r/Journaling • u/Abcanniness • Aug 15 '24
Question Do you draw the people you mention in your journal entries?
I was documenting a road trip out of state that I took last weekend with some people that I met for the first time and will probably never see again so I thought I’d draw them just to keep a record of the event. I don’t typically draw people that I mention in my entries unless they’re friends or family, but I have a bad, bad memory for faces (and names too sometimes) and I don’t like feeling like there are lacunae peppered throughout my memories erasing bits and pieces of my past. So I thought I’d do this instead- it’s a fun exercise for polishing both art skills and memory, as well as a private record of my (external; non-cerebral) life. Do you do this as well? And if not, would it be something you’d be willing to try?
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u/PowdurdToast Aug 15 '24
If I could draw people as well as you do, I absolutely would. Great job!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Thank you. I believe you could with time. I only started seriously drawing in 2020!
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u/PowdurdToast Aug 15 '24
Wow! You certainly have natural talent! I draw cartoons pretty well, but I’d love to draw people. Your post and kind words have inspired me to practice!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I don't know about natural talent, but I really got obsessed with art during the lockdown and I haven't stopped since. 😅 I think if you consciously incorporate it into your life in some manner, you can't help but get better at it with time. Please practice and have fun with it!! 🖤
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Aug 15 '24
Your drawing is beautiful. I’ve always loved art. I drew lots growing up. It’s been on my heart returning to it. May I know what resources you relied upon during lockdown? I’m ready practicing:)
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I followed a lot of artists on YouTube and IG and observed their work during the lockdown. I focused on artists whose colour palettes and styles appealed to me. So Elly Smallwood, Minnie Small, Pearfleur, Arleebean, Jimena Agra, Kasia Avery, Mab Graves, Vipin Sketchplore, Jess Karp, Vinaya Muralidharan, Kelogsloops, etc. Initially, I tried copying some of their work to understand it. That’s a great way to learn btw, just don’t post any of the copied stuff online, at least not without crediting the original artist. It took me a year of that, plus watching videos on colour theory, videos of professional artists on YouTube talking about their art processes, and a lot of observation and sorting through my own likes and dislikes and a whole heapful of practice before I was ready to start drawing from photographs and then from life. There are also Domestika and Skillshare lessons that you can access. I hope this helps!
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u/charcon_take2 Aug 15 '24
I’ve drawn pictures of objects and landscapes. It not great, but it’s a fun way to add something special
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Yes, exactly! It's a lovely way to interpret the world I see into my journal in a way unique to me. Plus I love colour so that's wonderful too. 🖤
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u/charcon_take2 Aug 15 '24
looking back, i noticed that if i take a picture of something, i move on quickly like i captured the moment. However, if I stayed to draw it, i was able to experience much more than just a moment. if that makes sense
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Yeah that makes sense. It's also why I think this will help me remember faces better lol. Also, I don't really look through the pictures in my camera roll, but if it's something I've drawn I'm more likely to come back to it. And I also recall snippets of sounds and tastes and conversations that I was part of during the moments I was drawing so that's pretty cool as well. 🖤
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u/youknowwimnogood Aug 15 '24
Can't draw as well right now, but I'm learning lol, just for this :D
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u/strawberrywiitch Aug 15 '24
I have horrible face memory and I'd try this! A fear of mine is having to describe someone's face to the police from memory lmao I'd be useless
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I would also absolutely fail at that. 🥲 It becomes a little ridiculous when you realise that even for someone you've known for years- you recall only the most prominent features of their face at best, and the rest is a vaguely blurry blob. I hate it. 😅 I hope this will help my brain a bit.
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u/strawberrywiitch Aug 15 '24
Haha I can totally relate! Do you also have bad visual imagination? I can barely visualize anything which I think plays a part 😖
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I....don't think it's the worst? I can visualize things but not crystal clearly. In broad strokes but the details escape me. I'm sure that plays a part. 🥲
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u/mylastactoflove Aug 15 '24
sometimes, yeah :) I prefer adding pictures though because I hate when they don't look how I want them to
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Oooh, I understand that frustration. To combat that feeling, I typically kick up the contrast a bit, and change the colours whilst preserving the values when I'm drawing/painting. It doesn't look like it does in real life, but I don't want it to. So that helps me where perfectionism is concerned. 😅
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u/mylastactoflove Aug 15 '24
oh I should try that! when I reslly want to draw someone I usually just opt to draw a simplified version (more cartoonish than my usual style) so the main idea of who is it gets preserved. but then again I really want to commit to the image I have of them for posteriority so perfectionism bites me on the ass DX
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
A bit like a caricature, you mean? But without the comical exaggeration lol. I think that's lovely as well. Realism is just one form of art. There are so many other art styles! You should do whatever feels the most natural to you. 🖤
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u/Beefyspeltbaby Aug 16 '24
If I had your talent I not only would draw the people I mention in my journals but every entry would have a drawing… hell I might even do a drawing of something for every single page!!
