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Although it’s wonderful to spend hours sketching, I know it can be tough to find the time to do that. In this post I’m going to show you how you can make the most out of just 15 minutes a day. In this short amount of time you can practice your observation skills, play around with proportions and get in some exercise for your sketching muscles as long as you limit yourself to one area of focus. You can spend the whole time trying to sketch a whole garment but you will make more progress if you decide to focus on just one area, for example, the volume of a sleeve or the shape of a pocket or alternative necklines.
It’s really easy to get caught up trying to make a decision on what to sketch and before you know it valuable time is lost. Before you start your timer have a few ideas written down or a Pinterest board full of inspiration ready to go. Don’t switch between different areas of focus part way through your practice. This is just a waste of time. If you keep switching between different areas you are not challenging yourself or allowing your brain to learn. Stick to the same thing, practice it a few times and you will see improvement by about the fifth or sixth sketch.
Try to make your sketches large. If you sketch small you are restricting the movement of your arm and most likely your lines will be stiff. Give yourself as much space as possible to sketch and allow your whole arm to move. You will find that your lines are a lot smoother and your proportions nicer if you do this. If you find it daunting to sketch big just block out the rough proportions and then start filling it in with simple shapes. The more you practice the more comfortable you will become.
Here is a rough idea of what you could be doing in your 15 minute practice: 2 minutes of random lines to get your hand moving 10 minutes of repeatedly sketching the same area of focus 3 minutes of quick shading or indicating seams to help understand the structure of what you’ve sketched Don’t worry if you don’t feel like you have accomplished much. It’s better to stop mid sketch than not to practice at all. If you are consistent you will eventually see improvement.
If you’re worried you’re not improving try comparing your sketches from one week ago rather than the day before. Often you won’t see improvement on a daily basis but if you look back after a week you will see that you are improving.