The Fortnightly Focus – First Findings

After introducing my Fortnightly Focus plan in the last post, I’m excited to share my first results!

For my first theme, I chose something both foundational and intimidating: nude figure studies. These weren’t meant to be perfect or polished—they were purely for practice. I worked digitally on my iPad and compiled all my sketches onto a single page, making it easier to see them all at a glance. Now that the first bi-week sprint is complete, here are my thoughts and takeaways from this initial step in my artistic development journey.

Observations from My First Sprint

First of all… it was actually quite fun to draw these sketches! I thought it would be boring and tedious, but it really wasn’t. Sure, I didn’t feel like I was creating the best artwork of all time (or even of my life), but the process was pleasant enough to be both relaxing and satisfying. Personally, I’m quite happy with how the lady on the ground turned out—she’s my favorite from the batch!

That said, I noticed something surprising: I felt like I wasn’t learning as much as I could… or as much as I had hoped. I thought it might be connected to the fact that these sketches were digital. Maybe I’d learn more if I sketched in an actual, “analogue” sketchbook rather than on my iPad. So… I bought a sketchbook! I’m curious to see how sketching on paper goes. It’s also my first sketchbook from this particular brand, so you can most likely expect a review in the near future as well!

Another Realization

Towards the end of the sprint (and after I’d already bought the sketchbook), I started working on improving my handwriting. Slowing down and carefully drawing each letter shape made me realize something important: I have very little control over the shapes I’m trying to draw! At first, I blamed my hand, but after some thought, it hit me that the slippery nature of the iPad’s glass screen might be the real culprit.

To test this theory, I ordered Paperlike, a screen protector that’s supposed to emulate the matte surface of paper when you write or draw on the iPad with the Apple Pencil. I’ve heard a lot about it, so I’m curious to see if it helps with my drawing as well. I’ll keep you updated on whether it makes a difference for me.

Reflecting on Progress

Looking back at this sprint, I realized that I might have been too hard on myself. Of course, I wasn’t going to learn a lot after just a few sketches. But even so, I noticed things I hadn’t thought about before while drawing humans. I started to see shapes differently and became more aware of certain aspects of anatomy that I’d previously overlooked. I didn’t learn a LOT about anatomy per se, but I realized that I need to think about how every body part is connected, not just how each part looks in isolation. It’s not necessarily understanding anatomy better in the traditional sense, but rather understanding how to approach it more effectively.
So, I’d call that a success already!

What’s Next?

Now, I’m thinking that I should give another sprint on the iPad a try before deciding whether to switch to the sketchbook. With the Paperlike screen protector arriving soon, it might feel more like drawing on paper, which could help. Plus, working on the iPad is a bit more comfortable since I have both the reference and drawing surface in one place, unlike with traditional sketching. What do you think? Should I stick with digital for now, or would it be better to jump into traditional sketching right away?

How has your journey been during the first weeks of January? Don’t be shy—leave a comment and share your experiences. I’d love to hear from you!

~Kat