Pencils for 100 Day Project
Creative Life,  Pattern Love

And then it is #100dayproject time again

For those among you who started following my blog last August, you might have seen my blog post on my participation in the #100DayProject last spring and summer. It was an amazing experience that really got me going and that lead to me setting up this blog. Only a day or two before the project kicked off, I set up the social media channels for Me + My Craftroom to be able to participate. So, it was really kind of spontaneous.

My 2020 Edition of the #100DayProject

My actual goal for the 2020 project was to have a daily surface pattern design practice. As I was doing Bonnie Christine’s Immersion Course and wanted to use the project to focus on sketching and making repeat patterns. But somehow I pivoted along the way and instead of #100daysofsurfacepatterndesign, I changed the handle to #100daysofpatterndesign. This way I could also include patchwork and quilting as well as Islamic geometric patterns.

In the end, Islamic geometry made up the biggest chunk of my creative practice. For a total of 75 days, my daily postings were related to Islamic geometric or biomorphic patterns. In the end, I vowed that I would post another 25 days of geometric patterns for reaching the golden number of 100 days. I started doing this in August and posted another ten days with the hashtag #25extradays. Since then another nine posts were related to Islamic geometry without having this specific hashtag, however. 

So, the golden 100 days were almost reached after all. Only 6 days left… 😉

100DayProject Statistic

This Year’s #100DayProject

In only two days this year’s edition of the #100DayProject will start. I was a bit surprised by the early start already on 31st January 2021, to be honest. But this way it is actually much more realistic for me to participate in the project in 2021 as if it had started beginning of April like last year. Thus, it will end on 10th May, just before the little one is supposed to make an appearance.

Of course, we will see how much he will stick to his schedule and arrive before, on, or after the due date of 17th May 2021. This will be the first indication, I guess, of how much he got from his German mum… 😉

Books for Sketching during the 100 Day Project

What to plan for the 2021 Edition?

So, what does this mean for 2021? I need to come up with a topic that I can do despite being pregnant and that does not really require too much preparation and moving things around. Something I can do quickly in only 30 minutes and that is realistic to do until the beginning of May.

I could go on with Islamic geometry of course, but I have the feeling I would do this anyway whenever I do a course (and actually also finish a pattern). This would be too easy a choice!

At the same time, my topic should challenge me as well. But it should also give me the room to pivot and change things if I need to. My topic should be a skill I want to improve and that is related to one or more of my creative categories.

And as I am not sure what the next months bring – whether I stay in Qatar or move to Germany for welcoming the little gentleman into the world there – it should be something that I can do everywhere. Something that does not require a lot of equipment or all of my art supplies. 

#100DaysofSketching

After giving it a lot of thought, I came up with the following idea for my 2021 edition of the #100DayProject: #100dayofsketching

How does this sound?

It is easy enough to do wherever you are. I just need a sketchbook and pencils. I can be pivoted to sketching on the iPad as well to practice Procreate or Fresco. If I move these things will be easy to take to wherever I go. And I can dedicate just 30 minutes or an hour to it every day. 

Flower Sketching 100 Day Project

And thinking about it even more. This is exactly the part that holds me back from making repeat patterns regularly. I always think that I need to come up with the perfect sketch before I can work on the repeat. The work in Adobe Illustrator is not even such an issue for me. It is more the sketching part that I need a push for.

Somehow I always feel that it is difficult to find the right start to sketch or the right notebook, the right pencil, the right topic… there is always an excuse for not starting at all.

How I prepare for the #100DayProject

Glas with Creative PromptsThis is why I decided I need to prepare in a different way for it.

I set the main parameters from the beginning:

  1. I will dedicate a bunch of small sketchbooks that got years ago in Sri Lanka during a yoga holiday. They are small and fit into a handbag. So there is no excuse whenever I am not at home that I don’t have the sketchbook on me.
  2. Should I be bored with sketching on paper, I can also use the iPad and one of my drawing programs. This way I can also see different effects and check out the effects of different sketching tools.
  3. I don’t have to invest too much time in my sketches. A daily routine of 30 minutes should be enough for the start.
  4. Topics for sketching can be either taken from one of the many sketch prompts that I have been collecting on my Pinterest wall called ‘Art Prompts’. But to have them visual, I prepared a glass with various sketch prompts. This way I can draw a topic randomly every day if I have no idea.
  5. It won’t be required to color or paint the sketches. So, simple black and white sketches will be totally fine. Actually, they are better even, because I can scan them and use them for making repeating patterns later on.

My 2021 Reward

Spoonflower boxLast, but not least, I will create my own reward for sketching for #100DaysofSketching.

As I want to use my sketches eventually for my surface pattern design projects, I think it is only fair to connect the reward to this. My ultimate goal at the end of #100DaysofSketches would be to have a good selection of sketches suitable for repeat patterns.

That’s why I decided that my reward would be to have a pattern or two printed on fabric via Spoonflower at the end of this year’s #100DayProject.

I will keep you posted on this, hopefully by the end of May 2021!


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