Practice makes perfect
It sounds like a year of art would yield amazing results right? Well I say it depends on the artist. You can’t pick up a pencil and expect to be perfect. It takes time, practice and maybe at least a handful of years. A the beginning of my journey I found an amazing video that helped me put things into perspective. Brookes Eggleston at The Character Design Forge shared some strong advice that helped me pushed through to the end. His advice is, if you’re still in your first 1,000 hours of drawing, you should be drawing more. I can say that some pieces I spent 10 minutes on while others took a few hours. And I discovered that I took more time to draw as the year went on. And I saw improvement!

Don’t force it
I had a few weeks throughout the year where I wouldn’t touch my Ipad because I needed a break and I took it. Of course I had a lot to catch up on when I got back, but I wanted to continue and I wanted to finish. If 2020 had a theme for me, it was commitment. For the first time in my life I’ve been self motivated. I stuck with drawing and even created that Youtube gaming channel I had wanted to make for years. So I pushed aside all self doubt in myself and forced myself to work. If you never start, how can you finish? But know yourself and the process because forcing yourself to do something you enjoy, can end badly.

In my youth I used to give up because I didn’t feel happy with my work. Now I understand that the best talents can be learned if you put your mind to it.

Choose your weapon
My supplies at the beginning of the year were an Adonit Pixel Pro and a 2013 Ipad Mini 2. My supplies at the end of the year are an Apple Pencil 2nd Generation and an Ipad Pro 2020 11 inch. I can’t say that using professional supplies will give you professional results, but it’s nice to use the tools because using them fuels familiarity. And if an artist is familiar with their tools, they know how to get the most out of them.

In January, when I looked up tutorials for Procreate, I often hit a wall because I was on an older Ipad. My IOS wasn’t up to date and so my Procreate was an update behind. Now this is a first world problem for sure. I tried to work with paper and pencil but I had such low confidence in my skills that I wanted to work in digital. It was easy to erase my mistakes and even easier to draw with the symmetry tool. Find what works best for you and practice the shit out of it!

You might as well
The year went on around us even when we were stuck inside. So you know what? You might as well do it. A year of art was over in a flash. I was going to get up and live my life anyway. So why not add some art to it? I don’t want to regret it down the line. And if it takes 10 years to become a good artist, why not start today? I’m going to be 43 eventually anyway, I might as well learn to draw until then! But this doesn’t stop at just learning how to draw.

Think about something you’ve always wanted to do. What is stopping you from doing it today? If there’s anything I want to do in 2021, it’s to continue to throw away those feelings of self doubt. I can be capable of many amazing things, I just need to take that first step. And you can too.

Make 2021 a year of doing, instead of wishing. I believe in you! Happy end of 2020, and I’ll see all in the new year!

The post What a year of art taught me appeared first on A Daily Lee.

Summer Prep
Get rid of all those spring bedspreads and themes because baby, that time of your life is over! Right now spring reminds me of when quarantine first hit but now everything in The Netherlands is opening up again. Fill your home with light and airy elements that help to bring your favorite summer themes inside. I love white sheets during the summer so they’ve all come out of hiding. Another thing I do prepare for summer, is keep a bottle of Breath Of Fresh Air to spritz on since we don’t have an AC.

Sort your things
Oh boy, I’m terrible at this. Just because I cleared out my closet, doesn’t mean I organized it well. Make sure that your summer pieces are at the front while you push the winter pieces to the back. I’ve only got one wardrobe with my entire year is packed into it. Don’t be like me, frustrated midmorning, dripping with sweat, and looking for a tank top. Keep that baby up front and center so you can grab it and go!

Switch Colors
My color pallet this summer is rose pink, honey, and taupe. I want to stay away from all the black I had worn last summer so I made a promise to myself. I would only resort to black if I seriously had nothing to wear. There hasn’t been a problem yet! If you’re like me and you have a smaller wardrobe to work with, having a capsule wardrobe makes life so easy. Pick and choose a few things you adore and put away or donate the rest. It also forces you to pair your pieces in different ways, so get those brain cells into gear and start planning!

