The most valuable tool in your kit could be sitting on your wrist. It’s the almighty timer on your watch!

Set a timer when you: 

• Choose a color palette

• Sketch from a reference image

• Clean your house

• Look at your phone

• Check emails

Does it feel restrictive and stressful? 

No! The timer makes your day feel more like a carnival. When it buzzes, you know it’s time to get off a ride and move on to the next! 

How can a timer help you?

Avoid overthinking - If you find yourself agonizing over getting that perfect line, set a 5-minute timer and it becomes a race between your brain and your hand. Hopefully your hand wins.

Limit procrastination - Errands, chores, and obligations can call out to us when we have work to do. Put 10 minutes on the clock, do what you can, then practice drawing!

Practice accountability - Social media is a necessity for promotion, but spending too much time there can sap creativity. Manually setting a timer to do marketing is a must! 

If I were getting married, I’d ask my timer to be the maid of honor at my wedding.  It may not be able to throw me a wild bachelorette party, but it’ll ensure I’m walking down the aisle on time.

A timer is my most important tool because it helps me treat my creative practice like a career. When I worked for others, I had no problem showing up at 9 am every day. The timer helps us treat ourselves with the same kindness and courtesy others expect from us.

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SECRET WORD: Pizza

I storyboarded nine spreads, introduced a new character, and incorporated a pizza on top of a roof. I’d call that a success!

Play for the full experience. Fast forward to 35:50 for the chatty part. It’s there if you like having creative studio mates chatting about art supplies and TV shows.

Here’s a link to the last session, where we covered fun topics like scanners, Procreate, and Photoshop!

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Here are my drawings from the session:

Some of these are in my cereal-box sketchbook I made with the help of the lovely ! She shares her sketchbook-making process in this video.

It was delightful seeing everyone’s wonderful owls at the end! If you share your work on Instagram, feel free to tag @BethSpencerArt and @Katie_Moody and use the hashtag #KatieMoodyPatreon! I’ll make a chat thread, so you can share in the community.

More bits from the session

In our chat about art school and feedback, shared incredible questions to ponder when viewing work:

• What immediately catches your eye?

• Look longer, then notice what you see that you didn’t before.

• What question would you like to ask the artist?

SECRET WORD: Feather

I clumsily quote Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act. Here are his much more eloquent words:

Taking a wrong turn allows you to see landscapes you wouldn’t have otherwise seen.

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I’ve been intrigued by this giant lizard since I first laid eyes on him. He reminds me a bit of our dog, Vigo, but more deadly.

He's just as adorable as our furry family member, and I'm not alone in this belief. I love crossing paths with a keeper who casually mentions that "Jeff looks extra cute today." Last week, a keeper gave me the scoop on why he's called "Hollywood" Jeff.

In 2001, he BIT Sharon Stone's husband, Phil Bronstein on the foot!

Zookeepers asked Bronstein to remove his shoes before entering the dragon's lair because the Komodo dragons could mistake the shoes for a rabbit or rodent. Bronstein did not comply. He left the exhibit with lacerated tendons that needed surgical reattachment.

So, don't wear white after Labor Day or when meeting a Komodo dragon.

Observing these beautiful dragons behind a barrier suits me just fine. When they’re indoors, they enjoy lazing around on heated rocks, which usually puts them at a tricky angle to draw. This has helped me practice foreshortening in a fresh and fun way, because they can quickly move at any time.

If I get too comfortable, it can be a bit terrifying when Jeff pokes that forked tongue out! It’s a reminder to sketch quickly and just look at the glorious shapes before me, instead of getting distracted by those incredible textures and colors in his claws.

Techniques to try:

- Ground your subject by finding something touching them that doesn't move. A chair, table, tree, blades of grass, etc. If you're using a photo, it could be something that intersects the bounding box, like the table in the image of Sean below, or his tail!

• Observe the part that’s closest to you. It’s that BIG thing that isn’t actually the biggest part. Either draw it, color block it, or just acknowledge that it's there. See how Sean’s head is closest to us in the photo below, and over twice the size of his body? We know his head is smaller than his whole body, but that’s not how we’d draw it observationally.

• Watch and draw with me in the video below! We’ll draw Jeff using these techniques and you’ll master foreshortening in no time!

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I hope you enjoy this session as much as I did. It was really lovely getting to know new members and our wonderful guest artist cohost. I’d love to see you at our next one!

