Scribble Birds

What’s better than sketching birds?

A hundred birds! Tee hee

I began my 2nd 100 day project in the fall of 2022 instead of the official spring start. I’m a gardener and 100 days would mean finishing in May, so I start right after I close the garden. Winter is a great time to do this kind of thing!

The guidelines are simple. It says to find something you can do in 5-10 minutes a day, and the tools you need are accessible and portable enough to fit in your purse or backpack.

This year I picked up a 3.5 x 5” Robert Bateman 110lb sketchbook with 50 pages so I had to pick something that I could do on both sides of the page. I used charcoal for last year’s 100 day project so that would be too messy and smudge onto the other page, so I chose a black ball point pen.

The parameters I set for myself are as follows. I used Google maps to randomly pick a country, find a bird, take a screenshot, and set the timer for 5 minutes. I began holding the pen normally but found the lines too dark. Before switching to a pencil, I decided to try another approach. I angled the pen in my hand to scratch at the paper from the side of the pen. The ink didn’t always come out, I got blobs, and various line weights, but I loved it! My approach was to sketch the birds but found it easier not to lift my pen off the paper, hence the continuous line drawing.

After 4 days, I questioned my decision to do scribble birds! How could I possibly do this for 100 days? Two weeks later, the panic had worn off and I had settled into a groove. If birds could talk, I’d be the seeds they eat. I’m in love with the smaller birds because they fit nicely on such a small piece of paper. The larger birds were more challenging to get the proportions right. I could have just drawn small birds, but I didn’t want to favor one over the other. Each country has so many birds to offer, and they are all so cute!

Because my art style is typically abstract, I don’t formally sketch as a common practice. Compared to last year’s 100 day project, which was totally abstract, I soon realized the birds had to be recognizable. I much prefer abstract art, but I pushed on, adamant to complete my project. Plus, it was too late to change my mind! It didn’t occur to me that the sketching part got easier until a friend pointed it out. Sketching is an invaluable tool even in an abstract way.

Did I miss any days? Yes! Life gets in the way sometimes. I didn’t beat myself up about it, no guilt, no shame, the birds will have to wait.

I made a quick slideshow on YouTube. Let me know which bird is your favorite?

Have you ever done a continuous line drawing?

What is your favorite medium to sketch with?