From the beginning of 2021 I started to draw into a new sketchbook and decided to give myself a challenge – to make a sketch every day for 365 days. I decided to make a selection of my favorite sketches from the last 6 months (July 2021-January 2022).
I did this challenge in order to see if I’ll have the focus and inspiration to draw every day and also to enjoy the process of drawing. Sketching is my regular practice and while doing it I don’t feel so pressured, also I think that is the reason why these drawings look more spontaneous than some of my other illustration/drawing/painting material.
During the first six months I was more persistent with this project, I think I haven’t missed a day of drawing. Although, during the second period I did skip some days/weeks of this challenge - I was luckily working more on some other projects, so there was a point when I was too tired to do a drawing in the sketchbook as well. But still, I’m satisfied with the overall achievement. Of course there is a range of works from better to worse but here is a selection I wanted to show.
From July till January, I had chance to travel around Croatia more (mostly during Summer) so there are drawings inspired by places, not just Zagreb (place where I currently live), but Delnice (my hometown), Šibenik, island Zlarin, campsite Slapić on river Mrežnica, island Iž, Ugljan and Zadar. For some sketches I was inspired by the exhibitions I’ve seen (Svan/Sven in Gallery SC, Lidia Boševski in Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, Prostoria 10 and Slavko Kopač in Meštrović Pavilion, The Ethnographic Museum). Other motifs from Zagreb show some places I like such as Dolac market or Britanac, cinema Tuškanac, Krivi put, mountain lodge Risnjak, shoe maker in my street and many other which caught my eye while just walking around or riding in trams. From Delnice there is my grandma's garden and Bigi the cat, some forest and nature – typical for Gorski kotar. I have to mention the Royal Tannenbaus by Wes Anderson, too. Of course there are many fictional situations from my head. I used many materials (mostly crayons, ink, markers, collage, watercolor and gouache) and I decided to do mostly black and white drawings in the last sketchbook so this is the reason why sketches at the end are mostly done with a black marker + maybe something extra.