As a paid member, you get weekly practice prompts to keep you excited about opening your sketchbook, monthly live sessions to strengthen your drawing skills, access to the Feedback Forum, and the full library of session & and workshop replays to keep you creating art every day!

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If an illustration is a party, contrast is the food. It’s not the main reason people are there, but it’s important to get it right.

Unlike catering a party, we can figure out contrast while drawing our illustrations. Here’s an example of something I drew last month. I knew something didn’t look right, and it wasn’t just my lack of confidence in drawing ducks.

I snapped a photo and desaturated it in my phone’s photo editor.

See how the big duck in front seems to fade into the background? Now I can decide how to give this mama duck the contrast she needs to make her stand out. My instinct is to darken the background using a cool blue. Since I know cool colors recede, a nice teal background will bring Mama Duck into the spotlight!

How artists I like use contrast

uses a thicker line around important elements to tell the story in his work. Notice how he doesn’t even bother drawing windows, which is brilliant. This a perfect reminder to draw what you love and leave the rest!

With contrast on the brain, I asked to give her two cents, and boy did she deliver! One of Helen’s superpowers is using contrast to tell a story in even the most complicated images. She shows us where to look in this spread from How to Hide a Lion, prompting us to turn the page and see what happens next. Enjoy below with a delightful audio sample from Helen herself.

Contrast is like a GPS that actually gives you proper directions around an illustration.

Another trick for checking contrast

Blur your eyes or get up and move several feet away. If the important parts aren’t clear or fade into the background, give it some love in the form of contrast!

In the paid member video, I show how I use Procreate to play with lights and darks for some quick contrast experiments!

P.S. We have directory of all the paid-member things by category. Take a peek!
P.P.S. Did you know we have an Art Supply Swap Page, where you can trade your gently-used materials in for exciting new supplies?

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Here’s what I made with it:

Reference images, signups to our next sessions, and materials & mentions are below!

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I watch a lot of trashy TV shows about finding love. The messiest, most dramatic cast members are my favorites. They flush diamond rings down toilets, lie about getting butt implants, and have explosive arguments in sex shops.

They often become outraged when their expectations aren’t met, reminding me of myself at the start of my art journey.

I desperately searched for an art style that might attract an audience, drawing only what I thought would get me followers. It was an unrealistic approach.

Reality TV isn’t what it used to be, and neither is an art career. Both can feel like failures when success is measured as likes, clicks, and follows.

My favorite reality stars aren’t the ones there to become influencers. The cast members who show up honestly and genuinely make the most compelling stories.

I share an older sketchbook in the video for paid members, followed by one I just finished to reflect on how my work has changed. Then I do the prompt!

Here are a few favorite pages from November - December 2023.

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If you’re drawing along to the replay, this is a great one to start out with wet materials since they’ll have time to dry as we circle back to each.

We had some lovely chats about paint and materials. Shivam showed us his airtight palette from Jackson’s2, and now I have palette-envy. I forgot to tell you about the stuff that keeps my gouache from cracking in the palette!

Here’s my work from the session

It’s vegetable glycerin! A drop in each well works wonders for preventing my gouache from drying up and cracking. You can see where I didn’t use enough in that white one on the bottom.

SECRET WORD: Library

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These exercises help reclaim the childlike wonder that the grown-up world takes from us.

First, here are a few things NOT to try with your non-dominant hand

• Performing major surgery

• Applying mascara

• Whisking eggs

Fun things to try with your non-dominant hand:

• Focus on drawing only the SHAPES of your subject.

• Sketch in a light color. You can draw or paint over it later with something else!

• Draw for 5 minutes with your non-dominant hand. Repeat with the dominant one.

• Start with your non-dominant hand, and finish with your dominant.

The goal is to:

• Practice acceptance of whatever happens on the page.

• Step outside your comfort zone.

• Access parts of your brain that may not normally switch on while drawing.

SECRET WORD: Harmony

“If you don’t like it, that means you’re learning.”

I don’t know who said this, but they have a valid point. We need to get uncomfortable at times to grow. Using your non-dominant hand is a way to practice that.

I hope you have fun making non-dominant hand drawings! I’m excited to draw with you soon!

In the video

We start with some quick exercises from Recovery of Your Inner Child, a somewhat dated self-help book from the 90s. Then, I share my process of taking a left-handed sketch to final art for a portfolio piece.

Everyday things to try with a non-dominant hand

• Eating - Can be messy, but isn’t that what napkins are for?

• Putting on socks - This one is tricky at first!

