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I decided that this is the year I really want to improve my drawing.

I used the Procreate app on my iPad to draw all the motifs in my book (How to Embroider Almost Everything) but that’s just black and white line drawings. I wanted to take it further. I especially wanted to learn how to add color and texture.

I also knew I needed to take small steps. I can’t get better at all the things all at once – so I’m setting my self small daily challenges, a new challenge every month.

I started in January with something really simple.

Dots.

Everyone can draw a dot, right?

You can read more about the awesome picture book that inspired the challenge here.

So I drew a dot every day in January, and I learned all kinds of new ways to add color and texture in Procreate.

If you’re interested, these are some of the classes I took to help me along.

• Procreate Basics: Keeping a Digital Sketchbook on Your iPad Pro
• iPad Art: Using Textures in Procreate
• Layering Color and Texture in Procreate
• Procreate Practice: Creating and Illustrating with Texture Overlays

And here are the results!

I had so much fun!

So this month I’m taking the skills I learned in January and I’m applying them to actual drawings. I’m not drawing anything new.

(Aaack! Too much pressure!)

Instead I’m taking things I’ve already drawn (favorite quilt block patterns) and I’m coloring them in with fun texture. Here are my first two. . .

That’s one of the bears from the Bunches of Bears pattern.

And that’s the Yeti pattern. I’m especially pleased with the shading on his horns. 🙂

I’m posting a new image every day in February. You can follow along on Instagram!

Happy stitching! (And happy drawing!)