#December Bulletin . 2024
Art & life findings of the month
(Click on any colored words for links)
Hello!! Happy December!
Since we'll all soon be busier with year-end tasks and holiday preparations, I decided to send out the December bulletin a little earlier.
I always have this romantic idea that the bulletin should land in your inbox at the perfect moment—but what is the perfect moment for each of you? We’re more than 100 people here {THANK YOU!}, and I’m sure it’s virtually impossible to pinpoint a single answer to that question. Nonetheless, I personally save my favorite newsletters to read calmly on Sunday mornings, when I’m sitting alone in my pajamas, holding a cup of tea to warm my hands, and pecking at biscuits.
Do you also save books or the chapters you’re enjoying to read, so you can revisit them later when you have a calmer moment?
Given how busy December can be, I’ve dedicated this bulletin edition to my latest discoveries about drawing habits. For me, drawing is the best activity to calm and rest the mind. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s always just a pencil’s length away. Sometimes, I even draw in my head looking at something—no pencil needed! (Is that too weird?)
So here are a few ideas to (starting) drawing:
The December drawing prompts calendar from Urban Sketchers. You can jump in right now and follow the upcoming themes, or you can steal some ideas from it.
If you're looking for something more personal and meaningful...
I’m a big fan of The New Yorker comics—those everyday, humble comics about ordinary life with a universal touch of humor. However, the idea of drawing a comic always seemed like a huge task to me. But then I came across this video from the DrewScape channel, and it made me feel like maybe I can do it! The illustrator uses a simple 6-panel grid to capture memories from daily life, with a system of fixed prompts:
By focusing on ordinary occurrences, we can create something expressive and meaningful. Plus: it’s just another great excuse to use watercolors and pen & ink, of course!
Yesterday I came across a similar idea from Draw Together, created by Wendy MacNaughton, she says:
“We are going to become beauty collectors. Every day this week we are going to find ONE MOMENT OF DAILY BEAUTY, then draw it in our sketchbooks.”
I love that! I believe all artists are beauty collector and I’ve been working with grids in my recent watercolor large pieces as a metaphor for “ fragments”. So I feel very connected with both ideas.
What a lovely idea to start a drawing habit without overthinking what to create! Here is the “DrewScape” full video if you are curious:
The testimonial of how drawing can be a powerful healing tool:
As a YouTube user, the algorithm often recommends artist sketchbook videos, and one day it suggested Danny Gregory. I clicked on a video where he shared how drawing saved his life after a heartbreaking event. His story deeply resonated with me.
Drawing and painting pulls me into the present moment, helps block out the noise of worries, and somehow makes me more in tune with everything happening inside and around me. It’s amazing how something so simple can have such a profound impact.
Things that made my life better [2024 edition]:
New friendship
Traveling to learn from another artist
A charming and whimsical pottery vase I picked up from Red Pot.
Reading poetry before bed instead of scrolling through social media
Taking magnesium every night
Consciously choosing be grateful
Finding joy in playing with my art supplies without a goal for a final outcome.
The artist life:
My winter classes schedule at Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
Registrations started in Dec 03. Click here for more informartion.
Search the calsses for the codes: #53745 #53422 #53736 #53739 #54036.
I will be teaching at North Van Arts, starting in February-2025: 4 Saturdays Watercolors Intro for beginners, followed by 4 weeks more in March with the theme “Birch Tree Workshop”. Click here for more information.
THANK YOU &
HAPPY FESTIVITIES!
Thank you so much for being here! I’ll see you in January. Until then, wishing you a calm and restful end to this year. Stay warm and cozy and kind.
:)
Sophia Longo.