FAVA Sketch Challenge Experience

What an intensive and fun 4 days in Quidi Vidi representing Newfoundland & Labrador in the Atlantic Visual Arts Festival (FAVA) Sketch Challenge. Want my sketchbook? Make me an offer!

I spent over 35 hours drawing in the Christ Church Airbnb, in the village, on the clifftops and at the lake, – 5 sketches a day in all sorts of lighting & weather conditions.

As soon as I’d completed a sketch, I’d email it to the Festival and they’d post it on their Facebook Page, sharing my stories & videos too,

As you’ll see in this 13-minute video, there were several memorable moments:

discovering a 2nd keyhole in the intricate bedroom lock
finding a dry spot inside the Quidi Vidi Plantation
sketching in the dark during 4-hour sunrise time-lapse filming (very freeing!)
60-90km/hr winds on top of the cliffs and at the lake, causing great splatters and stray marks on blowing pages
holding back on eating my blueberry harvest before sketching it
not holding back on the Mallard Cottage chocolate cake … and therefore not drawing it
pacing around a concrete island 100 times while time-lapsing the sunset over Quidi Vid Lake
all the head bobbing needed when sketching via observation – something I hadn’t done in 6 years!
spending another 3 nights in the Christ Church Airbnb – thanks to my sponsors Gordon Martin & the owners!

Letting Go of Ego

If you saw my introduction post, I was honoured to be invited to represent my province and also a bit nervous. Yes, I accepted the challenge and was excited about it.

But I also felt like a kindergarten child on a very public stage doing something I wasn’t used to doing.

Unlike the other 3 Atlantic artists whose daily offerings showed distinctive artistic styles and superb sketching skills, I played with all sorts of mediums and styles, making all sorts of mistakes.

I confess, I felt the imposter syndrome kick in that first day, but didn’t like how it felt, so gave that up. Yay!

My Higher Self quickly reminded me not to compare myself – as so many do on Facebook in all sorts of areas. I certainly saw the danger of that.

From the start, I had to let go of ego, not caring what people thought of my sketches or wonder if anyone was questioning my worthiness as a representative for NL.

My job was to sketch and hopefully to inspire others to give it a try, seeing how I went about exploring subjects, styles, and tools.

So that’s what I did – some sketches taking 2 hours and others 20 minutes.

I had fun, and ended each day tired and aware of all I was learning on so many levels.

Interestingly, the easiest to draw, psychologically speaking, were the ones in the dark as I was waiting for the sun to rise. This was closer to how I paint from what I see with my eyes closed – less details, more feeling, more energy. Very freeing!