60-Second Scribbles
When I got back into art in 2020, it had been years since I’d drawn seriously, not since I was 16. Around this time, I got into digital art, which was new to me, and I started focusing on photorealism. I was good at it when I really tried, but the pressure to make everything perfect became overwhelming. I’d often get frustrated, give up before I started, or abandon things halfway through.
During a visit to my mum (which I talked about in my last post), we did some little art challenges to shake things up—and that’s when I rediscovered the fun. One of my favourites was the 60-second scribble.
It’s now my go-to way to find inspiration and warm up. You can draw whatever you like, but there are a few things to keep in mind if you want it to work...
I've started using a pen when I draw these. Not because I want it to be perfect, but because I can't undo anything, and there’s something oddly comforting about that. Once the pen touches the paper, that’s it. No erasing, no rethinking, no spiralling into “should I start again?” It just is. It stops me getting stuck, I just have to keep going because after all, that is the whole reason I'm doing it anyway.
It doesn’t have to be 60 seconds. It could be 90, two minutes, even three. The point isn’t the exact time—it’s about not overthinking, just doing. If giving yourself a little more time helps you relax into it, then absolutely do that. The goal is to have fun and get your hand moving, not to stress over the stopwatch.
If you’ve been feeling stuck or unsure where to begin, I really recommend giving it a go. Set a timer, grab a pen, and let your hand do the thinking. You might be surprised at what comes out—and even if you’re not, at least you’re trying to have fun doing it.
– Gabs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's some images of my 60-second attempts, and the seal is my personal favourite for how hilarious he looks.
A good tool to use is a website called Line of Action. It has a collection of many images for this exact purpose which you can set to a timer and it will just keep giving you new ones, and it's FREE to use.
Here's the link: https://line-of-action.com/