82 Nights Art Book Project

This little book is very special me.  When my first child was born, we lived away from extended family and motherhood was very new to me.  While I hoped I could continue making art during baby’s naps, and learn how to be a parent at the same time, it proved to be very difficult for me.  I was trying to break into the publishing industry at the time, and I felt I needed to make digital paintings for my portfolio to be successful.  It took a few years and a shift to watercolor painting before I felt I could fit art making back into my life.  I started creating small pieces that I was able to step away from if needed, and I was able to finish them within a few days. Then my second child was born, and I was worried that this would mean another long break from art making.  To prevent this from happening I decided to join an online challenge, and draw a small ink drawing each day for a month.  I purchased a small blank journal, and made my first drawing. 

The first few pages were fast and simple, but the 5th day’s drawing turned out a lot more intricate, and that set the tone for the rest of the sketchbook. When the month ended, I kept going, because there were more pages in the book, 82 to be exact, and I kept drawing when my younger child napped, or at night when both boys were asleep.  This way I have filled the whole journal, and then with some encouragement from friends and family, I decided to self publish it as a small art book.  The book was crowdfunded, and ended up with even more illustrations, as I included original drawings as part of the campaign.