Unfortunately I don’t have any talent when it comes to drawing but I’ve always LOVED how journals look with drawings/doodles placed throughout them and it’s something I’m quite jealous of lol.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 18 '24
I've been getting lots of comments expressing similar sentiments on this post, and though I think they're very sweet, it's also breaking my heart a little bit. You don't need to be excellent at something to enjoy it, dear stranger. You just need to enjoy it. That's all. Make your scribbles and your doodles and use all the colours in the world or don't. Just don't say that you won't because you think you don't have any talent. Because I won't believe it. And you shouldn't either.
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u/gonzorizzo Aug 15 '24
I wish I could draw.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Of course you can. Everyone can draw. You just need to start and be patient with yourself. It's definitely a teachable and learnable skill. 🖤
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u/kewich_j Aug 15 '24
I don't even draw stars and flowers.
And your art is great!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Thank you! Does that mean you strictly only write in your journal?
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u/kewich_j Aug 15 '24
Yeah. Sometimes I add some calligraphy, but it's not drawing.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Whoa, calligraphy is so gorgeous. I cannot for the life of me, do it. 🥲 But I haven't had the opportunity to try it either. Maybe someday? 🖤
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u/sleepyhead0027 Aug 15 '24
These drawings are really nice, did you draw while referencing a photograph? Or purely from memory? Either way, you've inspired me to try doing this in my journal. It's really lovely :)
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I have photographs from the event we attended so I referenced those! I drew one person live, but people move, and I wasn't able to fill in as many details as I would like, so I drew the other two from photos. As for drawing from memory, my memory I like a sieve unfortunately lol. This is actually to help fix that issue. 😅 I'm happy to hear that you'll give it a try as well. I hope you have a lot of fun!
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u/PikaStars Aug 15 '24
I’ve actually thought of it, but my style is a bit cartoony so I’m not sure how I would translate that. Great art btw!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Plenty of people don't go with realism when they draw portraits. There's an artist I follow called Frannerd who has a sketchbook she doodles in and the people she draws are not realistic but they're so distinct and individual just the same. Do whatever feels right to you! 🖤
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u/irmia Aug 15 '24
I need to start drawing seriously so I can do this
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Yay! But make sure you're having fun as well. 🖤
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u/FalseChoose Aug 15 '24
I wouldn’t know how to feel if I were to see myself so beautifully captured in someone’s journal
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Aww. The people I drew have no idea that I've drawn them either. So who knows? Maybe you are in someone's journal after all. Who can tell? 🖤
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u/LaCentaurette Aug 15 '24
That’s beautiful, I love it so much! It never crossed my mind, and they would never look as good as yours, but I’ll have to give it a try!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Thank you, please do. Everyone has their own unique art style and if you're comfortable with posting yours someday, I'd love to see it!
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u/jager-master-man Aug 15 '24
Nahhh this is awesome!!! Is great, yet im not that good of an artist myself to draw that good
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u/kuromoon0 Aug 15 '24
Ive wanted to do this but I worried it was creepy >_< I don’t have the same talent level as you, but you doing it too has put my mind at ease!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I don't think it's creepy unless one is doing it with some creepy purpose in mind. 😅 It's my way of remembering them and the event we participated in a few months or years down the line, so I think it's fine. 🖤
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u/kuromoon0 Aug 15 '24
Yeah lol. I don’t really know what would be a creepy purpose lol… I guess I was just being overly paranoid about being weird xD
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Well, think about it this way- lots of people insert photographs in their journals, this isn't very different. You're just using a different medium.
