Inchie Challenge 2024

I have joined in with the Inchie challenge again this year, run by Amy Maricle from Mindful Art Studio. The idea is to illustrate a prompt on a small piece of paper/card every day for twelve days.  It is also to encourage creating every day, even if it is on a small scale.

There are Leaves, Patience, Love and Mountain.

Then there are Bristle, Circles, Stone and Inky.

Finally you can see Shell, Buds, Expansive and Landscape.

My favourites are 'Patience' because although the lines take a long time to draw, there is something very relaxing about drawing them and 'Expansive' (for the same reason, as well as this being my own pattern, rather than one of Amy's). 

I enjoyed making these little pieces and it is the size of them as well as minimum supplies (black waterproof pen (I use either a Uniball Eye Black pen in Fine or Micro, or my Lamy Safari Fountain pen with De Atramentis waterproof ink), watercolour and watercolour card 300 gsm) which makes this a lovely challenge to do. 

Last year's work can be seen here, should you be interested.

Working small and slowly and The Inchie Challenge 2023

The Inchie Challenge, run by Amy Maricle, at Mindful Art Studio is over for another year.  I discovered Amy back in June/July, through my art journaling course where she was the teacher for one lesson.  I mentioned her in a previous post about the art journaling course.  She used to be an art therapist and her work is about slowing down and also creating big pieces from small pieces.  

My page from the art journaling course

I loved creating the page slowly, using watercolour and a black pen and have since taken two of her courses, bought her book, Draw Yourself Calm, and join in with her weekly slow drawing on Youtube on a Wednesday at 6pm in the UK. 

The Inchie Challenge is twelve daily prompts to encourage a daily art practice.  On the top row, left to right are: Frothy, Woven, Bark and Magnolia. In the centre, left to right are: Spill, Knot, Touching, Boxes.  On the bottom row, left to right are: Fern, River, Art Poem and Moon. These squares are actually 2 x 2 inches in size, so are really twinchies, but she prefers the word inchies.

What has really surprised me is that I like working small using a black permanent pen and watercolours.  I have always thought I was a 'more is more' person, with my love of mixed media, but I am embracing the small format and few supplies this needs. I have lots of scraps of watercolour card from other projects and this is a great way to use them. I am finding it to be incredibly meditative, as repeating shapes and lines is a major element.    

I am now starting to work on two journals for her two courses and slowly starting to work through her book too.