Five reasons why I'm participating in an art challenge

New year – new month – there is no better time to participate in an art challenge!

Art challenges like #30Faces30days on Sktchy invite artists from around the globe to create a new drawing every day for an entire month. But, why are art challenges useful? Here are five reasons why I’m participating in an art challenge and why you might consider to participate in one too:

First and foremost, the only way to become a better artist is to put in the hours and draw and paint! Here, art challenges help you to stay on track and create on a daily basis. To keep track on how much you have grown, compare the artwork you’ve created before the art challenge with your artwork after you’ve finished the challenge.

Second, art challenges provide you with drawing prompts and constraints that free you from having to make important decisions before you create. Choosing which medium, theme or subject you could draw can sometimes be overwhelming preventing to even start to create.

Third, art challenges help you to connect with like-minded others and to make new art friends.

Fourth, by sharing your work with fellow artists participating in the same challenge helps you to stay accountable. Using a popular art challenge hashtag can help you grow your following.

Fifth, the constraints of an art challenge usually help you to create cohesive work, which can help you in creating a portfolio as well as inspire larger art projects.

Creating your own art challenge

If participating in large art challenges isn’t your thing, you can simply create your own.

First ask yourself, what you want to get out of your art challenge. In what area do you want to improve? You can then decide on constraints that will help you to grow in these areas. In creating your own art challenge, the best way is to choose a length of time, a medium, and a subject. For instance, you could decide to create:

Animal portraits in acrylics only by using the Zorn palette for 30 days
Digital portraits only using a specific brush set on Procreate for 1 week
Male portraits in ink for 14 days
Landscapes in watercolor for 30 days

You could also create a hashtag for your art challenge and share your artwork on a daily basis on social media.

Consider your time constraints

Also ask yourself how much time you can set aside each day to create. To set yourself up for success, make your art challenge big enough for you to stretch but also small enough for you to actually stay on track. If you’re just starting to create on a daily basis, then drawing or sketching for as little as 15 minutes a day is much better than to commit yourself to painting or drawing for two hours each day.

Enjoy!

Most importantly, just start to create and have fun! And be open to change – maybe, you realize that the medium you chose for your challenge doesn’t suit you any longer and you would really love to try that other one medium (or subject). Then, just go ahead and change it – it is your art challenge – your choice!

Art challenges are there to inspire you and to help you improve!