• Brushing your teeth - My favorite yoga teacher recommended it!

• Journaling - My writing is so bad that I can share my deepest secrets without worrying that anyone will ever read them!

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I could have done this another couple of hours! Enjoy the replay and bonus best hits from the links below.

If you’re a paid member and want 25% off zoolife annual or monthly, the discount code is below for you. Or hop onto paid and you’ll get the code in the upgrade email!

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First things first

Get your hand moving by drawing as you walk. I do this by drawing trees as I move around the habitats, then adding animals later. This helps me focus on fun and learning instead of accuracy.

Wander around

Just draw whatever interests you instead of trying to make a pretty illustration. I’m a big fan of starting lots of drawings and finishing them later, like in the video here and this one. I rarely ever finish a drawing on location, and you don’t have to either.

Here’s what I sketched on location:

I snapped this photo to show you, and because they’re just so majestic!

The fun continued at home, which you can watch in the video!

Scouting a location

Instead of obscuring myself, I approach exhibits like 4-year-old Beth probably would. I want the best view! When I see an interesting gorilla interaction or fun tiger pose, I quickly sketch it and move on so others can enjoy them too.

Now that spring has sprung, my treasured zoo drawing dates will be filled with herds of humans. A mass of noisy people surrounding you when you’re trying to draw a hippo can be overwhelming, but embracing that discomfort will grow your confidence!

If you’re uneasy about speaking to strangers who may ask to see your work, have a few reactions at the ready:

• “This work is top secret.”

• Pretend not to hear them.

• Smile, nod, and keep drawing.

• If you’re feeling up to it, show them!

More good news

Take comfort in the fact that people usually don’t notice at all! They’re busy looking at animals, their kids, or their phones. Lots of folks might think you’re a staff member taking notes. A lady asked me where the nearest bathroom was last week!

Materials & Mentions

• Inside my ugly drawing bag - what I took to the zoo all last summer.

• Acrylic marker video - my favorite markers and swatching all sorts of different brands.

• Drawing Out and About - drawing at the Memphis Humane Society.

• How to Draw a Gorilla Portrait - excellent advice on approaching and approaching apes by

• Airtight gouache palette - keeps colors fresher longer.

• Holbein Gouache Marigold - my new favorite yellow.

Secret word: Kitten

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I began my weekly visits with a backpack filled to the brim with art supplies. I even considered getting a folding chair and wagon to haul everything. I decided that might be too wild, even for the zoo.

Lately I've been taking fewer supplies, inspired by the 3 Materials Challenge. I talk about that a bit more here.

I love limiting my palette and mixing materials to squeeze every inch of color I can from them.

I searched the Internet high and low for a small bag to suit my minimalistic needs and organize my instruments. While waiting for the art shop to open (I know), I stopped at Urban Outfitters and found this ugly thing that is perfect!

Meet my ugly drawing bag.

It opens wide like a crocodile's jaws so I can see everything inside, similar to a pencil roll.

Here’s what I pack lately:

The Bag: It comes in Olive Green and black

Ecoline Brush Pen: Pink Beige, Cool Grey (quick color blocking)

Tombow Brush Pen: 553 (perfect for color blocking my favorite 'mates, the wonderful silverback gorillas)

Posca Paint Markers: Light Orange (color blocking orangutans and the small monkeys I love to warm up with), Straw Yellow (usually over blue Neocolor for grassy areas), Gold (makes nice greens)

Derwent Inktense Pencils: Madder Brown, Sepia Ink, Neutral Grey, Baked Earth, Shiraz, Iron Blue

Caran D’ache Supracolors: Green Ochre, Blue Jeans, Light Ochre (usually my grass colors)

Neocolor ii: Salmon, Malachite Green, Golden Ochre, Jade, Sky Blue

What kinds of things do you put in your dream drawing bag?

SECRET WORD: Beige

Prompt

Dump your drawing bag out and swatch it! Too many duplicates? Put them back!

✏️ Have you RSVP’d to the upcoming Drawing Sessions?

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These are my drawings from the session.

I think I love adding shadows with this paint stick.

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The arrival of the meal is the perfect stopping point. That hook (or something to pull you away from your sketch) encourages quickness. It’s likely why I always do the best work in a waiting room. Maybe I should plan all my doctor and vet visits around book deadlines!

My excitement over working this way began last summer at the animal clinic. Our beloved senior pets need a lot of routine maintenance. The drawing ends when we get called back to see the vet or pay the bill. I made a whole post about it here and below.