Plan your meals
Summer is all about BBQs but what can you do if you don’t have one? Improvise! This year wanted to prepare for summer by googling my favorite summer meals and made a list of what we need for each. This week we had Sloppy Joes and Fries, something Sander had never tasted before. We also had chicken soft tacos and fajitas! Next week I’d like to make some fancy hotdogs or maybe even a cold pasta dish. The options are endless so that your summer can be too!

Don’t forget the plants!
Oh boy, let’s talk about the plants. Don’t forget to water them as often as they need it. All my balcony plants need a ton of water since they sit out in the sun. My indoor plants are in better shape but that doesn’t mean I can slack off. Water your plants in the evening so that the summer heat doesn’t steal what you’ve just poured out. Now is also a great time to feed your plants fertilizer so they can grow huge! Ah summer takes me back. I remember my mom standing outside with a hose and a hand on her hip as she watered the flowers. I don’t have a lot of memories of my younger childhood days but a few of them from summer are precious to me.

The post How to prepare your home for summer appeared first on A Daily Lee.

Decide on your inspiration
I love color so much. I’ve got a dozen folders saved to my computer only filled with color palettes. Design Seeds is where I get most of my color inspiration. I know that I wanted to stay on the lighter side of the spectrum so I browsed around. I found color schemes that spoke to me and saved them. Once I had several of these saved up, I took all these photos into Photoshop for the next step.

Choose your colors
Now comes the hardest part, deciding on what colors to keep and what to toss. Since the Procreate color palette allows only 30 colors per palette, I had a lot of deciding to do. I did this in Photoshop but there are dozens of free to use programs that allow the same techniques. First I created squares and filled them with my desired colors. Then I deleted any colors that were too similar or not as strong when placed next to other colors.

Arrange the swatches
I decided to start with pink first and move down the rainbow with my colors. It’s not perfect but I went with colors that I could use for the next 3 months. I singled out bright and pastel shades that complemented each other. At the very end I added a rust shade for me to sketch with. I use red to sketch and lay down ideas before drawing the final image. But I’ve love rust for so long that I wanted to keep it.

Compare colors
Think about situations you would use these colors for. I noticed that I refer to older Procreate color palettes because the one I was using was missing a color. This time I tried to fill in as many gaps as I could so I wouldn’t switch back and forth between palettes. I think I found a happy medium for what I’ve done and what I hope to do.

Save and download
I saved my finished file as a .jpg and emailed it to myself. Then from there I saved the file to my Ipad and opened it in Procreate. I selected each color and dropped it onto a fresh palette and saved it with the name Summer 2020. Now, just in cause you loved the colors I ended up with, you can download the .jpg here or the .swatches file here. I had a blast creating this and can’t wait until autumn. It’s my favorite season and I’m sure I’ll have too many colors to choose from!

After thoughts
I’ve used this color palette for a week now and I have some thoughts. I wanted to choose colors that I could use all season long and that’s why I have a lot of variation. Sometimes I’ve had to take a starter color from it and either darken it or lighten it to fit what I was doing. I think it’s a great start for my first palette. I’ve learned a lot from doing this and can’t wait to curate the next one!

Please don’t let the message of Black Lives Matter be forgotten. I enjoy drawing while listening to audiobooks. You can see my recommended reading list for more information on the topic in my summer Anti-Racist reading list.

The post My summer 2020 Procreate color palette appeared first on A Daily Lee.

Do something else
I often sat at my computer, watching the rain falling outside. Instead of pressuring myself to work, I got up and did other things. I did laundry, the dishes, and even sat down to mend some clothing. These other tasks felt a bit like procrastinating in a way, but I focused on things that needed doing. That meant no sitting on the couch watching reruns of NCIS. I felt better after completing my chores and this elevated feeling allowed me to get back to work. As much as I love working, I can’t do it well if I’m not in the right headspace.

Take comfort in others
Sometimes I like to talk to Sander to get into that headspace. It’s so important to have someone in your life that is willing to listen to you when you need it. It doesn’t always have to be about my deep dark insecurities either. Sometimes we talk about simple things, like what’s for dinner and how the dogs are doing. We even like to share photos or interesting news articles. Talking to Sander helps to ease my anxiety sometimes. There are days when his words are a breath of fresh air for my tired soul!

