Why you should try a 31 day 'single subject' drawing challenge

I recently participated in a 31 day drawing challenge (March of Robots) in which participants draw 1 robot each day for all of March.  My ‘visual library’ of robot parts and designs were pretty weak and really needed an update.

This 31 day challenge brought with it the same benefits I’ve received from other 31 day challenges, but also some which were unexpected.  I decided to share what I’ve learned for your benefit.  

Above, is an image of a few of the drawings I made, but you can follow this link to view all of them together:  

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What I learned

1. Having the same subject matter for each day’s drawing actually makes this an easier challenge on a day to day basis.  I didn’t have to wonder what I was going to draw each day in comparison to other, wider open drawing exercises (such as Inktober.)  
2. It surprised me just how much more my visual library got filled up by focusing only on one subject for 31 days.  An in-depth focus on one subject was far more beneficial than doing something different each day.

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What to expect

The 31 day challenge can be broken into 4 stages:

1. First quarter: This goes pretty well since most of the images draw from my existing visual library of what subject matter I am focused on, even though I am looking at other artist’s work each day to try and learn something new.
2. Second quarter:  I start to feel the burn and frustrated at this point as a result of running through my existing mental library of material and now have to really start focusing on learning new things from each artist I’m studying.  It’s at this point that sketches start taking longer to complete due to the new learning curve.  The design of each drawing dips also because I’m more focused on learning something new than creating an interesting drawing.  It’s important to be diligent and push through this stage.  This is the 4th 31 day challenge I’ve participated in, and I can tell you from personal experience, this happens EVERY time.  I’ll also add that you WILL get through it, and it DOES get much better after this period.  I suspect this happens regardless of whatever new thing you are trying to learn in life.  
3. Third quarter: At this stage, I have settled more or less into my new learning and drawing routine and am feeling more comfortable with being able to identify what makes a particular artist’s work, whom I’m studying, work well.  I am able to both assimilate what I am learning into my drawings, and more or less create more interesting designs each day.
4. Fourth quarter: At this stage I’m starting to feel anxious to move on to other projects, but I stick with it until the end, wanting to put in the extra effort to really cement into my mind all the new things I have learned and am learning.  There are still plenty of artists I am learning from each day.  I approach this stage with the mentality of an orthodontist straightening teeth.  An orthodontist will often ‘over-correct’ teeth just a little bit to allow for the slight regression which happens when the braces are removed.  Likewise, I don’t expect to retain everything I’ve learned during the 31 day challenge, but by holding out to the end and not giving up, I hope to retain as much as possible.

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Advice

1. Don’t enter this kind of challenge with the intent to impress anyone with what drawings you are creating.  If you do this, you are setting yourself up for disappointment and frustration (on top of the frustration you will already experience by stretching yourself during a challenge like this.)  I use these kinds of challenges solely to improve myself.  I compare a drawing challenge to watching a sports athlete log how much weight he can lift per day, or how many laps he can run around a track.  Although it can be interesting to watch, It’s much less entertaining than actually watching him perform in an event.  Make the distinction in your mind between practicing and performing and then stick with one or the other.
2. Take on challenges in which you are weak and wanting to improve in.  Don’t take on challenges in which you are already proficient in the subject matter.  For example, don’t draw robots for 31 days if you already draw them really well.  All you are doing is showing off (see point #1) and wasting a good opportunity to improve yourself.
3. Stick to a specific topic/subject matter which still allows for a little variety.  The theme ‘Robots’ is a specific topic which still allows for enough variety to keep things interesting for 31 days. If you wanted to take this challenge to get better at drawing horses (for example), but worry about getting burned out drawing horses for 31 days, broaden the subject matter a little bit (to include all hoofed animals, for example.)