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u/kuromoon0 Aug 15 '24
Hehe true but I also felt I was weird putting in photos without explicit permission from someone lol. Just my brain being dumb xD
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Your brain isn't being dumb. I think it's a wonderful thing to want to ask consent- please do so if it makes you and the person you're asking feel comfortable. In my case, even though the people I've drawn don't know I've drawn them, I drew the other person in our group live in front of them, and nobody minded. Plus we've all shared photographs with each other and they've uploaded group photos on their social media and those were the ones I referenced. So I think it's fine.
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u/kuromoon0 Aug 15 '24
Yeah makes sense. Don’t let my weird hangups affect what you do lol, its a lovely idea :)
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I don't think your hangups are weird lol. You bring up a good point. But thank you for the compliment, I hope it's an idea you'd try someday as well, in a way that feels comfortable to you. 🖤
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u/X_Bluejae Aug 15 '24
i would if my style wasn’t so cartoony 😭 i’d like to draw my loved ones like this
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
You can definitely try in your style as well. I mentioned Frannerd under another comment here- she's an illustrator and one of my favourite artists. Her sketchbook is full of people she's drawn in the wild in her style and in monochrome- and it's absolutely gorgeous. Please don't restrict yourself, and give it a try!
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u/X_Bluejae Aug 15 '24
that actually helps a lot lol, sometimes your own style feels super basic to you because of how much you do it 😭 looking at other artists helps u see the charm in your own work lol thank you for that
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I'm happy to have helped in some way. Please feel free to draw in whatever manner feels most enjoyable for you. 🖤
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u/heyyoriky Aug 15 '24
No, but it's because I cannot humans and animals at all lol I'm very good with sacred geometry, regular geometric art, yadda yadda but real life stuff is beyond me. I love the idea a lot though!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I am awful, simply horrible at anything that involves straight lines or repeating designs. My brain does not compute lol. So zentangles and mandala drawings and all that? Just out of the realm of possibility for me- and I have tried my hand at those lol. I haven't attempted sacred geometry but from my understanding it's something similar? Please correct me if I'm wrong though. I gravitated towards figures because I didn't have to use very precise implements, like pens or pencils. I could go in directly with colour and a brush. It's only lately that I've started using pencils as well. But I still am utter crap with pens though. 🥲
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u/heyyoriky Aug 15 '24
I love that we have the exact opposite problem because my brain doesn't understand when things are not precise and straight lines are like second nature to me. The human experience is so wild when it comes to small details of each person.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 16 '24
Hahahha, it is amazing, isn't it? We're all so different in little, unexpected ways. I love it. 🖤
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u/DiggoLetsGo Aug 15 '24
This is awesome even if they don’t look exactly like them in real life it’s still like awesome.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Aww, thank you. They don't look exactly as they do in real life but they're recognizable as them, if that makes sense. I'm happy with that. 🖤
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u/DiggoLetsGo Oct 22 '24
You’re doing incredible..your decedents would be so lucky to get a hold of your diary one day or whom ever it maybe it’s so detailed🙏🏽. That’s sorta how I look at it with my diary and it helps me too.. I hope it may be to help whom ever will be reading it too down the line😅 I find it beautiful journaling.. the only place I can be true and whether I am in the wrong or right it is whatever. It is me
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u/Abcanniness Oct 23 '24
Thank you. I'm not planning on descendants, so I don't know where my journals will end up when I someday die. But that isn't a worry for me. They bring me joy and that is enough. Journaling is one of the best creative outlets and such a comfort. And you're so right- it is me. And that's beautiful. 🖤
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u/KeyCar367 Aug 15 '24
You're talented 👏 I draw stick people
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Thank you. I think it's mostly all practice though. I've only been drawing for the past 4 years. 😅
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u/frobnosticus Aug 15 '24
Good god. I wish.
I can't draw a straight line with a ruler and a pen.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Straight lines are overrated. You hardly ever find straight lines in nature and natural things. So please turn away from both ruler and pen, and try something wildly chaotic like I did when I started. Just a paint brush and blobs of colour lol. It's great fun. Only if you want to, of course. 😅
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u/hdmx539 Aug 15 '24
No because I can't draw. 😭
Edit: I have a Canon Selphy printer that I use to print photos and tape into my journal.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I've seen loads of journalers (journallers?) do that too! It's definitely quicker and more efficient, but I personally prefer my old-fashioned method lol, since I don't want my recollections of people and places to be absolutely true to life, just true to how I see them. 🖤
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u/hdmx539 Aug 15 '24
You draw really beautifully! Your journal must be really varied with words and drawings. I love journals like that.