Get organized for the future
We’re dedicated Pokémon Go players and that’s no secret. What has been a secret though, is that we’re going to Liverpool for the Pokémon Go Safari event. It’s been ages since we’ve been out on a vacation together so I’m more than excited for April. And to prepare, I’ve got the task of figuring out our itinerary. April is ages away but it’s going to be here before we know it! And at least I can say that I’m on top of things, even when I feel like I’m not!

Wait it out
And at the end of the day, I can say I did my best. But motivation isn’t always so easy to hold on to. If the entire day passes and I still feel unmotivated, I wait it out and look forward to the next day. We’ve had the sun come out a few times throughout the week and it’s been so good. I can go on longer walks with the dogs and they don’t come back unhappy and wet! Sometimes these things take time but there’s always a fresh day tomorrow.

The post How I deal with a lack of motivation appeared first on A Daily Lee.

This year I took up the Bardot drawing challenge and for February I’m also doing Figurary. In May I plan to do MerMay and Inktober in October. If there’s any other drawing challenge I want to do it. Why? Because I finally want to commit. I doodled off an on growing up but now I want to take it seriously. And there are always obstacles to commitment.

Push through the frustration
Beginner’s frustration is a huge reason why so many people quit early. We all want to be good right from the get go and that’s never easy. While there are genius students, most of us fall outside of that box. The huge part of becoming a master of a craft, is practice. I can’t say that I’m happy with my art after only putting in 100 hours. I need to push myself and get up to 1,000,000 hours before I can even hope to have something good to show. It’s a terrifying figure to look at isn’t it? While I’m sure even 500 hours will be a vast improvement, it’s getting there that’s the scary part. Imagine throwing yourself into something so hard because you love it. Don’t do it for the result, do it for the journey.

Keep yourself accountable
Don’t tell yourself that you’ll do something every day and then don’t do it. Commitment is something that should fit well into your schedule. You’re the one in charge of the choices you make. Hold yourself to high standards and you’ll soar. Allow yourself to fail and you’re only failing yourself. Remind yourself that you’re pushing forward to help yourself get better at something. It can be training for a marathon or teaching yourself how to paint. If you only do it once a week, your results will show. Put in the time and effort you want to get out of it.

Take a break
I know this point is going against the previous one, but realize when you need a break. It’s only February but I already feel the pressure weighing down on me. I decided to take up Figurary to compliment the doodles I’ve been doing. It’s been difficult. It’s that cycle of wanting to be good from the get go and the disappointment in not seeing quick improvements. So instead of dreading doing the exercises, I take a day off and do two the next day. It’s been helpful and insightful for me. Taking that break is the first step to allowing the process to sink in. You’re going to have a better time of succeeding if you do your task on your own terms instead of forcing yourself to go against the grain. But that doesn’t mean you should let yourself fall behind!

Be true to yourself
If you feel like there’s too much stress preventing you from pushing on, take a break and come back later. It’s ok to go outside and get some air. Don’t shut yourself away from everything you know and love. Growth happens in all areas, and in all directions. Commitment is hard. It takes a strong person to realize strengths and weaknesses and how to address them. And if you’re halfway through and something feels off… No one will fault you for stopping. You can always pick it up again at a later time if it feels right. And if you don’t continue, you haven’t lost anything. You’ve grown, learned, and figured out what works for you. Anything that harms your health, mentally or physically, should be a red flag. Be honest with yourself and don’t stop yourself from succeeding!

The post Observing commitment in 2020 appeared first on A Daily Lee.

You aren’t the same
Do you remember what you were like this time last year? I was a nervous wreck still worried about passing my Dutch exams. I had just finished doing Nanowrimo 2018 and it felt so good. But I was also depressed that November had ended. See November gave me an excuse to be creative. I had spent so much of 2018 working on Dutch that I was in no mood for creating. This year though… I did Inktober, Nanowrimo, revived my Bullet Journal, and have made plans for future creative adventures. Just remember that you change all the time and you should be proud of the person you are.

Even small victories are a victory
Everything happens in steps so don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t reached all your yearly goals. I wanted to lose 20 lbs this year but I only lost 10 lbs. Stress eating and snacking after 7pm are the worst offenders in my book. But you know what? My diet is a whole lot healthier than last year’s. I also cut out chocolate as well. Can you believe that I used to binge each chocolate last year! I treat each victory as a big one and pump myself up for the next step. You should too! Celebrate yourself by recognizing these achievements and allowing them to propel you forward.

