Figuary 2023

I’m a huge fan of art challenges. Anything that encourages artists to push their limits has always appealed to me. I've only dedicated myself to one challenge (Mermay), but I’m aiming to do more in my journey of self-improvement this year.

I’ve been researching art challenges and found a handy list of monthly challenges on the Brush Warriors website. They feature challenges of varying styles and subjects which helps in maintaining variety. I wasn’t able to partake in any challenges during January, although Creatuanary didn’t inspire me to try. For February, they have Fairyary (draw a fairy every day), Febirdary (draw a bird every day), and Figuary (do a figure drawing study every day).

This year, I’m challenging myself to complete the Figuary challenge, presented by Croquis Cafe (warning: nude models). It involves 12 minutes of study every day, with 6 total drawings to complete:

• 3 figures at 1 minute each
• 2 figures at 2 minutes each
• 1 figure at 5 minutes each

Having the limited time restraint is crucial to focusing on form over detail. Artists spend more time capturing the human form as opposed to focusing on fine details. I struggle with seeing how forms interact and hope this challenge will help.

So far, I've enjoyed this challenge far more than expected. Twelve minutes of uninterrupted timed drawing goes by very fast and is probably the most stressful part of my day. The studies have proven to be a great way to start the day and have motivated me to do more with my time. While I'm still learning, I'm much more ambitious with my desire to learn than I have ever been in my art career.

Additionally, I’ve begun watching a series of anatomy courses presented by ArtProf. They offer a lot of guided practice and lessons on various art topics. For now, my focus will be on anatomy.

While I’m nervous of this commitment, I’m very excited to see the fruits of my efforts in future works. I’ve never taken the time to focus on forms of the figure and how anatomy actually works. In reference to the introduction video by ArtProf, artists who don’t understand anatomy tend to see the human body as lumps and curves. There’s a lack of understanding when it comes to what creates these shapes, which is what I’m hoping to improve. I also hope to document my progress here, partly as a personal motivator but also to encourage others.

You can find my daily Figuary drawings on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube! Below are the few I’ve completed so far.