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Aug 15 '24
Nope I don't but I shove photos of them in the journal if Im talking about them tho. I got a polaroid just for this sake. hahaha (or in the case of anime character I print out 2x3 photos of them 😎)
But your doodling is soo cute!! I think I might try to draw the subject Im talking about next time in my journal too. thanks for the idea! 🥺🥺🥺
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I print mini posters of the anime I watch too whilst reviewing them or talking about them in my journal lol. I'm glad that you'll give drawing a try next time. I hope you enjoy the experience! 🖤
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u/BariNgozi Aug 15 '24
Absolutely not, due exclusively to the fact I simply do not have the talent
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
I can never believe it when people say this regarding art. Everyone can draw. They have their own individual styles of expression, but it's art nonetheless. I hope you give it a try someday... if you'd like to, of course. 🖤
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u/Milyaism Aug 15 '24
Not usually, but that's because I'm a perfectionist and I always find something "wrong" in my drawings of people - but not if I draw animals, etc.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
Yeah, perfectionism is hard. I've struggled to accept a piece of art as it is without wanting a do-over or overworking it, and I can manage that more often than I could. The feelings you leave with when you finish a piece will colour how you approach the next one, and frustration never works out well. It's best to keep expectations to a minimum and focus on enjoying the movement and colour itself rather than the finished piece. That helped me a lot. Also the reminder that if I really, really hate it then I always have the option of covering it up lol.
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u/i_am_nimue Aug 15 '24
Nope coz I cannot draw that well.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
You don't have to be able to draw well to have fun with drawing. No one is very good at anything when they're starting out. 🖤
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u/eggpotion Aug 15 '24
I used to do drawings every now and then in-between paragraphs but now I just write paragraphs. I only do drawings if there is a diagram or if I specifically feel like doing it
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u/Abcanniness Aug 16 '24
Yes, follow what feels right for you at the moment. I used to be a text only girlie, until I became a text mostly girl, and now it's pretty much 50-50 lol.
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u/Iamoldsowhat Aug 15 '24
I try. they don’t look like themselves and then I black out their faces and turn them into vases
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
This comment is absolute chaos and I love it. 🤣 So, is your journal basically peopled with vase headed individuals? Are the vases empty? If not, what do they hold? Are they all the same kind of vase? Do you draw designs on the vases? Would you be willing to share a picture? I have so many questions. 😂😆
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u/Iamoldsowhat Aug 16 '24
lol. sometimes they’re not vases. I basically draw over them to make them look like objects if I can’t get the features right. kind of like turning a tattoo into another tattoo. some became trees (very greek mythology)
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u/Abcanniness Aug 16 '24
Your vases almost immediately reminded me of "Ode on a Grecian Urn" (also kinda Greek mythology) lol. I like the idea- it feels strange and whimsical and I've always been into that sorta vibe lol. 🖤
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u/Iamoldsowhat Aug 17 '24
by the way, I love your drawing. did you take a course? I really want to draw people well but they never come out looking like themselves.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 17 '24
Thank you! No, I did not take a course- I just watched a lot of YouTube videos on art and drew a lot. 😅
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u/i_really_like_bats_ Aug 15 '24
This is such a cool idea!! I should try this. I’ve only ever done it once with my partner - my journal is primarily (if not exclusively) writing-focused but I like the idea of adding doodles :)
(Edit: corrected :£ to :) 💀)
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u/Abcanniness Aug 15 '24
It’s a lot of fun. Plus, it breaks the monotony of just written words and brings in some colour and that’s fantastic as well. I know that’s not an issue for everyone, but I like some colour in my journals, so doodles and sketches really help. I hope you find enjoyment in it as well if you decide to try!
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u/Sqaured_or_Cubed Aug 15 '24
no, but if i had your talent i definitely would!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 16 '24
Doodling is just as valid, it doesn't necessarily have to be realism! Have fun with it, that's all. 🖤
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u/hxgox Aug 15 '24
This would be another level of journaling.
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u/slaterfish Aug 15 '24
Oh to be a lovely drawing in someone else’s journal
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u/Abcanniness Aug 16 '24
Aww. If you have friends who are journalers irl, you could practice with them? I will always regret not trying to draw my friends back in uni, even though my drawing skills weren't the greatest. Those little everyday moments seem so much more valuable to me now in hindsight.
