldn’t have in the past. Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂

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  15. You’ve got a great sketchy style that is very accessible, realistic and still shows off your talent… Cross hatching does seem to work well for bone.

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