I am genuinely excited to say that in just one short weekend, I can feel my artistic groove coming back to me.
When I first started this sketchbook, everything felt a little shaky and a little rusty. My lines were not confident, and I felt that familiar pressure creeping in, the need for things to be right. But after watching more of Jess Karp’s YouTube videos and allowing myself to be inspired, something shifted. I found my way back to loose sketching. Back to play. Back to making art without chasing perfection.
I cannot fully express how meaningful this is to me.
For years, drawing and painting often felt heavy. I stressed over finding the right colors. I worried about whether the lines were good enough. Art became something I felt I had to control instead of enjoy. Somewhere along the way, the fun got lost.
Looking back, I think part of that hesitation comes from my childhood. I grew up without the means to buy art supplies freely, and I learned early on not to be wasteful. That mindset stayed with me longer than I realized. Traditional materials felt precious, and that made experimentation feel risky.
Digital painting was the first thing that truly loosened that grip.
Because there was no fear of wasting supplies, I gave myself permission to explore, to make mistakes, and to play. That freedom changed everything for me, and I can feel that same sense of joy starting to spill back into my sketchbook now. It feels familiar, like coming home.
Another big factor in this shift is my growing understanding of the Loomis head method. The Loomis head is a foundational way of constructing the head using simple shapes. It starts with a sphere, then uses center lines and proportional guidelines to place the facial features. Think of it as a flexible grid that helps keep proportions consistent while still allowing for expression and variation.
Having this structure in my mind has made sketching feel easier and faster. I am no longer guessing where things go. I am building them. Whether this improvement comes from finally understanding the Loomis head or simply from years of accumulated practice, I am grateful for it either way.
This piece is another small step in my 100 Portrait Challenge. What excites me most is seeing the progress in such a short amount of time. My linework feels more confident. The compositions feel stronger. And most importantly, I am having fun again.
That alone feels like a win worth celebrating.
Leave a Reply