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u/spiritAmour Aug 15 '24
oh, ur journal looks so pretty and loved. but to answer the question no. most of the time im journaling is to release negative emotions, so id never want to spend time drawing someone im mad at or dont like.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 16 '24
Yeah, I understand how that wouldn't help at all. I wouldn't like to linger on people I'm unhappy with either. 😅 If I might make a suggestion though (felt free to ignore it if it doesn't interest you) : have you considered caricatures? They're fantastic for lightening the mood as well as for a bit of amusement lol.
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u/ElectricVoltaire Aug 15 '24
I do this occasionally with doodles, but this post makes me want to make better drawings. I read Anne Frank's diary last year, and I found myself wishing she'd spent more time describing the people she wrote about, because I was struggling to visualize them. Then I realized that I don't really describe the appearances of people in my life either, since it's obvious to me what they look like.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 18 '24
That's such a good point. I've never felt that way about an autobiography, but I have felt that way about people IRL. Not seeing them for a while only to meet up and realize that something subtle in the way they hold themselves or the expression on their face has changed. Or living with them and seeing them every day, until one day I come across an old photo and I realize just how much they've been altered by time. And I guess one always has photographs, but I've never been very into taking them or looking back on them- drawing a person is much more personal and intimate to me. I notice parts of their face and their expressions more than I ever would in a photo and I can hold them more clearly in my mind after that.
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u/ElectricVoltaire Aug 18 '24
That's an interesting approach! I'm also an artist but I haven't really done much of portraits. This makes me want to get better at drawing people
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u/ChanelHungria Aug 16 '24
Love. I haven’t started journaling. Need to focus on studying … Would it technically be a journal?
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u/Abcanniness Aug 17 '24
Are you asking whether your notebooks for studying in would technically be a journal? Typically I'd say that a journal has no rules and it can be anything you want it to be- and I do still believe that. But I also believe that a journal should also be personal to you in some small way in a manner that brings you comfort. Other than that, do whatever feels comfortable!
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u/ChanelHungria Aug 17 '24
Yes pardon for the confusion. Find it personal in the sense as It’s comforting seeing my cursive handwriting )
Your post is so nicely done.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 18 '24
Of course! As long as your journal brings you comfort, serves as a refuge, yeah. Do what you like- your interests should be unique to you. 🖤 And thank you!
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u/Emotional-Bar3046 Aug 16 '24
Yes, they are not hyper realistic or great
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u/Abcanniness Aug 16 '24
They don't have to be hyper-realistic to be wonderful. Art is lovely as it is. 🖤
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u/EstablishmentGlum571 Aug 16 '24
That is so cute! I wish I had the drawing abilities to do that.
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u/Abcanniness Aug 17 '24
It doesn't have to be realism, necessarily. It can be any style at all- including illustrations, an anime style, a caricature, an abstract- basically how you see them I guess. 🖤
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u/AryanMishra7_17 Aug 16 '24
Never I am bad artist but i write it well so they can feel how someone looks alike
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u/Abcanniness Aug 17 '24
That's lovely. Describing people well with words is a fantastic skill to have!
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u/bassy_bass Aug 16 '24
If I could, I would 😂
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u/Abcanniness Aug 17 '24
If you wish to, you could try. I know I showed an example of realism, but that isn't the bar I'm measuring art by, by any means. 😅 Art is as unique and diverse as each individual - and if you like something, please indulge yourself and enjoy it, regardless of skill level. 🖤
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u/bassy_bass Aug 17 '24
Stick figures it is then!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 17 '24
Sure! As long as it brings you joy, lovely. And please don't curb your curiosity towards any forms of creative expression. 🖤
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Aug 16 '24
Teach me your ways…!!
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u/Abcanniness Aug 17 '24
Hahaha! It involves having loads of curiosity and enthusiasm and then practicing. 🖤
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Aug 17 '24
Orochimaru in me has lots of curiosity on Research, practice and learn new Jutsus…
But, Shikamaru in me says,”Mendokusei…!!”
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u/The_Real_Bruhtle Aug 16 '24
I don't draw people, I just can't draw period lol- at least something that complex.
But that's a cute idea.
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u/Lonelyinmyspacepod Aug 15 '24
I'd love to be able to but they'd all be stick figures lol.