A quick sketch for e-book I’m currently working on. I’m also experimenting with digital pencil lines, where I typically sketch with traditional pencil and scan. Saves time and trees, I figure.
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Why a sketch all of a sudden after a couple month hiatus? Ya see, it’s November and all the cool challenges are well under way. There’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month), of which I am a participant of again this year.)
There are probably a bunch more, but suffice it to say, November is a busy month for some.
Last year, I thought just to heap even more onto my plate, I’d make November a “sketch a day month” or SkADaMo, for myself. Just trying to get back to the early days of my blog when I feverishly posted just about every single day. When my synapses seemed to be firing on all cylinders and ideas where presenting themselves to me faster than I could sketch or write them down.
Sigh. Those were good days.
This exercise may not have gotten me back to that place completely, but it did get the ole synapses firing again. And I figure between attempting a picture book idea a day and a sketch/blog post a day, I’ll at least have a notebook/sketchbook/blog filled with chicken scratches of some sort or another again this year.
Better than blank pages and outdated blog posts, I say.
I even made a badge for myself last year and one again this year. I may be the only participant, but by golly I have a badge.
If anyone wants to join in, they are more than welcome to grab the smaller badge, off to the side here and start sketching. No rules, just that.
It starts today.
Ends November 30.

Wow very impressive Linda, you did an amazing job last year, glad to see you are taking up the mantle again. I think I will give it a try myself as I am working on a kids chapter book and this may be the kick in the pants I need to keep a good pace.
So what do I need to do officially to join you in your quest? How do I add your groovy SkADaMo button to my blog, or do I make my own?
btw: are you sketching digitally with a wacom or a cintiq? I ask ’cause you have kept your line work pretty close to your traditional look and when i have tried it with my wacom I really can’t draw as well, just curious.
keep up the good work, cheers -k
I love chicken scratch…. count me in!!!
Kevin, how fun that you’re going to try it with me! Actually, there are no rules, just grab the little badge off to the side and add it to your blog sidebar or anywhere you want to put it. You don’t really even have to do that. Maybe add SkADaMo to your tags, so you can easily access all 30 of your sketches. We can make stuff up as we go along, just mostly try to get a sketch a day up.
BTW, I’m using a Wacom and using a Photoshop brush I grabbed from someone online and then tweaked with my own texture. I can give it to you if you’d like.
You keep up the good work too!
Yay, Roberta! How fun that you’re joining too! See the above reply to Kevin, who is also joining for the very sparse rules, hee hee! Sketch on my sistah!
Thanks again for inviting all. Have been looking for another great challenge to push the creativity this month!
I have really missed seeing your almost daily sketches, Linda. In fact there are times when your illustrations trigger either a flash fiction piece of a children’s picture book story for me. And since I’m participating in Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo again this year, I look forward to any other inspirations your wonderful drawings may come my way!
Donna L Martin
http://www.donnalmartin.com
http://www.donasdays.blogspot.com
I am in…gonna try and work this in conjunction with the PiBoldMo ideas I generate. Looks like my 10pm bedtime goal might be tossed out the window this month.
Thanks for the challenge.
Awww, Donna, that is so sweet of you to say! If I’ve been even the teeniest trigger in your creativity, I feel honored. Yes, I’m hoping, also, that this gets me back in the game, not only in November but for good!
Oh wow! That actually sounds like a great idea. I might try that as well. Yeah, who needs sleep, eh? Good luck, Jennifer!
we’ll sleep when we’re dead