Lemniscate of Bernoulli
I drew a close on today's painting, and it was the fourth page of this sketchpad. This pad has 16 sheets in total, so I have somehow gotten past 25%. That's making me giddy with both joy and fear. At this rate, I'll have to budget a sketchbook a month? Ha. I used to be very skeptical reading people's art blogs, the way they seem to race through one book after another. However, just like writing and game jamming, filling a sketchbook gets easier after the first one. The more I practice, the better my paintings turn out, and it becomes a virtuous loop reinforcing each other.
I do limit myself to one painting a day, so there are days like today where I'm left with excess energy after I finish one. It's a somewhat arbitrary limit, self-imposed because I have a tendency to overdo things. I want this to be sustainable, and to be sustainable I have to be able to pace myself. Maybe eventually I'll soften the limit a little as I gauge the safe zone. Admittedly, there's a bit of escapism at play here, as my workdays haven't been particularly smooth. I don't want to turn my painting habit into an excuse for not getting my work done, even if there are only five months left.
Notice that I said one painting a day. I still keep an everything-goes sketchbook handy and I let myself doodle to my heart's content. I find this a good compromise. There are days where I have no energy to actually paint. I usually could manage simple scribbles, sketches... I call this dailies but I don't actually force myself to do it daily. Almost-daily, as Hobonichi puts it. A practice supported by good intentions and best efforts.
I begin to see patterns emerging. The tools I reach out the most... the paper I long for the most... the style I gravitate towards in days I don't feel like doing anything else. My posture leaves a lot to be desired, though. I hunch over the low table or reclines too far, so at the end of each session I could feel my joints cracking. I'll have to rearrange my working space so I could stretch my legs...
Maybe dreams do come true and one day I'll see myself working from a proper studio. Who knows.