20 Minutes a Day

I had actually begun this two days ago, when a friend suggested that I draw an action shot, and then another yesterday. The one limitation was that - since it would contain two characters, I only spend 20 minutes on each drawing (10 minutes for each guy). I enjoyed it, and had decided to do a third, when I read something that made me think.

The Sept/Oct 2011 issue of HOW Magazine had an article discussing self-promotion via the Internet, and specifically linked Jessica Hische's "Daily Drop Cap" and Noah Scalin's "Skull-A-Day" projects [page 104-105]. I had considered doing a ___-a-day project before, but always felt that school would get in the way, or had cast my net so broadly that I ended up flailing (and failing). But this, this could work.

I want to be hired by an animation studio as a character designer, sketch artist, or storyboard artist, and therefore need to improve my drawing skills. I need to be able to create believable characters, who occupy a realistic (or at least consistent) space, and move within the bounds of physics. So, retroactively, I have decided to begin a 20-minutes-a-day drawing project, picking an action shot (most likely based on a sports photo) with two or more characters.

I will use a mechanical (.7) pencil, a kneaded eraser, and a stack of 9" square paper I have left over. I will spend no more than 20 minutes on each day's drawing. I will aim for anatomical accuracy, a sense of dynamism, and unique characters, as though these were single storyboard frames.

Here are the first three I have done, including today's:

Saturday, June 9, 2012 - Ram Tackle

Sunday, June 10, 2012 - Turkish Oil Wrestling

Monday, June 11, 2012 - Orca Discus