A moment in time
When I have a particular hard day, I remind myself that tomorrow is a new day. It helps me look forward to a new morning and a fresh start. Anytime you feel hopeless or in a rut, just remember that this is just a moment in time. You’ll feel better soon enough so hang in there! It always helps to treat yourself extra well during these tough times. Fix yourself a favorite meal or treat yourself to a day out. If there’s anyone that knows how hard you work, it’s you! Don’t forget to celebrate yourself and how far you’ve come!

Get up and go
If you ever feel stuck the best thing you can do for yourself is just get up and go. I enjoy taking long walks in the morning and evenings with my dogs. It allows me to get some fresh air and remove myself from any hanging feelings I had in my home. Sometimes I wake up and feel like it’s going to be a terrible day. I make myself a big cup of tea and then head outside. Sometimes the sunshine helps but it’s been getting rainy here. Instead I turn up the heater and keep myself busy! Don’t let bad feelings keep you from being yourself! You can always learn something new instead. I’ve been enjoying Binging with Babish especially since he’s been talking about some of my favorite meals!

The post Small ways to celebrate yourself appeared first on A Daily Lee.

Every line has to be perfect and every letter should be beautiful. It’s so stressful! I can’t do that, just can’t. I never practiced my calligraphy in middle school. I’ve been told my handwriting is like a crow walking on paper. And I know a beautiful journal requires practice. Unfortunately I’m a person who tends to quit instead of practice. I want to be good at the get go. So instead, I’ve come up with an alternative method. I can use my strengths to my advantage. So here’s how I revived my Bullet Journal.

Don’t go over the top
Since my writing skills aren’t up to my tastes, I’ve opted for a simple style. My printing isn’t too disgusting and I can tolerate it. I’ve been able to find loads of calligraphy templates so I can practice and up my skills. Until then, a clean and minimal look does the job and looks pleasing as well. Don’t let my confidence deceive you, I used pencil to write everything down first!

Find the right system
I browsed Pinterest for ages until I found a simple monthly spread. It’s the entire month at a glance with room for important dates, things to remember, and things to plan out. That’s the extent of it. I wanted to do weekly spreads but I was never busy enough. I don’t have meetings to go to and I don’t have friends to plan outings with. And while that suits me just fine, it leaves a lot of empty spaces on the page. Instead of wasting that space a monthly glance is all I need. Do some research and find what works for you!

Forget perfectionism
There have been times where I wish I had more supplies or more creativity for the page. That’s the downside to finding a lot of inspiration in other people’s work. If my page doesn’t look like theirs I feel deflated. It’s difficult to let go of these feelings but what makes me feel better is that I know my page a result of who I am. Just like those fancy Bullet Journal artists that have millions of Instagram likes. Their pages are a result of who they are, and we are all different and imperfect!

It’s ok to spend a little
I felt there was something missing from my pages so I recently got a pack of Ecoline Pastel Brush Pens. Let me tell you, a little goes a long way! My titles now pop with the light colors and I’ve never been so in love. I had no idea what my pages had been missing until I watched a few Youtubers work their magic. Sometimes it’s the little details that we forget to take note of that have the biggest impact.

Never stop growing
What I love about Bullet Journals is that there’s no real way to create one. There are thousands of beautiful layouts online and used to I spent my days wishing I could have a beautiful book in my hands. The honest truth is that I need to work at it. It’s another skill I’d like to someday have. There’s no pressure either because it’s a book for my wants and needs!

The post Bullet Journal Revival appeared first on A Daily Lee.

One of the books I’ve recently recommended, An Unexplained Death: The True Story of a Body at the Belvedere, discusses suicide. Even though Ray showed no signs of contemplating suicide it was suspected that it was his cause of his death. Even his wife saw nothing unusual. But there’s no concrete evidence that supports this theory. This doesn’t change the fact that suicide is a beast that has no limits.

Which is why it’s important to take preventative steps. I read up information on the World Mental Health Day website and spent some time browsing WHO’s webpage. Here’s just a fraction of useful information I found. Please visit WHO and The World Mental Health Day for more information.

