INTRODUCTION

Artist on location, by Kati Nawrocki, ink with brush and photo collage

TO MAKE ART is a sometimes mysterious, sometimes rewarding, and sometimes frustrating process. If you are already an artist, you know exactly what that means. If you have never attempted to create a piece of art and are thinking of embarking on this journey with us, you will find out what that means. To be an artist means to invite an occupation into your life that requires commitment and hard work, but the rewards and satisfaction you’ll get make the work seem like play. But you have to do it every day.

This leaves us with the question: doing what every day? Creating what?

Often the hardest part for any artist, from beginner to professional, is getting over the hurdle of the so-called white-page syndrome (as in, what do I put on that white page?). The One Drawing a Day philosophy is about the possibilities inherent in that white page. It’s a philosophy of creating art without restraints or obligations. By committing to produce just one drawing a day, of anything, for no other purpose than to do it, the Studio 1482 illustrators incorporate art as part of our lifestyle. It’s not necessary to block out a special day or two weekly to work on your art; in fact, that sort of emphasis can be detrimental. Who hasn’t experienced that moment when you are at your drawing table (or dining room table) with pencils sharpened, crayons ready, paint squeezed out on the palette and you are ... totally blocked. Frozen. Your setup and materials are so good that you’ve psyched yourself out! And if you have beautiful, expensive paper that your well-meaning friend or loved one has given you, then the pressure to perform can be even worse.

What if you simply picked up a cheap disposable pen and a piece of even cheaper paper and made a drawing? Without taking too much time. Without judging the result. Without worrying about drawing something important; in fact, simply drawing whatever is right in front of you. Boom. You’ve just made your first drawing.

What if you did that once a day, every day, varying your materials, your location, and your thinking? You would then be on your way to discovering your artistic potential. And if you made the commitment to do this every day for six weeks, then you would be on your way to creating the habit of artistic study that makes a good artist great.

That’s the premise of this book.

Studio 1482 is comprised of eight working illustrators: Greg Betza, Michele Bedigian, Despina Georgiadis, Margaret Hurst, Veronica Lawlor, Kati Nawrocki, Eddie Peña, and Dominick Santise. We have used the One Drawing a Day method to keep our work fresh and alive. When we met as students, years ago, we set our sights on becoming professional artists and illustrators. Now that we have done that in our various ways, we are faced with a new question: How do we keep alive the spirit of study and experimentation that brought us to this point, when we are often commissioned to perform our illustration a certain way for our clients? Our blog, One Drawing a Day, allows us to do that. We can play, experiment, and foster the growth that is essential to an artist’s survival without compromising the work we deliver to our clients. After all, we’re happy to have them! And as our experiments grow they improve the illustration work we deliver as well.

Using the Studio 1482 posts on the One Drawing a Day blog as a springboard, this book will lead you through six weeks of drawing. That’s forty-two daily exercises designed to motivate you to make art. Some of them will encourage you to work with various media such as pen and ink, pastel, watercolor, or collage. Some will encourage you to visit places in your hometown or further afield to draw. Some will ask you to do a bit of research. All of them will encourage you to expand your horizons. You can do the exercises in the order presented or jump around as your mood dictates. The most important thing is to complete them all in a way that works for you. There are tips to guide you along and variations on the exercises in case you want to take them further. By the end of the six weeks you should be on the way to establishing the habits that will keep you motivated to continue drawing.

It’s work, for sure, but it’s work that we love. We really believe in the honest practice of our illustration craft without boundaries, to find out where this artistic journey will lead us. Through the forum of our blog, we can critique each other, encourage one another, or simply enjoy each other’s work—and hopefully find an audience of viewers who enjoy it as well. It’s been gratifying and rewarding, and we at Studio 1482 hope that the One Drawing a Day philosophy can work for you too.

So let’s get started ...