I took part in the 100 Day Project in 2016 and found it challenging and rewarding in equal parts. Looking back after 100 days to see 100 drawings felt very satisfying though the journey to get there wasn't easy. In 2017 I was oversees and so didn't have the materials or time to take part in the project so when this years project rolled around I decided (a little last minute) to give it another go. My theme in 2016 was simply to make a postcard everyday, there were no boundaries in terms of subject or medium and I enjoyed the freedom to use inky washes one day and pencil the next.

For the 2018 project I have decided to focus my efforts on drawing birds, plants and trees. I've been drawing birds on and off for a few years and find that my drawing skill can always be practised in this area as I've never been confident drawing realistically. I love capturing the character of a bird in the drawings that I have done in the past and hope that over 100 days my bird knowledge will improve alongside my drawings of them. It's a similar story with trees and plants. My landscape drawings are made up of trees and plants but I capture them in more of an abstract way, utilising tiny shapes and patterns to create an overall image of nature and landscape at its most magical. By picking out trees and plants to draw individually I hope to improve my knowledge and help inspire new shapes and ways of drawing to feed into my fine liner pen landscapes.

Already I have found that being organised with the project has been an issue as I am falling behind at such an early stage. In fact my very first drawing was a day late. Rather then scold myself I have decided to also use the project as a reminder that things don't have to be absolutely perfect and that if something isn't quite finished or ready to be posted it can wait until tomorrow or the next day, I want the project to be a joy and not a burden otherwise I fear I won't see it through till the end.

I will be listing drawings in my online shop every week or so in order to make room for more work. 100 postcards were easy to keep tidied away but as this project has no size limits I fear I may drown in paper in no time. If you'd like to follow along with my efforts then I am posting the project on Instagram using the hashtag #clairedrawsbirdsandbotany, you can follow me here.