A few signs to look for
People who talk about plans for ending their life
A change in normal behavior, something like dramatic mood swings
Outbursts and visible emotional distress
Talking about being hopeless and having no future
Outlandish behavior, a lack of interest in hobbies or socializing
A deterioration in physical health

What to do if you’re worried about someone
Express your support for the person in question and rally a group of friends to help out
Do daily check ups give them information for the Suicide hotline, there’s even one for The Netherlands
Ask the person to seek medical help
Educate yourself about suicide prevention
Remember to be empathetic to others, we are not here to judge

It’s important to remember that suicide is preventable.

The post World Mental Health Day 2019 appeared first on A Daily Lee.

Inktober is an drawing challenge created by artist Jake Parker. It focuses on improving skills and creating positive drawing habits. Every day has a new prompt to inspire the participant. Even though this is my first year, I’ve watched way too many videos on how to prepare for it. So I’d like to share what I’ve learned from finishing my first 7 days of Inktober.

Come prepared
Inktober is about practicing with ink and paper. It’s the most traditional one can get when it comes to drawing. I’m currently drawing in a large unlined notebook that I got years ago. I use a 2H pencil and these pens to ink. The S22 is my most used pen out of this set but I like using the S20 to fill in large spaces with black. I’ve heard that the best pen to use can be a common ballpoint pen but I wanted to play a little this year. Someday I’ll use a ball point pen because I’ve seen some gorgeous pieces!

Pace yourself
I’ve realized that I can’t find time to draw on the weekends. For some reason or another, we’re busy and I can’t focus. So instead I’ll draw a few extra prompts over the week and post them on the day of that word. It will make my life less stressful and I can stay on top of things. There’s nothing worse than falling behind and feeling discouraged about catching up. Falling behind is a huge reason for why so many people quit challenging themselves.

Don’t be critical
While each drawing prompt is a single word, it can be easy to overthink what to do. I’ve seen some beautiful pieces come forward but I always end up looking at what I’ve done and be a bit sad. So I suck it up and remind myself I need to put in the effort now or never. It’s better to go simplistic and draw something I know I can. I want to push myself all the time but end up feeling frustrated with my skill level. There have been several times I’ve started a new drawing because I was unhappy with the previous one. And that’s ok!

Sharing progress is eye opening
I have an Instagram account for drawing so that I have a space to share my progress. It’s more of a personal online library where I can look back at what I’ve done. I’d like to be able to look back 10 years from now and be able to see how I’ve improved. It’s a common thing other artists post about too. I love when artists post a redraw of a particular image. It’s a good way to judge on how style and method change too! A digital copy of art is also an easy way to keep track of pieces when a stack of notebooks piles up!

Enjoy the process
I watched Brookes Eggleston’s video on how everyone has 1,000 bad drawings inside of them. Of course it was a parody video but something in it made a lot of sense to me. I want to be a good artist but I’m not. How can I be when I’ve only put in a handful of hours? There’s no way I can be good unless I’ve practiced enough. Getting 1,000 drawings out on paper is the first step. They may be terrible and I might hate them but it’s all part of the process. The great thing about doing and completing Inktober, is that it encourages the participants to draw everyday. In 1,000 days I want be a better artist than I am now. And that’s something to look forward to.

The post 5 ways to get into Inktober appeared first on A Daily Lee.

All these apps are free but you can access more features through unlocked content.

Adobe Lightroom
This is my first stop on the editing train. It’s like the PC version and perfect for correcting lighting colors. I use this often to add more depth to my photos by giving them more shadows. I also use this to make sure my whites are white and not blue or yellow! Lightroom does need a little knowledge of how to manipulate photos but that can be solved by playing with it!

Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is my go to for fine tuning photos. So far I haven’t used it often and that’s good! I only use it to correct spots and erase things I don’t want in my photos. The nice thing about shooting on a phone instead of a camera is that I can focus in on a subject. My camera has a fixed lens so I cannot zoom in. I can zoom in and out with my phone so my photos tend to be tighter on the subject matter.

VSCO
This app is well known and has become popular almost overnight. I’ve been using it for years and purchased all the buyable filters. I can’t say that I use them all but I love having options. This the only photography apps that doesn’t get too much use anymore. I only use this for filtered photos that I send to friends. I enjoy photo editing a lot but I don’t like posting heavily edited photos. So this app is useful if I want a specific look and feel to what I produce!

The post My favorite phone photography apps appeared first on A Daily Lee.