The pleasure of doing a thing in the same way at the same time every day, and savouring it, should be noted.
–-Arnold Bennett
I like having a balance between routine and novelty/adventure. Routines can be comforting…two of my routines right are spending a few minutes a day on drawing and playing on the glockenspiel. When I do them I’m not pushing for a goal. In both cases I’m doing simple things and savoring the experience, it’s more a form of meditation. I’m just relaxing and seeing what works and what doesn’t. (I don’t do them the same time every day.)
I’ve been mainly using pencil and paper when I play at drawing, but I decided it would be handy if I also felt comfortable using my iPad and Apple pencil. I have several drawing apps, and Procreate is rated as one of the best, so I decided I would face the learning curve and draw a simple picture, something like the dinosaur in this Half Full cartoon.
I read a simple primer on the program and understood how it dealt with color and layers, but the problem was which of the many brushes to pick, and what settings to use. I couldn’t find one that was a simple round brush that I could just change the size of, so I found this video:
Okay, I could do what he said without trying to understand it now, and these are two drawings I made:
That’s all I need for what I want to do, and I now feel comfortable using the app. All in all it was worth the few hours I spent on it.
What’s your balance between routine and new things?
September 11, 2022
Altho I like impromptu, routine is a big part of my day.
I like a balance between the two.
One of my routines is to take semi horizontal bed breaks. I might find myself here umpteen times a day. I don’t actually feel comfortable on my couch, never feel I’m at the right angle. And this bed is wide, so I’ve room to put “life” around me.
Of course I do sit on couches and chairs … like bus/train or like yesterday an hour or so at the craft group and in a few hours at my study group meeting.
I’m replying on my phone so my website thing won’t show up…
I’m so glad you’re having a chance to get out more. 🙂
I’ve always been big on routine. A change in my daily routine would throw me off track and ruin a perfectly good mood. I think I’ve gotten better but I still am heavy on routine and need way more new things thrown in the mix.
Julia Cameron in the Artist’s Way suggested going on artist’s dates. Just something fun to wake us up and stir our creativity.
I like the color of the first dino and the smirky smile and eyes on the second. I would love to play with ipad and pen if I had one.. and would of course.
I do play a lot in the computer, and have no set time, I love new software, I don’t do new things except in the computer
In the past I did all of my drawing with pencil and paper and the computer. The iPad makes it a lot easier.
We were talking about this very thing at Bible study this morning. How most of us are more comfortable with routine. Honestly, I don’t often seek out new things because I’m afraid of messing up.
The trick is to try things that don’t matter if you mess up. That’s why I like books like Start with A Scribble. It encourages us to play and see what happens. There are no mistakes.