Day 20. An Artist's Call to Attention

And an assignment to help us see our way forward.

Hi friends.

It’s Day 20 of our 30 Days of Drawing. More importantly, it’s MLK day in the United States. It’s also… inauguration day.

I grabbed a pen and scribbled a thing. Not surprisingly, it’s a call to action. But first I want to recognize the tremendous creative action you - we - are already taking.

This month, every day, thousands of us are sitting down and drawing together. That’s huge.

By carving out ten minutes a day to draw - or even just by reading the lessons I share each day - you are choosing to put down your phone, put away the clickbait news and neon ads all clamoring for your attention and instead stop. Slow down. You’re prioritizing curiosity, creativity, and community. And you are doing it in tandem with thousands and thousands of others. If this isn’t what we need to keep doing in the years ahead, I don’t know what is. If you’re here with me today, I have a hunch you may feel the same.

I’ve taken the paywall down today. Everyone has access to today’s full lesson and drawing assignment¹. If you want to see DrawTogether keep doing what we do best (and growing and reaching more people!) please subscribe. It’s how we are able to keep the ink and watercolors flowing. And we’re so grateful for your support.

Alright, here we go.

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This is a pen.

And with that, I offer you all a mini-assignment for January 20, 2025. MLK day is a holiday for folks in the US, and it seems like a good day to give a little extra to art. So take your time with it. (Or use the ten minute timer. You do you!)

Print out that list of “Ten Things to Look For” above. I mean it. Or write it down on a piece of paper. Just get it off the screen and into your pocket: make it a real thing you can hold in your hand.

Take that list outside. Go for a walk. Bring a pen. If you can’t go outside, find a window. See how many of those list things you can find. Jot them down. If you want to bring a sketchbook, doodle them. Just move things from the world into your eyes, through your body, out your hand, and onto the paper.

Pay attention to all the hopeful things and moments and people there are to see. They’re everywhere. We just have to look for them.

That’s it.

If you are feeling extra creative and have paints or crayons and want to do the assignment below, that’s great, too. But no matter what, get outside and use your eyes to look for Something Starting. Something struggling. Something Growing. Something Loving. Something Waiting…

You just have to look for it.

And, here’s the extended assignment for the GUT. GUT peeps, you can do whichever you want or any combo. You know the rules: No rules in art. 😘✏️😘

Assignment: 2025 Color Palette

Today we’re continuing our series calling attention to our senses by focusing on SIGHT. We are going to focus on the experience of looking closely and seeing to bring us into the present, and appreciate the world around us in a way we (or at least I) really need it right now. To help us find courage, strength, care and hope.

We are going to use the list above as a visual treasure hunt. If you want to draw the things you find, great. But what i’m offering you is a slightly different take. Today we are going to pay attention to COLOR. (This assignment was created in collaboration with my friend, the fantastic artist Leah Rosenberg², who will be a visiting artist with us in the very near future. Thank you, Leah!!)

Materials: Paper, pencil, pen, COLORS.

Step 1. Timer: you can set it if you want, but today, i’d say give yourself 20 minutes. because we need an extra dose today. And if you don’t want to set it at all, that’s okay, too.

Step 2. Choose 5 things on the list. Print out list (or transcribe)

Step 3. GO OUTSIDE / FIND A WINDOW and LOOK OUTSIDE

Step 4. Find your 5 things. Examine them. Look closely. Write about them. Draw them. Look at their color. REALLY look at their color. If they have different colors, which color embodies the thing’s spirit?

Step 5. Choose a color that represents each of the five things.

Step 6. Make a color swatch. Here’s how I made mine. Yours can be the same or different.

Step 7. Using the colors you identified for each thing, create a color sample/swatch

Step 8. Title each color with the thing it was (not the literal thing, but what it represented to you.)

I’ll share a few: Starting was new buds growing on the tree outside my house (tho very early, I will say), Caring is my neighbor working on his car every weekend like it’s going to fly someday, Sharing is my other neighbor offering to bake me a loaf of bread when they found out I have the flu. (Ps. I have the flu.)

Step 9. Clean it up with an eraser, cut off any extra paper. Now you have a color scheme/sample of a hopeful day, and a good reminder for the years ahead.

Tuck it into your sketchbook or tape it to your front door. There is so much waiting to be seen. We just have to look for it.

While I wish I could say let’s all gather in the IRL DrawTogether HQ and look at each other’s color swatches, we are all over the world. SO the next best thing we can do is share them in the community chat! I cannot wait to see what you see.

Sending love. And So much gratitude for being in community with all of you, here, for nearly 4 years now. So good to DrawTogether.

PENCILS UP. ❤️✏️❤️

xoxo,

w

PS - just a special thanks to the GUT team:

Art Auntie Kathleen

and

Kyle Ranson-Walsh

and extra-BTS

Anne Mercogliano

and Molly Pilloton Lam for their great work on the GUT, especially during this 30 days draw-a-thon. Did you know, Kyle is hosting a book club gathering next week?

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30 Day Gallery

The full five senses were in effect yesterday. Happy to see how grounding this one was for so many of you, and learn a little bit about each of you in the process! Wonderful peek into each other’s every days. <3

Anna J: In a very meta way, my daughter was doing the kids 5 senses week on draw together kids the OG (the farting unicorn is her favorite!!!) so that was my “hear”. Wendy saying “everything is better, when we draw together” *exhale*. There’s gonna be a LOT of DT in our house this year. Sending love to everyone.

Gunnhildur Olafsdottir: Happy Sunday to you all 💜🤎

Gretchen: I really enjoyed this, shape first - I planned for lines but didn’t have time…I may add them later, or I will just call this “I told you, I’m Fine!” Happy Sunday everyone and Happy MLK day tomorrow. Grateful for this GUT crew! Keep creating!!! 🎨🎨

Debby Singleton: This was completed at my kitchen table. I wonder what it would have been if completed outside. The exercise was very calming.

Mimi Kolb: I feel that I’m not very good at these drawing assignments, but I remind myself they are good enough! And I’m having fun. And that’s a big, important thing. I love seeing what you all share, and I feel inspired!

1. If you want to join the Grown-Ups Table and are experiencing hardship, we have scholarships available. No questions asked. Email Community@DrawTogether.Studio and we will hook you up. No artists left behind.

2. Leah is the best of the best. She’s a triple dose of magenta inspo. Do check out her work.