The 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge

Kids spend so much time in the car! It’s easy to reach for a movie or electronic game to fill the time on long trips… or even short errands around town. But why not take a break from technology and just reach for a sketchbook instead?

“Almost all artwork, no matter what the final form, begins with drawing because drawing is the artist’s fundamental tool.” ~ Mary Blair, Disney artist and designer of Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World” attraction

Drawing is an essential skill, not only for artists but for everyone. The ability to communicate visually is an important tool for expressing ideas in a way others can understand. Many adults are intimidated by drawing, but this can be avoided by encouraging drawing from an early age.

Drawing ability, like any other skill, improves with practice. But the thing about practice is you have to find the time (or make time!) to do it. So, encourage students to take the 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge! Keep a sketchbook in the car and commit to drawing instead of screen time while riding in the car for the next 30 days (or longer). This will give kids the extra minutes and hours it takes to see improvement through practice, and who knows…. it may even become a habit to reach for that sketchbook!

Hey kids…. need help getting started? Here are 5 ideas to get you drawing:

Choose something you’d like to be able to draw and practice drawing it over and over until you become an expert! (Some ideas might be horses, dinosaurs, cars, people, castles, superheroes, etc.) Get a “How to Draw” book to keep in the car or print some pages from the internet and stash them in your sketchbook for reference.
Imagine an invention inspired by a Rube Goldberg machine and draw what it would look like.
Practice drawing 3-D.
Try some fun lettering techniques… design a new font and write your name using it.
Draw some Zentangles.