I always left the clinic with barely finished sketches that were devilishly wonky, and I couldn’t have ruined them even if I wanted to. Their wild inaccuracy lets me be free and fearless when finishing them from my imagination.

Having half-finished pages of energetic marks to return to makes me happy. I never have to worry about a blank page or how I’ll fill it. It takes me back to the moment when I started the sketch, which was usually a pretty joyful place.

SECRET WORD: BIRTHDAY

Prompt

Draw at dinner time! There are infinite ways to interpret this one.

• You could sketch the ingredients of your meal

• Take your sketchbook on a dinner date

• Sketch your cat before, during, and after mealtime, which could make a fun sequence of images!

• Draw in our restaurants replay, with the wonderful Nathalia Velásquez cohosting!

Not sure where to begin?

Note what is most eye-catching or interesting to you. Something you see in the other room? Texture of the food? The shape of a glass? Start there and branch out!

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In this session, we draw from Facial Expressions, Babies to Teens: a visual reference for artists.

If you joined the live session, thank you! If you’re watching the recording, feel free to pause. But to get the full experience, I recommend finishing from your imagination. That’s my plan, anyway.

SECRET WORD: Snacks

Here are some fun ways to practice these faces:

• ​negative space

• color blocking

• expressions

• children

The reference photos and replay are below.

As a paid member, you get weekly practice prompts to keep you excited about opening your sketchbook, twice-monthly live sessions to strengthen your drawing skills, access to the Feedback Forum and the full library of session & and workshop replays to keep you creating art every day!

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That kid who had such a blast with art supplies, pouring happiness onto every page, is still inside you. This week’s prompt gives you permission to approach blank pages with no strings attached.

Prompt: This week we’re drawing over old art.

This practice helps me approach blank pages like I did in childhood, before Instagram made them place to perform for an audience.

It’s not about covering up bad sketches. The point is to give them space in your practice and acknowledge what they taught you.

It helps me approach a blank page this way:

“I’m going to draw on this. If I don’t like it, I’ll draw or paint over it. And I’ll draw or paint over that if I don’t like that. And if I don’t like that, I’ll draw over that…”

I love what Janet Olsen said about painting over old work:

Knowing that I can paint over something makes me less worried about the final outcome and gives me freedom to try new things.

We’re not performing brain surgery. Don’t be afraid to make a mess and give your inner child some playtime. Adult-artist you will appreciate it.

In the video and below

I draw over some old zoo sketches and invite you to join with your favorite materials! I’m sharing my favorite things to use to cover and and bring old sketches back to life. I’ll create a chat so we can all share our favorite our favorite pieces we’ve drawn.

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Drawing hugs is a magical way of sparking story ideas. Don’t believe me? Look at the evidence below.

I drew a kid hugging a turtle, then…

SECRET WORD: Ochre

Tips for drawing hugs

• Get down the overall shape of your figures first. Focusing on one at a time can cause confusion

• Think about what sparked the interaction. This instantly makes it more interesting to draw and gives you a connection to it.

• Move quickly. Drawing is a race between your hand and your brain. If your brain leads, you may slow down. Speed up your hand to see what happens.

• Draw hugs from this session replay!

P.S. Here’s a link to our People Kissing Drawing Session from last year.

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1. Practice Mindfulness - For me, this means I check in with myself often to tune out noise from my brain and phone1. I do that through scheduling daily yoga, journaling, and walking my dogs. This may look different for you!

2. Draw on location - Going out and drawing is such a thrill because you have no control over your subjects. When the thing you're drawing could move or disappear, you have to make every second count. This means you can let go of the urge to finish an illustration and enjoy the process of drawing.

3. Support artists - Many wonderful creators are out there sharing encouragement and wisdom from their own art journeys. Many of them host live sessions, which help keep me accountable for my practice. Go pledge to that Substack or Patreon you’ve had your eye on! In most cases, you'll get so much more out of it than what you pay for it. Here’s a list of Patreon creators I enjoy. Feel free to share yours below!

Live sessions have been a huge part of my artistic growth. If you’re curious, you can always take advantage of Substack’s free trial option and sign up for upcoming sessions or try some replays!

SECRET WORD: Yoga

Negative space for a positive mindset

In the video below for paid members, I share a favorite drawing technique you can use in your practice to put something on the page without worrying about details.

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Make sure to subscribe to and tag us in your work from the session if you post it here or on Instagram. I love to see and share work from our time together!

What will your ❤️ color be this week?

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